出过5本书、写博1000篇的人告诉你如何坚持写作

Jeff Goins是一位作家，演讲家，企业家。他目前为止出过5本书，更博超过1000篇，他分享了自己如何坚持写作的方法，希望他的方法对你们也有用。


Most writers struggle with getting their writing done for one surprising reason. They think writing is a one-step process, when in fact, it's a three-step process.

很多写作者希望自己的文章能够一蹴而就，他们认为写文章是个一步到位的事情，事实上，写作需要三个步骤。


What we call “writing” is actually made up of three distinct activities: coming up with ideas, turning those ideas into drafts, and then editing those drafts into publishable pieces.

我们所谓的“写作”其实是由三个泾渭分明的模块组成的：灵感乍现，将灵感变成草稿，将草稿变成可以出版的作品。


When I decided to become a writer and made the commitment to write 500 words per day, every single day, I quickly ran into the resistance that holds most of us back from doing our work.

那时候我决定成为一名作家，给自己定了一个每天500字的目标，然而，我很快就遇到了大多数写作者都会遇到的一个困境。


I'd get up early, brew my coffee, and sit down to write. And I'd wait. And wait. And I'd wait for the words to come, but nothing would come quickly. Some days, nothing would come at all.

我早早起床，冲好咖啡，坐下来开始写作。然后我等啊等，等那些字句言语能够蹦出来，但它们迟迟不肯出现，有时候干脆直接缺席。


The minutes would tick by, with me stupidly staring at the cursor, squandering what little time I had before having to go to work. When my writing time was over, I'd pack my stuff up, defeated, and beat myself up for the rest of the day.

时间一分一秒的过去，我还在傻傻的盯着那个光标闪啊闪，等着时间流逝，我不得不去上班了。写作时间结束，我收拾东西出发，带着挫折感度过接下来的一天。


Why couldn't I focus?

我为什么没有办法集中精力？


The truth is most writers struggle with this. Because they believe the myth that writing is one thing. When I realized that coming up with a great idea, writing 500–1,000 words on that idea, and then editing that idea into something I could publish on my blog — all in one sitting — was, in fact, a ridiculous goal.

这是很多写作者都面临的一个问题，原因在于大多数写作者认为写作是一件事。当我有了好的想法，写完500到1000字的草稿，再把它们编辑好发到博客上去的时候，我突然意识到，所谓的一步到位式写作，事实上是一件荒谬的事情，


I began breaking those activities — ideation, creation, and editing — into three separate actions. And you know what? When you have one goal to accomplish, you are far more productive and focused than when you have three.

我开始把构思过程、创作过程和编辑过程区分为三个不同的版块。你知道吗？当你只有一个目标要实现的时候，会比你一次要实现三个目标的时候，效率更高。


Imagine that.

试想一下。


As I did this, writing became easier and easier. I started writing more. I stopped getting writer's block — period. I didn't feel stuck anymore. I knew exactly what I needed to do, and I knew I could do it — so I did.

当我开始实行这个方法后，写作变得越来越轻松。我写得更多，我跨越了写作障碍，我再也没有卡文的感觉。我清楚的知道自己需要做什么，我也知道自己能够做得到——我确实做到了。


What resulted was, to my own chagrin, a system. To be honest, I'm not a very organized guy. I wish I were. But the truth is most of my life is messier than I care to admit. But what I've realized is every working writer I know has some sort of system to get the work done.

这样做的结果，就是形成了我自己的一套写作系统。老实说，我不是一个井井有条的人，虽然我希望自己是，但我的生活大多时候混乱到自己都不想承认。我意识到，我认识的每一位勤劳的作家，他们都有一套可行的写作系统。


A system doesn't have to be complicated or confusing. It just has to work. To quote my friend Tim Grahl, a system is just a way of doing something that gets you a predictable result every time. Like, putting your keys in the same place every day after work (which I only recently started doing).

这样的一套系统不必复杂难懂，它只要行得通就成。引用我朋友Tim Grahl的一句话就是，系统就是每天帮助你在某事上达到预期效果的一种方法。比如，每天下班回家后把钥匙都放在同一个地方（我也是最近才开始这么做）。


Below is my system, and maybe it'll work for you, too. I call it: The Three-Bucket System. And it's how I get my writing done.

以下就是我的写作系统，也许它对你也会有所帮助，我把它称为：三步写作法。这就是我能坚持写下去的原因。
 

Bucket #1: Ideas
第一步：灵感


All throughout the day, I capture ideas using an app called Drafts that syncs with Evernote.

That's the first bucket: ideas.

每一天，我都会把捕捉到的灵感记录在一个叫Drafts的app上，它会同步到Evernote上。这就是第一步：记录灵感。


（咱们不一定非得用他用的app啦，选择自己用的惯的就成）


I have a whole folder full of them for when I'm feeling dry in the creativity department.

我有一个文件夹，满满的都是我的各种灵感想法，当我才思枯竭的时候就派上了大用场。


You can use a notebook for this as well. The tool doesn't matter, as long as you aren't just hanging onto all those ideas in your brain. Don't trust that operating system. It will fail you.

You must capture ideas in a place where you can return to them later when your memory fails you.

你也可以用笔记本把它们记下来，工具并不重要，只要别只是把它们记在脑子里就成。别太相信你的大脑，它会令你失望的。你必须把你的灵感想法记录下来，当你的记忆力出卖你的时候，你依然可以把它们找回来。


Bucket #2: Drafts
第二步：草稿


Then, when it's time for me to write (usually in the morning), I'll pull an idea out from the first bucket and start writing, usually around 500 words in one session. This process makes it easier to just start writing because I don't have to think about what I'm going to write — I already have a prompt.

