If you want to master writing so fast it feels illegal, you need to learn the hidden techniques that separate amateur writing from professional work. I've learned that the writers who become rich

如果你想要快到覺得不合法地精通寫作，你需要學習那些區分業餘寫作和專業作品的隱藏技巧。我學到那些變得富有

and famous don't need inspiration or talent. They use specific repeatable practices that force a breakthrough. So these are the seven principles you need to write better than most people ever

和出名的作家不需要靈感或天賦。他們使用特定的、可重複的做法來強制突破。所以這些是你需要的七個原則，讓你寫得比大多數人

will. First, let's talk about why most people never improve at writing, even though we all write every single day.

都好。首先，讓我們談談為什麼大多數人在寫作上從未進步，即使我們每天都在寫作。

Here's what it is. It's putting what's in your head into someone else's head.

這就是它的本質。它是把你腦子裡的東西放進別人的腦子裡。

That's it. Writing and persuasion are the same thing. Effective transfer of thought. For copywriting, you are translating the right message into customerf facing messaging using voice of customer data. But across all

就這樣。寫作和說服是同一件事。思想的有效傳遞。對於文案寫作，你是用客戶之聲資料把正確的訊息翻譯成面向客戶的訊息。但在所有

writing, and I mean novels, emails, I mean even business reports, the job is the same. Most writers fail because they think their job is to make things sound

寫作中，我指的是小說、電子郵件，甚至商業報告，工作都是一樣的。大多數作家失敗是因為他們認為自己的工作是讓東西聽起來

good, but that's replaceable by AI. What isn't replaceable is understanding that every word should support getting agreement, getting someone to say yes.

好聽，但那可以被AI取代。不能被取代的是理解每個字都應該支援獲得認同，讓某人說「是」。

If you never externalize your thoughts, you never evaluate them. You just operate on autopilot, assuming you're right. Writing forces you to confront gaps in your knowledge and blind spots

如果你從不將想法外化，你就永遠不會評估它們。你只是在自動駕駛模式下運作，假設你是對的。寫作迫使你面對你甚至不知道自己有的知識差距和盲點。

you didn't even know you had. So when you understand that writing is persuasion, the effective transfer of thought, you can approach every piece of writing with that clarity. These

所以當你理解寫作就是說服，就是思想的有效傳遞，你就可以帶著這種清晰度來對待每一篇寫作。這些

principles will help you do exactly that. Principle number one, be ready to massacre your work. Perman Melville rewrote Moby Dick, a very long novel three times. Still, so many people hold

原則將幫助你做到這一點。原則一，準備好屠殺你的作品。赫爾曼·梅爾維爾把《白鯨記》這本非常長的小說重寫了三次。然而，很多人仍然

on tightly to their writing as if good is only going to come that one time, and that's completely not true. Rewriting can feel like a waste, but it's not

緊抓著他們的寫作不放，好像好東西只會出現那一次，這完全不對。重寫可能感覺像是浪費，但它不是

because it advances you, gets you closer to the writing, the better version of the writing that becomes the standard.

因為它推進你，讓你更接近那個成為標準的更好版本的寫作。

So, writing is constant experimentation. You have little experiments running all the time. You're always experimenting with ways to phrase something. Then there are larger experiments like does this chapter work? Then the largest does

所以，寫作是不斷的實驗。你一直在進行小實驗。你總是在嘗試不同的表達方式。然後是更大的實驗，比如這個章節有效嗎？然後是最大的實驗，

the whole thing work? Now this means you need to separate writing from editing.

整個東西有效嗎？現在這意味著你需要把寫作和編輯分開。

Put content on the page, keep putting more on the page and only return later to tighten and refine. The more you do this, the closer you'll be to writing something actually great. So give

把內容放在頁面上，繼續放更多在頁面上，只有之後才回來收緊和精煉。你越這樣做，你就越接近寫出真正偉大的東西。所以給

yourself permission to write badly first. Draft it, then come back and massacre what doesn't work. Don't edit as you go. That kills momentum. Write first, edit later. Be ruthless.

