提高商業寫作水平的10個要訣

Writing is valuable. It doesn’t just transfer insights, it creates them. And since “good words are worth much and cost little,” choosing the right words is worth the price you pay in time (and sanity).

會寫作能給你增值。它並非簡單地將你的見解從內心轉移到紙面，同時也是新想法產生的過程。所謂“好話不花錢，一句值千金”，你值得在遣詞造句上費心推敲。

At Help Scout we look at the quality of writing through the same demanding lens we use to evaluate the quality of code.

在我的公司Help Scout，我們會用評估編碼質量的嚴苛標準，來評價商業寫作的質量。

I certainly don’t have this writing thing figured out—not even close—but thanks to the gracious feedback from readers, here are a few common signs that your writing is heading in the right direction:

雖然我本人離寫作高手還有一定距離，但基於無數熱心讀者的反饋所賜，在此我們總結出了一些要訣，可以指引你的寫作走向正確的方向：

1. Brevity. Soul. Wit.

1. 簡潔、言之有物、措辭巧妙。

Few things drag down writing more than spreading good ideas over too many words.

用長篇大論展現好的想法，最容易毀掉一篇文章。

2. Writing is not flaunting your vocabulary.

2. 寫作不是炫耀你的詞彙量。

“When you write you should pretend that you, the writer, see something in the world that’s interesting, that you are directing the attention of your reader to that thing in the world, and that you are doing so by means of conversation,” says Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. Writing is not meant to prove ownership of a thesaurus—it is the selective transcribing of thoughts.

哈佛大學心理學家史蒂芬o平克表示：“你在寫作時應該設想自己看到了一些有趣的事情，你要通過對話的方式，引導讀者關注這些事情。”寫作不是證明你擁有豐富的詞彙，而是選擇性地把你的思想記錄下來。

3. On having your cake and eating it, too.

3.既要讓文章好看，也要讓讀者有所得

The best writing is that which pleases at a glance but further rewards careful study. “A thoughtful list post” may seem like an oxymoron , but like a movie you can re-watch a dozen times, good writing hooks easily yet hides gifts for a discerning mind.

最好的文章既能讓人一見鍾情，更能讓讀者在細心研讀之後有所收穫。就像一部百看不厭的電影一樣，好的寫作可以輕鬆抓住有辨識力的讀者，並且能不斷給他們帶來意外的收穫。

4. Don’t bury the lede.

4. 不要浪費導語的作用。

Before pen to page or fingers to keyboard, you must begin with knowing what you are trying to say. Every piece of writing should have the thesis, the value proposition, be entirely clear from the outset. The journey to the end of your essay should be rewarding for reasons other than figuring out what point you’re trying to make.

下筆之前，你首先要清楚自己想要說什麼。每一篇文章都應該有一個主題，有一個從一開始就明確闡述的價值主張。 讀完你的文章，應該是對你縝密推理的回報，而不是想搞清楚你究竟想表達什麼觀點。

5. To write more ‘Damn Good Sentences,’ read them.

5. 要想寫出更多“佳句”，多多閱讀。

In the book How To Write a Sentence, New York Times columnist Stanley Fish laments that “many educators approach teaching the craft of writing a memorable sentence the wrong way — by relying on rules rather than examples.” Garbage in, garbage out; you’ll produce better sentences if you dedicate time to reading them.

在《如何寫出好句子》一書中，《紐約時報》專欄作家斯坦利o菲什不無惋惜地表示，“在教人們如何寫出令人難忘的句子時，許多教育工作者都使用了錯誤的方式——依靠規則而不是例子。”所謂進來的是垃圾，出去的也是垃圾；只要你能花時間讀一些佳句，你肯定也能寫出更好的句子來。

6. “In other words,” you should have used other words.

6. “換言之，”你應該用其他的詞。

Insight is memorable when it can be embraced directly—don’t pad it with “essentially,” “basically,” or “in other words.” Use the right words the first time.

只有能被人直接領悟的見解，纔會令人記憶深刻——不要通篇都是“本質上”、“基本上”或“換言之”這樣的詞。在初次寫作時就要使用正確的詞彙。

7. Don’t tell people how to travel; show them your vacation photos.

7. 不要告訴人們如何旅行；讓他們看你的度假照片。

Grandstanding on topics you know little about makes you disingenuous—your deception oozes from every paragraph to an informed reader. Instead, hop off your soap box and don’t preach, be the Sherpa; share what you’ve learned in an honest way. People love following a journey.

在自己知之甚少的話題上譁衆取寵，會讓讀者感覺你不誠實——在有見地的讀者眼中，你的每一段文字都透露着欺騙。相反，離開你的臨時講臺，停止說教，像夏爾巴人一樣；用誠實的方式告訴讀者你所知道的。人們喜歡效仿別人的旅程。

8. An idea is nothing without a reaction.

8. 得不到反饋的想法一無是處。

Reactions are oxygen for writing. Until you get feedback on what you’ve said, your analysis can only reveal so much. Be prepared for critiques and criticism; great work is contingent on a willingness to be judged.

反饋是決定一篇文章成敗的關鍵。在你所寫的內容得到任何反饋之前，你的分析並不會帶來更多啓示。做好面對批評的準備；一篇文章成功與否，取決於作者願意接受評判的程度。

9. “Just write” is tired advice, but still needed.

9. “堅持寫下去就行”雖是一條老套的建議，但依舊很有必要。

If you’re looking for a way to make hard work easy, you won’t find it in writing. You’ll struggle with the blank page until your butt falls off the chair—but until that day, keep sitting down and do the work.

如果你想找一種化繁爲簡的方式，別考慮寫作。你會在空白頁面前苦苦掙扎，直到從椅子上摔下去——一定要堅持下去，完成寫作。

10. Meandering endings can sour good writing; approach them quickly.

10. 曲折的結尾會讓一篇好文章失分；結尾要乾脆利落。

I’ll let Paul Graham handle this one: “Learn to recognize the approach of an ending, and when one appears, grab it.”

我將用保羅o格拉漢姆的話作爲本文的結尾：“學會辨認結尾的方法。遇到好的結尾，把它記下來。”（財富中文網）