1. Know your audience
了解你的讀者
An important point to start with: you are writing for your readers, not for yourself. Familiarize yourself with your expected audience. The readers of a poetry magazine are different from the readers of a fan fiction site; the readers of mass-market mystery novels are different from the readers of a flash fiction blog.
首先，有一點非常重要：你是在為你的讀者寫作，而不是你自己。去熟悉你的預期讀者。詩歌雜誌的讀者和同人小說網站的讀者是不同的;大眾市場懸疑小說的讀者和微型小說博客的讀者也是不同的。
2. Keep your goals achievable
保證寫作目標切實可行
Figuring out what you want to do with your writing before you begin is a crucial step in the process. Following that – are those goals achievable? Are you planning to submit a poem or short story to a literary magazine or a competition? If you are, then there are probably submission deadlines that you need to meet, which should be reflected in how you plan out your writing process. Do you have a length that you are looking to meet? If you’re writing a mystery novel, it might be helpful to know whether the word or page count stacks up against the expectations of the readers (and publishers).
在你開始寫作之前想清楚你想寫什麼，這是寫作過程至關重要的一步。接著想一想——這些寫作目的是否切實可行?你是不是計劃要交一首詩歌或者一篇短篇小說給文學雜誌，還是要參賽?如果是的話，那麼可能就有遞交的截止日期了，這應當在你的寫作計劃中反映出來。寫作字數有沒有要求?如果你正寫一篇懸疑小說，那麼，去了解下字數限制和頁數要求是否超出了讀者(和出版商)的預期會十分有益。
3. Make time to write
安排時間寫作
You can have everything laid out perfectly in front of you for a great novel, but you also need time to actually write it. Setting aside a daily period specifically for writing might not be necessary, but it will help establish a sense of routine and process, especially if you are working towards a deadline.
小說的謀篇布局已非常完美，但是你也需要時間來真正來寫作。或許沒必要每天特地騰出一段時間來寫作，但這樣有助循規蹈矩培養過程意識，尤其是截止日期正在迫近。
4. Don’t wait for the inspiration
不要等待靈感的出現
Inspiration doesn’t typically strike if you’re not already working for it. Notice the things around you: keep an ear out for interesting words or phrases, engage in the delicate art of people-watch, and read broadly – inspiration can be found everywhere, ranging from a subway car to an old newspaper.
如果你沒有為之努力，是不會靈光乍現的。留心身邊的事物：留神關注有趣的詞語或詞組，踐行為人處事之道，仔細觀察、廣泛閱讀——從地下鐵到舊報紙，生活處處有靈感。
5. Keep a journal
寫日記
One key part of the inspiration process is tracking it down. A writing journal offers a great place to store your observations, thought-provoking quotations, and other interesting tidbits you may encounter. The end result is an accumulation of ideas that can help you in generating character, conversation, and other elements of your writing. A journal also offers a space to experiment with writing exercises, and play around with different writing techniques.
獲得靈感的關鍵在於記錄。日記本是不錯的選擇，你可以記錄觀察所得、引發思考的言論、和其他你可能會遇到的有趣的點點滴滴。最終你累積的想法有助你創造角色、對話以及其他寫作元素。寫日記還可以讓你嘗試不同的寫作訓練，把玩各種不同的寫作技巧。
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（編輯：何瑩瑩）