TED演讲:三个提高写作的反社交技能(2)

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　　This is anti-social skill number two: start pretending they're real. 就可以采用第二个反社会技巧：把他们当成真人。

　　What are they like? Where are they from? What music do they listen to? 他们长什么样？来自哪里？喜欢什么样的音乐？

　　Spend some time with them. 在角色身上多花点心思。

　　If you're on a bus, think about what they might be doing if they were there too. 你乘车时可以想象，他们坐在车上时会做什么。

　　Would they talk on the phone, listen to music, draw pictures, sleep? 他们是在打电话？听音乐？画画？还是打瞌睡？

　　What we say depends on who we are. 人的性格背景决定了他的语言。

　　An older person might speak differently than a younger person. 年长者和年轻者说的话是不同的。

　　Someone from the south might speak differently than someone from the north. 南方人和北方人说的话也不一样。

　　Once you know your characters, you can figure out how they talk. 只要了解人物性格背景，就知道他们会说什么。

　　At this stage, it's helpful to use anti-social skill number three: muttering to yourself. 接着，到了使用第三个技巧的时候：自言自语。

　　When you speak your character's words, you can hear whether they sound natural, and fix them if necessary. 念出角色的台词之后，你就会发现不妥之处然后对台词进行修改。

　　Remember, most people are usually pretty informal when they speak. 记住，大多数人讲话都很随意。

　　They use simple language and contractions². 用词和缩略语都很简单。

　　So, "Do not attempt to lie to me" sounds more natural as "Don't try to lie to me." 因此，“别想骗我”比“不要想对我撒谎”听上去自然。

　　Also keep it short. People tend to speak in short bursts, not lengthy³ speeches. 人物对话还应该保持简短。人们讲话时句子都短小精炼而非长篇大论。

　　And let the dialogue do the work. Ask yourself: do I really need that adverb? 记得多用对话的形式。此外，再反问自己：这句话真的需要副词吗？

　　For instance, "'Your money or your life,' she said threateningly." 举个例子，“要钱还要命”，她威胁地说。

　　Here, "threateningly" is redundant⁴, so you can get rid of it. 此处，“威胁地”就显多余，可以省略。

　　But if the words and the actions don't match, an adverb can be helpful. 但如果语言和动作不搭调，副词有助于读者的理解。

　　"'Your money or your life,' she said lovingly." 比如，“要钱还要命”，她深情地说。

　　So, to recap: First, eavesdrop⁵. Next, pretend imaginary people are real. 我来总结一下：第一，偷听；第二，把角色当成真人。

　　Finally, mutter to yourself, and write it all down. 第三，自言自语，并把台词写下来。

　　You already have everything you need. 现在，你已经掌握了必备的技巧。

　　This is fictional⁶ dialogue, or "How to Hear Voices in Your Head." 这是虚构的对话，也叫做“如何听到脑内的声音”。

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