This book combs out 20 efficient writing principles that are universally applicable to everyone from four aspects: structure, style, readability and grammar.
The author of a little red book is Brandon royle.
This book has only 35,000 words. If you swallow it, you can finish it in about an hour.
This book is like a manual, divided into 20 chapters.
The first chapter is the preface.
The following notes are from Chapter 2:
1. Use the "top-down" writing method
Write a summary first and get to the point.
Decompose articles
Break down the topic into two or four main parts, and then use leading sentences. It is usually recommended to divide it into three parts, but for the sake of brevity, it is generally not more than four parts. The classic "five paragraphs" writing method can summarize any article in one paragraph.
Use morphemes
Use inflection words to indicate the writing direction.
Words like "but, however" are called the traffic lights of language, which have four functions: comparison, example, continuation and summary.
Words indicating explanation include first, second, such as, such as, etc. So prompt summary; However, prompt comparison; Tips are progressive.
4. Six basic writing structures
The six most commonly used structures in writing include: 1. Category structure. 2. Evaluate the structure. 3. Time structure. 4. Contrast the structure. 5. Linear structure. 6. Causal structure.
Integrate similar things
Let's finish the discussion on one topic first, and then move on to other topics.
6. Support what is said
Use accurate and specific words to support the content.
The biggest difference between good works and ordinary works lies in whether you use accurate and specific examples.
7. Personalize your example.
Add personalized examples to make the article more memorable.
8. Delete long sentences
Make the article clearer by splitting long sentences.
One way to keep the content clear is to limit the use of long sentences. The easiest way is to break a long sentence into two or three short sentences.
9. Delete unnecessary words
Cut off redundant sentences, too many restrictions and unnecessary self-references.
"The article is powerful and concise. Sentences should not contain unnecessary words, and paragraphs should not contain unnecessary sentences. Similarly, an article should not have unnecessary paragraphs, and a machine should not have unnecessary parts. This not only requires the author to keep all sentences short, avoid details, only briefly clarify the theme, but also consider everything he says. "
Use active voice.
Use more active sentences and less passive sentences.
Use active voice more than passive voice in writing, because active voice pays more attention to behavior, is more direct and concise, and reduces the necessary vocabulary.
1 1. Use more verbs and less nouns.
Do not nominalize verbs and adjectives.
Nominalization of words is a very important concept in writing, which describes the process of transforming verbs and adjectives into nouns. There are many reasons why nominalization will weaken the content of an article in writing, mainly because it will make sentences longer and make it more difficult for readers to extract the meaning of sentences.
12. Use compound sentence
Express a series of things in a consistent and parallel form.
13. Use sentence changes
Change the length and beginning of sentences.
A common sentence pattern in English is "subject, predicate and object", such as "I play tennis." When writing, most sentences should follow the sentence order of "subject, predicate and object" because it produces the strongest power.
However, if all sentences follow this form, the article will become boring, especially if a series of sentences start with the same form, such as "I" or "we". Here are ten ways to change the beginning of a sentence.
Choose the right tone.
Write in a positive and personalized tone.
15. Keep the article gender neutral
Avoid masculine gender.
The masculine gender usually means that only the pronoun "he" is used when both sexes are involved. When it comes to "he" or "she", we should avoid using only "he". Be sensitive when greeting both sexes, because any general reader may be 50% female. Avoiding the use of masculine general reference can not only avoid gender sensitivity, but also be fair and just.
16. Use typesetting and design
Add more space around the text to enhance readability.
The easiest way to improve the readability of an article is to increase the margins of the document. Similarly, separating paragraphs with blank lines to avoid a large paragraph sticking to the edge of the page can make the article easier to read.
17 ... using readability tools
Highlight key words and phrases. For example: bold, italic, dash, item number, etc.
18. Use title or abstract
Split or summarize articles with titles or abstracts.
The title is usually only a few words, and the abstract is only one or two lines. The function of title is to distinguish the contents of chapters, and the main function of abstract is to summarize or paraphrase the following.
View and modify the article.
You can't say that your article is finished until it has been revised beyond correction.
Few writers can write a perfect article in one breath, and most excellent writers need at least three drafts to complete a short article.
Reflections on reading: fewer words and less time, but there are always differences between Chinese and English translation. When reading a book, I have some inexplicable feelings. Generally speaking, this book is like a manual. This book is a good reading for a writer.