自己許可先寫得很糟。草擬它，然後回來屠殺不管用的部分。不要邊寫邊編輯。那會扼殺動力。先寫，後編輯。要無情。

Principle number two changed everything for me. Call yourself a writer right now. I was working as a hostess at a restaurant during undergrad and a guy sitting in the front area just asked

原則二改變了我的一切。現在就稱自己為作家。我在大學時在餐廳當服務員，有個坐在前面區域的人問

what I was studying and I said, "I'm an English major." And he was like, "Oh, so you're a writer." And I was like, "Maybe one day." He said, "Call yourself a

我在學什麼，我說，「我是英文系的。」他說，「哦，所以你是作家。」我說，「也許有一天吧。」他說，「稱自己為

writer. Just do it." Now, you see, when you call yourself a thing, you're more likely to act that way and become that thing. This is James Clear's atomic habits principle. A dancer dances. A

作家。就這樣做。」你看，當你稱自己為某種東西時，你更可能那樣行動並成為那種東西。這是James Clear的原子習慣原則。舞者跳舞。

writer writes. If you identify as a writer, you ask, "What would a writer do?" Then you do that. This doesn't come naturally, but with time, I was able to

作家寫作。如果你認同自己是作家，你會問，「作家會怎麼做？」然後你就那樣做。這不是自然而然的，但隨著時間，我能夠

start doing it. Identity shifting is more powerful than goal setting. Instead of I'll write my first novel in 12 months, you ask what would a writer do

開始這樣做。身份轉變比目標設定更有力量。與其說「我要在12個月內寫我的第一本小說」，你問作家現在會做什麼

right now? A writer would carve out time right now. A writer would produce three pages then three more. Besides, when you identify as a writer, you give yourself permission to dare to embarrass

？作家會現在就騰出時間。作家會寫三頁然後再寫三頁。而且，當你認同自己是作家時，你給自己許可去敢於讓自己尷尬。

yourself. The only embarrassment to avoid is, you know, basically putting out junk. That's a big ball of cliches.

唯一要避免的尷尬是，你知道，基本上就是發布垃圾。那是一堆陳詞濫調。

But start by calling yourself a writer today. Then act in keeping with that identity. Carve out time to write daily, even if it's just, you know, improving that work email. When you shift your

但從今天開始稱自己為作家。然後按照那個身份行動。每天騰出時間寫作，即使只是，你知道，改進那封工作郵件。當你轉變

identity, your actions follow. Principle number three is skip what the reader skips. Have you ever watched a movie that starts in the middle of the action and then it cuts back to 24 hours

身份時，你的行動就會跟隨。原則三是跳過讀者會跳過的部分。你有沒有看過一部從動作中間開始的電影，然後回到24小時

before? This is in media rest, which is starting right in the middle of things.

之前？這就是「從中間開始」，就是從事情的中間開始。

And it's one of the most powerful ways to keep people reading or watching. It's useful in all types of writing. In an email, if you want someone to click, you

它是保持人們閱讀或觀看的最有力方式之一。它在所有型別的寫作中都很有用。在電子郵件中，如果你想讓人點選，你

don't finish the story. You stop midway at the most dramatic part. If you're writing a page turner, you finish the chapter midway into the scene at peak

不要結束故事。你在最戲劇性的部分中途停下。如果你在寫一本讓人翻頁的書，你在場景高潮時在章節中途結束。

drama. All we ever really want to do is make sure we're not boring anybody. The best practice is to cut warm-ups, cut conclusions, cut everything the reader wishes just wasn't there. Ask yourself

我們真正想做的就是確保我們不會讓任何人感到無聊。最佳做法是刪除預熱，刪除結論，刪除讀者希望不存在的一切。在分享之前問自己

before you share something, does this belong on the page? If it doesn't help the argument or help get people nodding along with you, it doesn't belong. Go back to something you wrote recently and

