Write Simply

March 2021 I try to write using ordinary words and simple sentences.

2021 年 3 月 我尝试用普通的单词和简单的句子来写作。

That kind of writing is easier to read, and the easier something is to read, the more deeply readers will engage with it.

这种写作更容易阅读，而越容易阅读的东西，读者就会越深入地参与其中。

The less energy they expend on your prose, the more they'll have left for your ideas.

他们在你的散文上花费的精力越少，他们就会为你的想法留下越多的精力。

And the further they'll read.

他们会读得越多。

Most readers' energy tends to flag part way through an article or essay.

大多数读者的精力往往会在读完一篇文章或散文后逐渐减弱。

If the friction of reading

如果阅读的摩擦

is low enough, more keep going till the end.

够低了，继续坚持到最后。

There's an Italian dish called saltimbocca , which means "leap into the mouth." My goal when writing might be called saltintesta : the ideas leap into your head and you barely notice the words that got them there.

有一道意大利菜叫saltimbocca，意思是“跳进嘴里”。我写作时的目标可能被称为“saltintesta”：想法跃入你的脑海，而你几乎没有注意到将它们带到那里的文字。

It's too much to hope that writing could ever be pure ideas.

寄希望于写作永远是纯粹的想法是太过分了。

You might not even want it to be.

你甚至可能不希望这样。

But for most writers, most of the time, that's the goal to aim for.

但对于大多数作家来说，大多数时候，这就是目标。

The gap between most writing and

大多数写作之间的差距

pure ideas is not filled with poetry.

纯粹的思想并不充满诗意。

Plus it's more considerate to write simply.

而且写得简单也比较体贴。

When you write in a fancy way to impress people, you're making them do extra work just so you can seem cool.

当你以一种奇特的方式写作来给人们留下深刻印象时，你就是在让他们做额外的工作，这样你才能显得很酷。

It's like trailing a long train behind you that readers have to carry.

这就像你身后拖着一列长长的火车，读者必须背着它。

And remember, if you're writing in English, that a lot of your readers won't be native English speakers.

请记住，如果您用英语写作，那么您的很多读者都不会以英语为母语。

Their understanding of ideas may be way ahead of their understanding of English.

他们对思想的理解可能远远领先于对英语的理解。

So you

所以你

can't assume that writing about a difficult topic means you can use difficult words.

不能假设写一个困难的话题就意味着你可以使用困难的词语。

Of course, fancy writing doesn't just conceal ideas.

当然，奇特的写作不仅仅隐藏想法。

It can also conceal the lack of them.

它还可以掩盖它们的缺乏。

That's why some people write that way, to conceal the fact that they have nothing to say.

所以有些人这样写，是为了掩盖自己无话可说的事实。

Whereas writing simply keeps you honest.

而写作只是让你保持诚实。

If you say nothing simply, it will be obvious to everyone, including you.

如果你什么都不说，每个人都会显而易见，包括你。

Simple writing also lasts better.

简单的书写也更持久。

People reading your stuff in the

人们在以下位置阅读您的内容

future will be in much the same position as people from other countries reading it today.

未来的人们将与今天阅读这本书的其他国家的人们处于大致相同的境地。

The culture and the language will have changed.

文化和语言将会改变。

It's not vain to care about that, any more than it's vain for a woodworker to build a chair to last.

关心这个并不是徒劳的，就像木工制造一把经久耐用的椅子是徒劳的一样。

Indeed, lasting is not merely an accidental quality of chairs, or writing.

事实上，持久不仅仅是椅子或写作的偶然品质。

It's a sign you did a good job.

这是你做得很好的标志。

But although these are all real advantages of writing simply, none

尽管这些都是简单写作的真正优势，但没有一个

of them are why I do it.

这就是我这样做的原因。

The main reason I write simply is that it offends me not to.

我写作的主要原因很简单，因为不这样做会让我感到冒犯。

When I write a sentence that seems too complicated, or that uses unnecessarily intellectual words, it doesn't seem fancy to me.

当我写出一个看起来太复杂的句子，或者使用了不必要的智力词汇时，我觉得这并不奇怪。

It seems clumsy.

看起来很笨拙。

There are of course times when you want to use a complicated sentence or fancy word for effect.

当然，有时您想使用复杂的句子或花哨的单词来达到效果。

But you should never do it by accident.

但你绝对不应该偶然这样做。

The other reason my writing ends up being simple is the way I do

我的写作最终变得简单的另一个原因是我的写作方式

it.

它。

I write the first draft fast, then spend days editing it, trying to get everything just right.

我快速写出初稿，然后花几天时间进行编辑，试图让一切都恰到好处。

Much of this editing is cutting, and that makes simple writing even simpler.

大部分编辑都是剪辑，这使得简单的写作变得更加简单。