然后，到了我每天早晨的写作时间，我会从第一步所记录的灵感里找一个开始写，通常是写500字。这一步骤变得很轻松，你只要开始写就好了，而不是费力思考到底要写什么——毕竟我是有“温馨提示”的人啊。


The ideas I collect function as prompts for me, but this is not just a writing exercise. It's work. I never write something without the intent of publishing it.This is what my friend Marion calls “writing with intent.” The best practice is the kind done in public, and the best writing is the stuff you intend to publish.

我收集的那些灵感想法对我有一个提示的作用，但这不仅仅是一次写作训练。它是作品。我每次写作都是带着要发表的目的而写。正如我朋友Marion所说的“带着目标写作”。最好的练习是是把作品公之于众，而你最好的作品就是那些你想发表的文章。


Once I've written about 500 words on my idea, I save it as a draft in Scrivener (if I'm working on a book) or in Byword (if it's a blog post). Again, these are the tools I use. They don't matter as much as the method.

一旦我写完500字，就把他们保存到Scrivener（如果是写书的话）或Byword（如果是博文的话）。重申一下，这些只是我惯用的工具而已，重要的是方法而不是工具。


This is the second bucket: drafts.

这就是写作第二步：写好草稿。


At any given time, I have a whole bunch of half-finished chapters and blog posts on my computer begging to be edited and completed.

无论什么时候，我电脑里都存着一大堆半成品文章或博文，在等着最后的编辑和完成。


This is not an overwhelming feeling. It's an empowering one, because when it's time to edit, I get to choose what I want to work on. I don't have to come up with an idea or “just write.”

这种感觉一点都不沉重，反而还棒棒哒。因为到了完成作品的时候，我选一个出来进行最后的编辑就好了。我不用再费心想什么点子，也不用再写。


The point of this system is to think as little as possible and just do the next thing.

这一写作系统的关键就是尽可能的少思考，只要按步骤做下去就好了。


Bucket #3: Edits
第三步：编辑


Finally, I pull out one of those half-completed drafts and edit it. I'll polish up the flow and sentence structure and of course, check for grammar and spelling.

最后，我拿一个半成品草稿出来进行编辑。我会润色一下情节和句子结构，当然，也会检查语法和拼写错误。


At this point, the piece isn't perfect, but it's at least 90% done. I'll either schedule it for a blog post or tuck it away in another folder called “Finished pieces” on my computer.

在这一步骤中，文章虽然还不完整，但90%的工作已经做完了。编辑完之后，我会把它更新到博客，或是再保存到电脑中另一个叫“已完成作品”的文件夹里。


This is the third bucket: edits.

这就是第三步：编辑。


These are pieces of writing that are more or less ready for the world to see. The next step is to share them with an editor or publisher or post to my blog. Again, I don't write anything just for fun. It all has a purpose.

现在，这些写好了的小宝贝们就等着去看这大千世界呢。下一步就是把它们拿给编辑或出版商看，或是发表到我的博客上。再说一遍，我写任何东西都不仅仅是为了好玩，是有目的的。


This is what professionals do. They write for an audience, always with the intent of publishing. Anything less than that will result in something that isn't your best work.

职业作家就是如此，他们是写给读者看的，永远带着要发表的意图写作。不然的话，你写出来的就不会是你做好的作品。


Putting it together

总结


So here's how this works in practice. But a quick word: if you're just beginning, you'll really need two days to get the system fully running.

这就是这个写作系统如何运行的。简单说一下：如果你刚开始实施这个方法，你会需要两天的时间才能让这个写作系统真正的运作起来。


1. Collect Ideas

收集灵感

Today, as you go on with the rest of your day, grab any ideas that come to you and capture them in a notebook or on an app that you can easily return to later. Shoot for five ideas. Write down a sentence or a phrase. Just enough to save the idea.

今天，在你接下里的时间里，抓住任何出现的灵感想法，记到笔记里或app上，使你之后能够轻松回想就成。写够5个想法，在每个想法下面写一句话或一个词，总之能让你记起这个想法就成。


2. Write and Save

写好保存

Tomorrow, when it's time to write (say, in the morning, or whenever works for you), pull one of those ideas out of that first bucket.

到了明天的写作时间（早晨或者其他适合你的时间），从昨天收集的灵感中选一个出来。


I find that certain ideas speak to me, call to me even, and I try to listen to that voice. But sometimes, I just pick one. Typically, I choose the one that either most excites me or represents a deadline I have to meet.

我发现有些特定的灵感它们会跟我对话，会呼唤我，我会努力聆听这些声音。但一些时候，我只是随便选一个出来。最为代表性的，我会选那些能让我兴奋的或者到了deadline不得不写的。


When you're done, put this piece in the “drafts” folder and save it for later. Then today, you're done.

写完之后，保存到“草稿”文件夹里。今天的任务就完成啦。


3. Edit and Publish

编辑润色

The day after, return to yesterday's draft and edit it. Then move it to bucket three, maybe even publish it on your blog or wherever. Then go to bucket one to pull out a new idea and start writing again.

在接下来一天，把你写好的草稿拿出来编辑，完成之后可以发表到博客或其他平台上面。然后接着从步骤一的“灵感库”里找一个继续写。


Do this every day, and you'll never run out of writing topics. You'll never run out of things to edit and publish. You'll never have writer's block again.

每天坚持这么做，你会永远都不强缺乏写作话题，你要编辑和发表的作品永远些弄不完，也永远不会再有作者们所有的写作障碍。


As long as you remember: writing is not one thing. It's three things. So that's my system.

你只要记住：写作不是一件事，它是三件事。这就是我的写作方法。


Give it a try, see how it works.

试一下，看一看到底有没有用吧。


喜欢写作的朋友看完之后有没有收获呢？