，這個應該在頁面上嗎？如果它不能幫助論點或讓人們跟著你點頭，它就不應該在那裡。回到你最近寫的東西，

just cut the first paragraph. Then cut the last paragraph. Nine times out of 10, it's stronger because you've eliminated the warm-up and the unnecessary conclusion. Next up is principle number four. Destroy your

刪掉第一段。然後刪掉最後一段。十次有九次，它會更強，因為你已經消除了預熱和不必要的結論。接下來是原則四。摧毀你的

cliches. I bet that you are overusing these as a writer. At the end of the day, trust the process or even emotional roller coaster. We've all been there.

陳詞濫調。我敢打賭你作為作家過度使用了這些。「歸根結底」、「相信過程」甚至「情緒過山車」。我們都經歷過。

But you need to be conscious about it and start cutting these phrases if you want your writing to be unique. These types of things, these conventions are common in any artistic field, which is

但你需要有意識地開始刪掉這些短語，如果你想讓你的寫作獨特的話。這些型別的東西，這些慣例在任何藝術領域都很常見，這就是

why musician and producer Brian Eno created a list called oblique strategies that was then turned into a deck of cards. In this deck, there's a strategy called every line has two sides. and

為什麼音樂家和製作人Brian Eno建立了一個叫做「斜向策略」的清單，後來變成了一副卡片。在這副牌中，有一個策略叫做「每條線都有兩面」，

that can fix this problem. So, for example, if you're stuck on the phrase emotional roller coaster, okay, visualize its inverse, replace it with something like helplessly bobbing unhappiness. Same concept, but said

它可以解決這個問題。所以，例如，如果你卡在「情緒過山車」這個短語上，好的，想像它的反面，用像「無助地漂浮在不快樂中」這樣的東西來替換它。同樣的概念，但說得

differently with specificity. You also need to discover and abandon your recipes. I rely on the rule of three, like three parallel sentences in a row.

不同，有具體性。你還需要發現並放棄你的配方。我依賴三的法則，比如連續三個平行句子。

If you see yourself using a formula, don't let yourself use it for three weeks. Stop using the rule of three.

如果你發現自己在使用一個公式，三週內不要讓自己使用它。停止使用三的法則。

Just like that, and then you'll learn a new recipe. An easier way to fix these might be using AI. You can get Claw to review your work and highlight cliches.

就這樣，然後你會學到新的配方。修復這些問題的更簡單方法可能是使用AI。你可以讓Claude審查你的作品並突出陳詞濫調。

But the twist is you need to rewrite them. The AI does not rewrite them.

但關鍵是你需要重寫它們。AI不重寫它們。

That's where your brain gets engaged. Here's another practice. Ask why. Why did David Ogleby write that old headline that way? Why did Jane Austin open her novel that way? Then do the research to

那是你的大腦參與的地方。這裡還有另一個練習。問為什麼。為什麼David Ogilvy那樣寫那個老標題？為什麼Jane Austen那樣開始她的小說？然後做研究來

get a real answer. You might never know why, but you'll get better at thinking about the why. So, take a piece of your writing and just like hunt for cliches

得到真正的答案。你可能永遠不知道為什麼，但你會更擅長思考為什麼。所以，拿一篇你的寫作，像獵人一樣尋找陳詞濫調

and repeated formulas. Delete every cliche. Then, rewrite those sections just using specific, fresh language that generates an image in the reader's mind.

和重複的公式。刪除每個陳詞濫調。然後，用在讀者腦海中產生畫面的具體、新鮮的語言重寫那些部分。

Principle number five is the fastest shortcut to write better and it is this.

