1. Nabokov's "card reading method".
Ben Blatter mentions in Nabokov's Favorite Words that reading is the best way to learn how to write for literary creation. This is the consensus of many great writers and writers, and it is also the truth.
Nabokov's "card reading method" seamlessly connects reading methods with the accumulation of materials. It is not only a method of reading, but also a method of creation, which is similar to the "trigger" mentioned in "Wenxin".
Nabokov is considered the greatest writer of the twentieth century and is brilliant. In the few interviews of his life, he made no secret of his love for cards.
He said that his literary creation is like playing a game, he is used to accumulating all the materials on the cards, and then stitching the cards together like a puzzle when creating.
Nabokov's writing secrets are like his study of butterflies, carefully polished, compressing his talents and mental efforts into a small card, so that the cards form the smallest unit of work.
So Nabokov's article is very well written and fascinating.
The latest experimental research has been verified that there are two mechanisms of human memory: storage and extraction.
Storage is negatively correlated with extraction, that is, the easier it is to deposit, the more difficult it is to extract; conversely, if you deposit carefully, the more reliable the extraction will be.
In the process of reading, it is best to accumulate in the form of this reading card, which is conducive to the creation of our articles.
Card reading method: (300 words is appropriate, each card only records one item) In this card, we can divide it into two dimensions: "see" and "think" to record.
See: Directly excerpt the original sentence in the book, a certain point of view, a golden sentence or paragraph in the book you see, a story, a writing technique,
Or a different idea, we can record it in its original form, and indicate the source and source when recording.
Thought: (1) Your perception of this view before you saw these words;
(2) When you saw this content, what kind of thoughts you had, what kind of inspiration you were inspired
(3) What do you plan to do in action in the future.
If we accumulate three cards a day, more than 1,000 a year, and accumulate over time, we will form our own library of writing materials.
When we are creative again, we can tune these cards out like Nabokov and then stitch them together, instead of thinking word by word, thinking sentence by sentence.
Rather than mere contemplation, articles created using cards are more likely to have unexpected effects.
2. Hemingway's rules of writing
"An article should not contain unnecessary paragraphs; paragraphs should not contain unnecessary sentences;
In the same way, just as a machine should not have unnecessary parts, a sentence should not contain unnecessary words.
Successful writers pay attention to the role of each word, each punctuation mark, and polish their work.
A good article is an organic whole, in which the whole and part cannot be moved or added or subtracted slightly. Every word can be seen in the author's writing skills.
Hemingway has always been known for his conciseness. He believes that the author is as concise as possible, leaving only the most core parts, and the superfluous words will only damage the work.
It is said that the best story in the world has only six words: For sale; baby shoes,never worn. (Sale: Baby shoes, brand new).
The story is thought to have come from Nobel laureate Hemingway.
In "The Old Man and the Sea", Hemingway used the conciseness, clarity and power of the dialogue, the cleanliness of the rhetoric, and the nature of the rhyme to create an exceptionally powerful and incomparably concise work, with an irresistible beauty.
The standard introductory book of writing, Elements of Style, mentions:
Don't use exclamation points to reinforce simple statements; authors are encouraged to write in nouns and verbs instead of adjectives and adverbs;
When expressing negative meanings, it is also best to use positive expressions; avoid using modifiers (such as equivalent, very, slight, quite, etc.) and thinking-like verbs.
Take adverbs, for example: Stephen King believes that the road to hell is paved with adverbs. And adverbs are widely considered to be the culprits for violating the principle of brevity.
Ben Blatter concluded by analyzing data from 167 great works and 9,000 fan fiction:
The great works of great writers use adverbs less often, and in another way, it is difficult to enter the list of greatness by using adverbs too much.
In the early days of learning to write, we inevitably make sentences lengthy by emphasizing details, which is a problem that many new writers encounter.
It is recommended to control the vocabulary of a sentence to 6 to 16 words, and we should deliberately train to write clean and neat sentences in our usual writing.
3, how to use the words you like and rely on
Louis Burk Framx, author of The Ballad of Biting Words, sent a plea to the famous writer for "What is your favorite word":
Ray Blaberley, author of 451 Degrees Fahrenheit, likes "crumbling" and "cinnamon," and Cornelly's favorite word is "nod."
Called Husseini's favorite word is "kite", Nabokov's favorite word is "lilac"...
