1. Know your audience

　　了解你的读者

　　An important point to start with: you are writing for your readers, not for yourself. Familiarize yourself with your expected audience. The readers of a poetry magazine are different from the readers of a fan fiction site; the readers of mass-market mystery novels are different from the readers of a flash fiction blog.

　　首先，有一点非常重要：你是在为你的读者写作，而不是你自己。去熟悉你的预期读者。诗歌杂志的读者和同人小说网站的读者是不同的；大众市场悬疑小说的读者和微型小说博客的读者也是不同的。

　　2. Keep your goals achievable

　　保证写作目标切实可行

　　Figuring out what you want to do with your writing before you begin is a crucial step in the process. Following that – are those goals achievable? Are you planning to submit a poem or short story to a literary magazine or a competition? If you are, then there are probably submission deadlines that you need to meet, which should be reflected in how you plan out your writing process. Do you have a length that you are looking to meet? If you’re writing a mystery novel, it might be helpful to know whether the word or page count stacks up against the expectations of the readers (and publishers).

　　在你开始写作之前想清楚你想写什么，这是写作过程至关重要的一步。接着想一想——这些写作目的是否切实可行？你是不是计划要交一首诗歌或者一篇短篇小说给文学杂志，还是要参赛？如果是的话，那么可能就有递交的截止日期了，这应当在你的写作计划中反映出来。写作字数有没有要求？如果你正写一篇悬疑小说，那么，去了解下字数限制和页数要求是否超出了读者（和出版商）的预期会十分有益。

　　3. Make time to write

　　安排时间写作

　　You can have everything laid out perfectly in front of you for a great novel, but you also need time to actually write it. Setting aside a daily period specifically for writing might not be necessary, but it will help establish a sense of routine and process, especially if you are working towards a deadline.

　　小说的谋篇布局已非常完美，但是你也需要时间来真正来写作。或许没必要每天特地腾出一段时间来写作，但这样有助循规蹈矩培养过程意识，尤其是截止日期正在迫近。

　　4. Don’t wait for the inspiration

　　不要等待灵感的出现

　　Inspiration doesn’t typically strike if you’re not already working for it. Notice the things around you: keep an ear out for interesting words or phrases, engage in the delicate art of people-watch, and read broadly – inspiration can be found everywhere, ranging from a subway car to an old newspaper.

　　如果你没有为之努力，是不会灵光乍现的。留心身边的事物：留神关注有趣的词语或词组，践行为人处事之道，仔细观察、广泛阅读——从地下铁到旧报纸，生活处处有灵感。

　　5. Keep a journal

　　写日记

　　One key part of the inspiration process is tracking it down. A writing journal offers a great place to store your observations, thought-provoking quotations, and other interesting tidbits you may encounter. The end result is an accumulation of ideas that can help you in generating character, conversation, and other elements of your writing. A journal also offers a space to experiment with writing exercises, and play around with different writing techniques.

　　获得灵感的关键在于记录。日记本是不错的选择，你可以记录观察所得、引发思考的言论、和其他你可能会遇到的有趣的点点滴滴。最终你累积的想法有助你创造角色、对话以及其他写作元素。写日记还可以让你尝试不同的写作训练，把玩各种不同的写作技巧。