原則五是寫得更好的最快捷徑，就是這個。

Surround yourself with writers. But Tolken and CS Lewis were in a writing group together. Ernest Hemingway and Gertude Stein were also in a writing group together. It's critical that you

讓自己被作家包圍。託爾金和C.S.路易斯在一個寫作小組裡。海明威和格特魯德·斯坦也在一個寫作小組裡。關鍵是你

surround yourself with people who write well and care about this stuff. You have to surround yourself with people who write well. Take that job as a junior copywriter at an agency. Work around

要讓自己被寫得好並關心這些東西的人包圍。你必須讓自己被寫得好的人包圍。接受那份在代理商當初級文案的工作。在

people who produce writing. When you work in those environments, you learn the craft. Doing it around people who do it well makes you learn better and better and better. You also have to keep

產出寫作的人週圍工作。當你在那些環境中工作時，你學習技藝。在做得好的人週圍做會讓你學得越來越好。你還必須繼續

studying. I have been writing professionally for 20 years with two published novels, but I still take all the classes I can. The best thing you

學習。我專業寫作20年了，出版了兩本小說，但我仍然盡可能多地上課。你能做的最好的事情

can do is be in a student role as much as possible. Assume you're not good at this. That's a far better place than assuming you're good or you're super

就是盡可能多地處於學生角色。假設你不擅長這個。這比假設你很好或你超級

good. And assume you need help. You can always, always, always learn from others. Writing is so isolating. It's just, you know, you versus the page. So when you sit next to other writers and

好要好得多。假設你需要幫助。你總是，總是，總是可以向別人學習。寫作是如此孤立。就是，你知道，你對頁面。所以當你坐在其他作家旁邊

talk about what you're working on, you get to connect with people who are also doing this very isolating thing. If you take away one new thing from each

談論你在做什麼時，你可以與也在做這件非常孤立的事情的人建立聯絡。如果你從每次

experience and apply it, you will become a better writer. So find a writing group, take a class, or join a community where writers gather. Show up as a student, absorb everything, and practice

經歷中帶走一件新東西並應用它，你會成為更好的作家。所以找一個寫作小組，上一門課，或加入一個作家聚集的社群。以學生身份出現，吸收一切，並練習

what you learn immediately. Principle number six, use AI to challenge you, not replace you. There's this idea that AI is just going to replace all writers.

你立即學到的東西。原則六，用AI來挑戰你，而不是取代你。有這樣一個想法，AI會取代所有作家。

And in fact, it's already replaced some, but the ones it replaced didn't understand that AI should do about 75% of the job. I mean, the boring, the painful work. That leaves you as the

事實上，它已經取代了一些人，但被取代的人不明白AI應該做大約75%的工作。我是說，無聊的、痛苦的工作。這讓你作為

writer to do the remaining 25% twice as well, 10 times as well. The strategy, the creative thinking, the big ideas, even interviewing customers, all of the things that matter. I use AI. I use

作家來做剩下的25%，做得比原來好兩倍，好十倍。策略、創意思維、大創意，甚至採訪客戶，所有重要的東西。我用AI。我用

Claude as a devil's advocate. I upload my brief, my solution design, my copy, survey responses, everything. Then I ask Claude to challenge my copy line by line to give me the objections that my

Claude作為魔鬼代言人。我上傳我的簡報、我的解決方案設計、我的文案、調查回應，一切。然後我請Claude逐行挑戰我的文案，給我我的

persona would have. But to do the last 25% twice as well, you need to keep training your brain. The easiest way to do this is to read everything. Cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, poetry, essays.

人設會有的反對意見。但要把最後25%做得好兩倍，你需要繼續訓練你的大腦。最簡單的方法是閱讀一切。麥片盒、洗髮水瓶、詩歌、散文。

Read one really difficult book every year. Something like, you know, Gravity's Rainbow or Finnegan's Wake to push yourself. Start using Claude as a thinking partner, not a replacement.

