I.Words&Expressions
1. Now I'm saying you must write for yourself and not be gnawed by worry over…
gnaw v. 咬、啃 (使)苦恼折磨
I was gnawed by the grief and loss of my money.
2.…there's no excuse for losing readers through sloppy workmanship.
sloppy adj.
lacking neatness or order(untidy):eg.When we walked into the room,it was sloppy and clothes were scattered everywhere.
marked by great careless:eg.His writing is sloppy.
not fitting closely,hanging losely(baggy):eg. She wears a sloppy shirt.
3.…,who relishs the opulent words for its opulence and doesn't deify the simple sentences.
relish n. 开胃小菜 v. 享受、品味…
You may relish eating the relish on your hotdog,or you may relish taking an afternoon nap.
opulent adj. rich and superior in quality (luxurious)
eg. He lives in an opulent mansion filled with priceless art and antiques.
deify v. to take as an object of worship eg.The people deified the emperor.
4. pretentious adj. 自命不凡的、做作的 If you don't want to be accused of being prententious ,just act naturally and don't put on airs.
eg. The house in the neighborhood are large and pretentious.
II. Summary & Reflection
Chapter 5 The Audience
## Who am I writing?
作者承接上一章节说的style,来引出本章的topic,直接简明的指出:You are writing for yourself. 并且提出two different issues:craft&attitude
craft: a question of mastering a precise skill
attitude:how you use that skill to express your personality
## How can you think carefully about not losing the readers and still be carefree about his opinion?
1. Work hard to master the tools:simplify,prune and strive for order.
2.Relax and say what you want to say.
这点特别深有体会,面对写作自己总是想太多,害怕写不好,害怕不知道说什么。其实作者也说了,just takes time to find yourself as your style,your voice
3.Be yourself when you write.
个人见解,在写作初期,很难写出自己的特色和风格,成为自己。所以需要不断的模仿和联系,才会形成自己独特风格。
Chapter 6 Words
本章节探讨为词的使用,用对词,用准词。
##作者提到为了避免cliche,the only way to avoid it is to care deeply about words。
1. Make a habit of reading what is being written today and what was written by earlier masters. Writing is learned by imitation.
学会赏析好的文章,好的字词句,模仿前人大神的写作。
2.Get in the habit of using dictionaries.
写作好的人一定是对字词句的运用是下了很大的功夫,这里是离不开字典的使用。之前一直以为查字典是多简单的事情,后来看了Eric 和魏大大的一番详述,才知大错特错。
3.Bear in mind,when you are choosing words and stringing them together,how they sound.
这个可能是词的运用里更高一级别的了。注意词的rhythm和alliteration,要让读者能够 hear their words in their inner ear。其实,好的作家更像是诗人,always listening to what they write。这样我想到了汉语里面的通感手法,句子读起来也是视听的双重或是多重享受。
## Remember:
1. Words are the only tools you've got.
2. Learn to use them with originality and care.
3.Somebody out there is listening.