Through this chart we can also see what some of the great writers are, as well as what the best-selling authors like and rely on most.
Ben Blatter argues that there is a subtle connection between a writer's favorite word and the word on which he relies too much.
In a positive sense, some words can reflect the writer's unique language style, such as: Nabokov's obsession with butterflies, so he likes to use the color word "lilac";
Some words are determined by the theme or the setting of the story, such as Kadler Huseni's The Kite Chaser;
Some words can be a label for a story, and some words to promote the storyline, the transformation of scenes, and fill in the gaps in the plot.
On the other hand, the writer's excessive reliance on and repetition of some words also exposes the author's absent-minded writing attitude.
The use of words reflects the author's thinking and the concentration of writing, so we must carefully consider the words and carefully polish our words in the process of creation.
4. Express your point of view in simple words
In today's explosion of knowledge, your task is to provide valuable information to the reader, not to try to impress others or satisfy yourself.
American children's book author Dr. Seuss uses only 220 different words for "The Cat in the Hat," his best-selling work "Green Eggs and Ham" uses fewer than 50 words, and the whole book uses monosyllabic words except anywhere (wherever it goes).
Dr. Seuss has taught us that simplicity leads to success. Simple vocabulary is the only way to use words that more people can understand.
Dr. Seuss's editor, Fresch, sparked a new writing revolution, using the Fraser-Kincaid Reading Difficulty Level Test, which can test the difficulty of any text.
This formula is simple:
0.39* (total words/total sentences) + 11.8* (total syllables/total words) — 15.59
Ben Blatter used this formula to statistically analyze all state of the Union addresses from the early days of the United States to the present, and found that the difficulty of political speech has decreased year by year, only equivalent to the level of high school sophomores.
Ben Blatter also used this formula to statistically analyze 563 works on the New York Times best-seller list since 1960, and found that the difficulty of bestsellers is also decreasing year by year.
Shakespeare's most famous quote — "To live or to die?" The longest word in it, which is composed of only three letters, has become a philosophical problem that has survived to this day.
There is a saying in the Textbook of the Republic of China: "Three sheep eat grass, one sheep eats grass, one sheep does not eat grass, it looks at flowers." "Straightforward sentences speak the true meaning of wisdom.
Concise and easy-to-understand works attract a wider audience.
Works of power and literature do not have to be complex. When we write, we must pay attention to what kind of vocabulary is most appropriate for a particular reader.
5. Create your own style and write influence step by step.
Writers are influenced by nationality, gender, occupation, and unique life experiences, and each writer's style is uniquely branded. Good-looking skin bags are the same, interesting souls are one of the best.
Whether the writer changes his identity or the type of writing, there is always a deep style in the text that distinguishes him from other authors, which is why statisticians were able to decipher the Federalist Papers.
Ben Blatter mentioned that some writers such as Hemingway hated adverbs, and Nabokov, after using many adverbs, wrote great works.
For example, in the famous Lolita, the use of adverbs is higher than that of his other eight works.
Nabokov was not only a writer but also an entomologist, and his love for butterflies never changed during his brilliant writing career.
"It was the butterfly Nabokov who was inspired by Lolita", and the description of the American countryside in Lolita comes from what he saw on his way to catching butterflies.
The meticulous study of butterflies has made his other book, "The Dark Fire", full of content, profound knowledge, and reveals an indescribable sense of mystery.
The British writer Maugham was a stutterer and a doctor, he had participated in the war, and his unique life experience allowed him to fully appreciate every emotion that a person can express.
He witnessed hope, fear, relief, courage, firmness, and conviction in people, forming his own unique insights:
Ordinary people are the most fertile soil for writers. Their surprises, uniqueness, and endless variations are inexhaustible fodder.
Therefore, Yu Hua's novel "Alive" can be full of artistic tension, shine brightly, and reach people's hearts.
Ben Blatter said: In the process of creating Nabokov's Favorite Words, I have been looking for rules, and at the same time looking for exceptions to the rules, and the combination of the two has made the work achieve its creative purpose and make the work better.
For beginner writers, it's a peculiar combination: both to learn the rules and to jump out of the rules; to be consistent and unexpected;
There is both a simple exchange of information and the joy of a relaxed whimsy. It is this combination that allows us to create better works.
Graphics and text are derived from the Web