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英语语法:14 How to Write Your First Novel

时间:2010-06-28 01:54来源:互联网 提供网友:myulan   字体: [ ]
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Grammar Girl here. Today's topic is how to write your first novel.

Since you’re listening to this podcast, you probably love the English language and the written word. And if you do, you probably have an itch1 to write that first novel. Well, you're not alone. The dream of writing a novel, either for personal satisfaction or to make money, has been prevalent in our culture for decades, if not centuries.

So, with five novels under his belt, Scott Sigler knows how to get it done. His advice for you is surprisingly simple, and slightly disturbing. Here's his five-step plan.

Step 1: Write every day
Step 2: Write a bad book first
Step 3: Finish the bad book, then put it away for six months
Step 4: Start writing your “good” book
Step 5: After six months, read that “bad” book, learn where you're weak, and address those weak areas.
 

Step 1: Write every day

Is that impossible? Probably for most of us, but you need to try. Schedule the time, at least an hour. It'll take prioritization to make it happen, but if you really want to write that novel, it’s what you have to do. Writing is like building any other skill, like building muscles – the more you do it, the better you get, the stronger you get.

Step 2: Write a bad book first

Why write a bad book? Because a bad story is easier to write than a good story, and the goal here is to teach yourself that you can finish a novel. There is power in finishing, and here’s why:

Many people set out to write a novel. They outline, they plan, they start with best intentions, but when they get to their first major writing roadblock, the majority of them quit. Why? Because writing a novel is hard. People become so invested in their story, so passionate2 about it, that when they hit the difficult part they don’t know how to get around it. They get frustrated3, and they quit.

However, if you set out to write a “bad” novel, when you get to that sticky part all writers hit, you can just power through. Bring in a guy with a gun. Whip up a betrayal. Beam in an alien. Anything to move the story forward and keep you writing. The goal isn’t to win a Pulitzer prize, the goal is to finish the book.

Step 3: Finish the bad book and put it away for six month

Just finishing the book puts you at the top of the class of most aspiring4 novelists. Once you're finished, put that novel away and don’t look at it, not even a peek5, for six months. Don’t let anyone read it. Not even your significant other. Trust me on this, just leave it the heck alone. Even though you set out to write a bad novel, odds6 are your human nature will kick in and you’ll secretly think you’re pretty darn talented. But trust me, put it away. Don’t peek. If you’re right, and it actually is good, you’ll find out in six months.

Step 4: Start writing your good book

Now, while your bad book is incubating in cold storage, start your second book, your real book. What you’ll find is that it’s easier the second time around. You’ve got experience writing a novel, the words will come a little faster, the plot will flow a little better. You’ve built up those writing muscles; the reps come with less teeth-gnashing effort. And here’s the kicker – when you hit that difficult spot, when you get stuck, when you’re frustrated and it seems too hard to continue, you will continue, because the little voice in the back of your head says you’ve done this before, you know you can finish a novel.

Remember when I said finishing the bad book gives you power? This is that power in action.

Step 5: Read that “bad” book, learn where you are weak, and correct those areas.

So you’re working on your second book, your real book, and you think you’re pretty hot stuff. It’s okay, you’re among friends, you can admit it – deep down you think you’re the next big thing. Keep on thinking that until the six months is up.

After six months, pull out your first manuscript and read. The moratorium7 was there so you could forget what you thought you said on the page, and see what the page actually says. This will give you an experience almost identical to that of any reader. What you find here will shock and disturb you. Are you really that bad of a writer? Yes, you are. However, you’re almost in the home stretch. Read the bad book, and pay attention to the areas where you're really horrible. Run-on sentences? Flat characters? Stilted8 dialogue? Twenty-three pages where nothing happens? This is your boot camp, soldier. The things you learn from reading your own writing, after you forgot what you were trying to say, will do more to build your skill than all the writing classes in the world combined. It’s magic, because this isn’t a Dick & Jane example, these are your words, your writing style. Find your weakest spots, and you attack them. Learn how to break up the sentences. Spend more time developing a dynamic character. Make dialogue that sounds like real people having a conversation.

This process will shed immense amounts of writing fat, the stuff that you don’t need to tell the story. It’s also an ego-check that will eventually benefit your reader – now that you know how painful it is to read fatty work, you won’t want to expose another human being to the same painful ordeal9.

Congratulations! Now you’re writing for the reader, not writing to hear yourself talk.

Step 6: Repeat

Finish that second book. It’s much better, isn’t it? Finish it, then go back to page one and start editing the heck out of it. The second book is actually your first novel. I suggest re-writing it, from cover to cover, at least three times before you let anyone – even the aforementioned significant other – take a peek. Guess what? Now you’re a writer! Keep building those muscles, keep writing, keep getting better. Most people don’t land a publishing deal until they’ve written three or four full novels, so don’t get discouraged. This process takes time, but when you print off that finished novel and hold the pages in your hands, it is one of life’s great experiences.

Administrative10 Stuff

You can find a transcript11 of this podcast, my contact information, and all the other great Quick and Dirty Tips podcasts at quickanddirtytips.com.

 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 itch 9aczc     
n.痒,渴望,疥癣;vi.发痒,渴望
参考例句:
  • Shylock has an itch for money.夏洛克渴望发财。
  • He had an itch on his back.他背部发痒。
2 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
3 frustrated ksWz5t     
adj.挫败的,失意的,泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 );挫败;使受挫折;令人沮丧
参考例句:
  • It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
  • The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 aspiring 3y2zps     
adj.有志气的;有抱负的;高耸的v.渴望;追求
参考例句:
  • Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
  • He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句
5 peek ULZxW     
vi.偷看,窥视;n.偷偷的一看,一瞥
参考例句:
  • Larry takes a peek out of the window.赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
  • Cover your eyes and don't peek.捂上眼睛,别偷看。
6 odds n5czT     
n.让步,机率,可能性,比率;胜败优劣之别
参考例句:
  • The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
  • Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗?
7 moratorium K6gz5     
n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期),延期偿付
参考例句:
  • The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
  • We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。
8 stilted 5Gaz0     
adj.虚饰的;夸张的
参考例句:
  • All too soon the stilted conversation ran out.很快这种做作的交谈就结束了。
  • His delivery was stilted and occasionally stumbling.他的发言很生硬,有时还打结巴。
9 ordeal B4Pzs     
n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验
参考例句:
  • She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
  • Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。
10 administrative fzDzkc     
adj.行政的,管理的
参考例句:
  • The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
  • He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。
11 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
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