Professor Pedantic 教授的考究學問
TPS的編輯教授在此歡迎關於學術文章的所有詢問，當然，其實他並沒有足夠的時間給你。他擁有終身教職的教授身份，也是著名的學術巨作作者。即便如此，他仍大方地接受你們的詢問。將關於學術方面的詢問寫在下方，你將獲得教授的親自指導，陶冶對學術的探索與啟發。
The professor awaits your query on academic writing, though in all honesty, he doesn’t have a lot of time for you. He is a tenured full professor and working on yet another magnificent academic tome. Even so, he has graciously consented to entertain your question. Submit it and prepare to be edified.
QUESTION: I generally enjoy writing papers assigned by my professor, regardless of the subject. But sometimes I get so hung up on a word or a section that I can’t go on. What is the best way to overcome writer’s block or whatever you want to call a sudden inability to write?
不管是什麼題目，我通常都很喜歡寫教授指派的論文，但是有時候我會因為一個詞或一段句子卡住，寫不下去。如果我突然寫不出東西，要怎麼克服這個寫作障礙？
Most writer’s block is easily overcome by momentarily quitting. It’s that simple. Of course, professional writers on deadline—and students who have procrastinated working on an assignment—can’t step away from a writing project for long. Yet giving the right side of the brain some rest now and then tends to revive it. Straighten up the room or wash dishes instead, go jogging, watch a Lady Gaga music video. Let your thoughts wander down less disciplined lanes. Then sit again at your desk and see if your brain hasn’t regained its capacity to breach a barrier.
多數的寫作障礙只要先暫時停止寫作，很容易就可以克服，就這麼容易。當然，職業作家面臨截稿，或是學生拖拖拉拉作業寫不完時，也不能暫停太久，不過偶爾讓大腦休息一下可以讓思緒恢復活力。起來收收房間、洗碗、慢跑，或是看看女神卡卡的音樂錄影帶，放鬆思緒、任其漫遊，然後再回到座位上，看看大腦是不是已經跨越障礙，重拾寫作能力。
If the micro-vacation hasn’t recharged you, stronger measures are required. A first one is to determine if the fault lies with your brain or with the material it is being called upon to process. If you are trying to communicate a murky thought in writing that is so turgid that your brain can’t follow it, this tells you all you need to know: Start over. Clarity of thought and clarity of expression work in tandem. When an argument is clear in your mind, writing it clearly is easy. While subsequent word choices still may be difficult, they shouldn’t block the way
如果稍事休息還是沒辦法讓大腦重振活力，就得採取更有力的做法。首先要確定問題是出在你身上，還是你要處理的句子上。如果你想說的事很模糊，表達起來複雜難懂，讓你的腦袋轉不過來，這表示你該做的只有一件事：重寫。思想清晰才能表達清晰，如果腦海中的論點很清楚，要寫清楚就很容易了。即使之後遣詞用字要費點腦筋，你還是能順利寫下去。
One other impediment to the flow of copy onto a page is plain old stubbornness. A writer sometimes will fall in love with a word, or a phrase, sometimes with an entire idea, and refuse to relinquish it even though it leads nowhere. The word or phrase or idea might, in fact, be a perfectly beautiful one. Yet if it interrupts or entirely blocks the writing process, it clearly is the wrong word or phrase or idea for that moment. Eliminate it. Delete as far back as necessary to get a clean start on another word or phrase or idea. It is the only way to get moving ahead.
阻礙寫作另一項常見的原因，就是執迷不悟。作者有時會著迷於某個字詞或語句，有時候會對某個想法抓著不放，即使無法繼續發展，也不願意放棄。這些詞句或想法或許很出色，但是如果干擾寫作或使寫作無法持續，此時該詞句或想法顯然就不適合。刪掉吧，按住刪除鍵不放，直到可以重新來過，發展出另一個詞句或想法。想順利寫下去，這是唯一的辦法。
The professor awaits your query on academic writing, though in all honesty, he doesn’t have a lot of time for you. He is a tenured full professor and working on yet another magnificent academic tome. Even so, he has graciously consented to entertain your question. Submit it and prepare to be edified.
QUESTION: I generally enjoy writing papers assigned by my professor, regardless of the subject. But sometimes I get so hung up on a word or a section that I can’t go on. What is the best way to overcome writer’s block or whatever you want to call a sudden inability to write?
不管是什麼題目，我通常都很喜歡寫教授指派的論文，但是有時候我會因為一個詞或一段句子卡住，寫不下去。如果我突然寫不出東西，要怎麼克服這個寫作障礙？
Most writer’s block is easily overcome by momentarily quitting. It’s that simple. Of course, professional writers on deadline—and students who have procrastinated working on an assignment—can’t step away from a writing project for long. Yet giving the right side of the brain some rest now and then tends to revive it. Straighten up the room or wash dishes instead, go jogging, watch a Lady Gaga music video. Let your thoughts wander down less disciplined lanes. Then sit again at your desk and see if your brain hasn’t regained its capacity to breach a barrier.
多數的寫作障礙只要先暫時停止寫作，很容易就可以克服，就這麼容易。當然，職業作家面臨截稿，或是學生拖拖拉拉作業寫不完時，也不能暫停太久，不過偶爾讓大腦休息一下可以讓思緒恢復活力。起來收收房間、洗碗、慢跑，或是看看女神卡卡的音樂錄影帶，放鬆思緒、任其漫遊，然後再回到座位上，看看大腦是不是已經跨越障礙，重拾寫作能力。
If the micro-vacation hasn’t recharged you, stronger measures are required. A first one is to determine if the fault lies with your brain or with the material it is being called upon to process. If you are trying to communicate a murky thought in writing that is so turgid that your brain can’t follow it, this tells you all you need to know: Start over. Clarity of thought and clarity of expression work in tandem. When an argument is clear in your mind, writing it clearly is easy. While subsequent word choices still may be difficult, they shouldn’t block the way
如果稍事休息還是沒辦法讓大腦重振活力，就得採取更有力的做法。首先要確定問題是出在你身上，還是你要處理的句子上。如果你想說的事很模糊，表達起來複雜難懂，讓你的腦袋轉不過來，這表示你該做的只有一件事：重寫。思想清晰才能表達清晰，如果腦海中的論點很清楚，要寫清楚就很容易了。即使之後遣詞用字要費點腦筋，你還是能順利寫下去。
One other impediment to the flow of copy onto a page is plain old stubbornness. A writer sometimes will fall in love with a word, or a phrase, sometimes with an entire idea, and refuse to relinquish it even though it leads nowhere. The word or phrase or idea might, in fact, be a perfectly beautiful one. Yet if it interrupts or entirely blocks the writing process, it clearly is the wrong word or phrase or idea for that moment. Eliminate it. Delete as far back as necessary to get a clean start on another word or phrase or idea. It is the only way to get moving ahead.
阻礙寫作另一項常見的原因，就是執迷不悟。作者有時會著迷於某個字詞或語句，有時候會對某個想法抓著不放，即使無法繼續發展，也不願意放棄。這些詞句或想法或許很出色，但是如果干擾寫作或使寫作無法持續，此時該詞句或想法顯然就不適合。刪掉吧，按住刪除鍵不放，直到可以重新來過，發展出另一個詞句或想法。想順利寫下去，這是唯一的辦法。
Posted at 2011-09-07 10:43:10
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