如何提高你的英文寫作

By Michael J. Jordan

BEIJING – I』ve just answered a Zhihu member』s question with a lengthy response – and thought I would publish it here, too, since so many of my own students have had the same question: 「How Can I Improve My English Writing?」 Please read below for my five tips.

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When I was younger, and still only an 「aspiring」 journalist, I』d become frustrated and discouraged by the mediocre quality of my writing. I mistakenly believed that writing was something of a natural-born talent: You either ARE a good writer, or are NOT a good writer.

Writing is a craft, which can be honed and improved - over time. It depends on you, your effort, your motivations. So, let me share five tips for how I improved MY writing – and how

1) Read good writing. Find writers you like, past and/or present, who write in a style that appeals to you. Then, try to imitate them. Once your confidence grows, you can develop your OWN style.

2) Practice, practice, practice. As with learning a language, or any skill, you』ll only improve if you practice with some regularity - and gradually sharpen that skill. One motivation for you to practice your English-writing ought to be how MARKETABLE this skill is in today』s China. I recently explained why, when answering another Zhihu question, as I opined that the world』s second-largest economy needs more Chinese who WRITE well in English: https://www.zhihu.com/question/24868311/answer/297857184.

3) Write With Purpose. Perhaps you』re wondering: "But write about what?」 For me, my desire to a) please my editor; b) keep my newspaper job; and c) climb the ladder — kept me motivated enough to keep writing. But if you need some motivation, inspiration or ideas for what to write about, you may want to read an essay I wrote, 「Why Should We Write?」: http://mjcenterforeffectivecommunication.com/why-write/.

4) Showcase Your Writing. Many of us harbor a little fantasy about becoming famous, somehow. Or, as we say nowadays, to 「go viral.」 I can』t deny the fact that when my very first article was published, with my name at the top, I felt a thrill. Even today, several thousand articles later, I still feel a certain satisfaction when I see my name 「in lights.」

One thing I encourage all my students to do is to create their own personal website, as a platform and showcase for all their writing – or anything else they want to promote about themselves – to 「build their brand,」 impress an employer, and help them get a job.

For you, on the other hand, I believe that if you write something new; publish it on your website; announce it to your family, friends and others, by sending them the link and inviting them to read; then get feedback like 「Well done!」 or 「Looking forward to your next piece!」 – that may inspire you to keep writing. And, you』ll keep improving.

5) Become Your Own Editor. Related to my previous point, I』ve become quite obsessed about proofreading and polishing my writings, before I publish them. (Even this one!) You should, too. For starters, as a point of pride. Hey, it』s YOUR NAME at the top! But even as a sign of your seriousness, or professionalism. I』m not saying you should only publish when your piece is 「perfect.」 Instead, publish when it』s in 「the best possible condition.」

That means, proofreading: first; spell-check it; next, read it through with your eyes, to catch easy-to-catch punctuation mistakes, typos, etc.; then, read it aloud – slowly enough, to HEAR mistakes. For example, if you』ve missed a word; or mixed the past and present tense; or if the sentence is so long, your reader will be gasping for breath.

I』ve become my own 「first editor,」 which has raised my standards for when I』m ready to show anyone, anything that I』ve written. This may take me a bit more time, but it』s also improved the quality of my writing. It would for you, too.

As a bonus sixth point, for how to improve YOUR writing, immodestly speaking, I suppose you could also listen in to one of my upcoming Zhihu LIVE lectures – which will explain how to improve a range of writing forms.

I hope this helps you! … Michael

如何舒適自信的用英語和外國人交談？www.zhihu.com