On Writing Well Day 7 Chapter 10 Bits&Pieces (Part 1)

I. Words & Expressions

1.    This is a chapter of scraps and morsels- small admonitions on many points ...

scrap 

1.n a small fragment of something broken off from the whole（纸、布）小片、碎屑

2.n a small piece of something that is left over after the rest has been used（食物） 残羹剩饭、（消息）一点点

eg. She jotted(摘记) it on a scrap of paper.  /  There was not a scrap left.

3. v dispose（处置） of (something useless or old)      Synonyms:junk,trash

morsel

n.  A morsel is a small amount of something, a tid-bit, a sliver, usually of something of high-quality and much desired — like amorselof dark chocolate or amorselof secret information.（尤指食物）一点

admonition （warning）

1.n. a firm rebuke

2. n. cautionary advice about something imminent (especially imminent danger or other unpleasantness)

2.The second is necessarily longer and it has  an insipid quality...

insipid

adj. Something insipid is lacking in flavor or interest. You'll probably find the generic poems inside of greeting cards insipid.

1.without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid枯燥无味/不吸引人的    （an insipid personality）

2.without sufficient taste to be pleasing, as food or drink; bland（ 饮食）淡而无味（a rather insipid soup）

3. Don't hedge your prose with little timidities.

hedge

1. n. a fence formed by a row of closely planted shrubs or bushes(树篱)

2. n. any technique designed to reduce or eliminate financial risk; for example, taking two positions that will offset each other if prices change（为规避啊风险的防范措施）

3. v. avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)

eg. You're hedging again-have you got the money or haven't you?

4.v. minimize loss or risk

eg. It's good idea to hedge your bets by applying to more than one college.

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II. Summary

This is a chapter of scraps and morsels- small admonitions on many points that I have collected under one, as they say, unbrella.

Zinsser 从词性以及修饰成分等部分等细小部分给予了很多使用的建议。

Verbs

Use active verbs unless there is no comfortable way  to get around using a passive verb.

Adverbs & Adjectives

Most  adverbs/ adjectives are unnecessary.

Little qualifiers (修饰语)

Every little qualifier whittles (削减) away some fraction of the reader's trust. Readers want a writer who believes in himself and in what he is saying.  Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.

Punctuation

Mood Changers

Contractions

That& Which

Concept Nouns

Creeping Nounism

Overstatement

Don't overstate.

Credibility

Dictation

Dictated sentences tend to be pompous, sloppy and redundant.

Writing is not a contest

The subconscious mind

The quickest fix

Paragrahps

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III. Reflection

本章节主要是在对写作有大体把握之后，在哪些细节上要注意？每个细节上要怎么注意修改？其实就是rewriting过程中一个部分。

Yet many writers are paralyzed by the thought that they are competing with everybody else who is trying to write and presumably doing it better.

特别认同作者的这个观点。如果我们写作的目的不是纯粹而是心存比较之心，那么也就很难真实的表达自己，it is hard to be yourself. 第一次参加读书会，有很多习惯都要改，每天抽出时间阅读文章，做笔记，阅读他人的笔记。在这个过程中，凡事有向好向上的心，会感觉到有压力。担心自己没有写好，哪里有出现纰漏了。其实，这也是一个必经过程。

So~~~

Forget the competition and go at your own pace. Your only contest is with yourself.