[译]The Day You Became A Better Writer

这是在《纳瓦尔宝典》中提到的一篇文章，题目让我非常好奇。我对写作感兴趣，也想锻炼下英语，就决定翻译一下。

The Day You Became A Better Writer by Scott Adams

当你成为一个更好的作者的那天 - 斯考特·亚当斯

I went from being a bad writer to a good writer after taking a one-day course in “business writing.” I couldn’t believe how simple it was. I’ll tell you the main tricks here so you don’t have to waste a day in class.

在参加了一个为期一天的“商务写作”课程之后，我从一个差的写作工作者变成了一个好的写作工作者。 真不敢相信这竟是如此的简单。我将在这里告诉你这其中的最重要的秘诀，这样你就不必浪费一天去上这个课了。

Business writing is about clarity and persuasion. The main technique is keeping things simple. Simple writing is persuasive. A good argument in five sentences will sway more people than a brilliant argument in a hundred sentences. Don’t fight it.

商务写作是一件关于清晰度和说服力的事情。最重要的技巧是保持事情的简单。简单的内容更容易让人信服。一个用五句话就能概括的好论点会比一个用一百句话构成的华丽论点更能说服人。别不相信。

Simple means getting rid of extra words. Don’t write, “He was very happy” when you can write “He was happy.” You think the word “very” adds something. It doesn’t. Prune your sentences.

简单意味着去掉多余的词语。 当你可以写“他开心”的时候，不要写“他非常开心”。 你以为“非常”这个词会让这句话更好，实则不然。你需要精简你的句子。

Humor writing is a lot like business writing. It needs to be simple. The main difference is in the choice of words. For humor, don’t say “drink” when you can say “swill.”

幽默的写作跟商务写作很像。 它也需要简单。他们的主要区别在于字眼选择上的不同。对于幽默写作，当你可以说“痛饮”的时候，就不要只是说“喝”。

Your first sentence needs to grab the reader. Go back and read my first sentence to this post. I rewrote it a dozen times. It makes you curious. That’s the key.
你的第一句话就需要抓住读者。 请退回去读读我这篇文章的第一句话。 我重写了那句话十几遍。它能让你好奇，这是关键。

Write short sentences. Avoid putting multiple thoughts in one sentence. Readers aren’t as smart as you’d think.

写简短的句子。千万别把多个想法放在一个句子中。读者没你想象中那么聪明。

Learn how brains organize ideas. Readers comprehend “the boy hit the ball” quicker than “the ball was hit by the boy.” Both sentences mean the same, but it’s easier to imagine the object (the boy) before the action (the hitting). All brains work that way. (Notice I didn’t say, “That is the way all brains work”?)

你需要学习大脑是如何组织想法的。相比“那个球被那个男孩打了一下”，读者更容易理解“那个男孩打了球一下”。 两句话虽然意思一样，但是对象（男孩）在动作（打）之前让人更容易联想。 所有大脑都是这么工作的。（注意，我并没有说成：“这个方式是所有大脑工作的方式。”）

That’s it. You just learned 80% of the rules of good writing. You’re welcome.
就是这样。 你刚刚已经学到了“什么是好文章”的规则中的80%。 不用谢。

后话

网上一搜，已经有人做过这件事了。但是没关系，不影响我也来翻译一次。
如有错误，欢迎指正。 谢谢。