每年讀一本真正困難的書。像是，你知道，《重力的彩虹》或《芬尼根的守靈》來推動自己。開始把Claude當作思考夥伴，而不是替代品。

Upload your work and ask it to challenge you to find holes in your logic. Tell it to interview you one question at a time and then take that feedback and rewrite

上傳你的作品，請它挑戰你，找出你邏輯中的漏洞。告訴它一次問你一個問題來採訪你，然後接受那個反饋並重寫

everything yourself. And the last principle, don't compare yourself. When I read Carol Shields The Stone Diaries, I did not write anything for like a year. I was like, "No, that's

一切。最後一個原則，不要比較自己。當我讀了Carol Shields的《石頭日記》時，我大約一年沒寫任何東西。我當時想，「不，那太

outstanding. I can't even enter this field." But that's not fair because you do have something to say. Everybody I know who's written a book wishes it were different. They go back in their minds

傑出了。我甚至無法進入這個領域。」但那不公平，因為你確實有話要說。我認識的每個寫過書的人都希望它不同。他們在腦海中回去

and they rewrite it. Even the masters feel inadequate about their work. You just have to keep writing every day and improving bit by bit. Now, daily writing doesn't mean, you know, pulling out a

重寫它。即使是大師也對自己的作品感到不足。你只需要每天繼續寫作，一點一點地進步。現在，每天寫作不意味著，你知道，拿出一臺

separate laptop or creating something perfect. It means when you're writing, I don't know, that work email or a Slack message, you try a little bit harder.

單獨的筆電或創造完美的東西。它意味著當你在寫，我不知道，那封工作郵件或Slack訊息時，你更努力一點。

You get a little more ambitious. You maybe even dare to overwrite it and possibly embarrass yourself. That's fine. That's cool. The writers who win are the ones who keep writing despite

你變得更有野心一點。你甚至敢於過度寫作，可能讓自己尷尬。沒關係。那很酷。贏的作家是那些儘管

feeling inadequate. They don't wait until they're good enough. They sure don't wait until they're perfect. They write badly, then they write better.

感到不足仍繼續寫作的人。他們不等到自己夠好。他們當然不等到完美。他們先寫得很糟，然後寫得更好。

Then they write well, and along the way, they never stop writing. So stop comparing yourself, please, to the writers you admire. Instead, write daily, even if it's imperfect. Lower the

然後他們寫得很好，一路上，他們從不停止寫作。所以，請停止把自己和你欣賞的作家比較。相反，每天寫，即使不完美。降低

bar. Make your work emails more ambitious. Try harder in Slack messages.

標準。讓你的工作郵件更有野心。在Slack訊息中更努力。

is dare to embarrass yourself. And here is a writing exercise to try right now.

敢於讓自己尷尬。這是一個現在就可以嘗試的寫作練習。

Okay, so this is from a book called Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Leguin, which I'm probably saying wrong. The writing exercise is called Being Gorgeous. So your job here is to write a

好的，這是來自Ursula K. LeGuin的一本書叫《掌舵技藝》，我可能說錯了。這個寫作練習叫做「華麗」。所以你的工作是寫一個

sentence that's meant to be read aloud in which the words you choose, the punctuation, and the structure of the sentence sound like the thing you are describing. So, if you're describing

旨在被大聲朗讀的句子，其中你選擇的詞、標點符號和句子結構聽起來像你描述的東西。所以，如果你在描述

building a wall out of bricks, how would you write the sentence? So, the sentence itself sounds when read aloud like the slow, staggered, labored, patterned process of building a wall with bricks.

用磚塊砌牆，你會怎麼寫這個句子？所以，當句子被大聲朗讀時，它本身聽起來像用磚塊砌牆的緩慢、交錯、費力、有規律的過程。

This is the example that Leguin gives in her book. She slipped swift as silvery fish through the slapping gurgle of sea waves. It sounds like the image it's

這是LeGuin在她書中給出的例子。她像銀色的魚一樣迅速滑過，穿過海浪的拍打咕嚕聲。它聽起來像它要

meant to bring to mind. That's what you want to do. That's your writing exercise. If you like this video, please like and subscribe.

喚起的畫面。那就是你要做的。那就是你的寫作練習。如果你喜歡這個影片，請按讚和訂閱。