词汇大师(Wordmaster)--Creative Writing, Part 2
时间:2019-02-07 作者:英语课 分类:词汇大师(Wordmaster)
Broadcast on COAST TO COAST: October 28, 2004
AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: we continue our conversation about creative writing with a self-described "addicted 1, compulsive reviser."
RS: Chitra Divakaruni has written four novels; her newest, "Queen of Dreams," was just published. But when she's not writing books, she's helping 2 future writers as a professor at the University of Houston.
CHITRA DIVAKARUNI: "Fortunately, in some ways, writing is not a totally logical process. At some point if you start thinking 'I have to do this and this and this,' you're overwhelmed 3 by the task. But when you begin to write, intuitively a lot of this comes to you. Because, with my students, and certainly I think many of our listeners, we've been readers all our lives. We know what works in literature from the point of view of the reader."
AA: "Now here's a technical question for you: Where do you stand on adjectives and adverbs?"
CHITRA DIVAKARUNI: "Well, I think each story has its own rules. Some stories will require a minimalistic writing where you cut back on those adjectives and adverbs. And some stories, the style that will bring that story out most fruitfully will require a lot of description, a lot of detail. And therefore you need to bring in adjectives and adverbs and powerful verbs as well. Sometimes we forget that verbs can be so very descriptive. And we have to try. And if it's not working, there's always revision."
RS: "You're both a writer of fiction and a teacher. Those are two very different worlds. How do you jump from one to the other?"
CHITRA DIVAKARUNI: "That is very difficult. It's a real juggling 4 act. My situation at the university is, I teach one semester and then I get the rest of the year off. And it's really when I have time off that I do most of my writing, because I find when I'm writing I have to enter the fictional 5 universe of my stories.
"For example, when I was writing 'Queen of Dreams,' much of that story is set in India, where the mother is undergoing training as a dream interpreter and she's living in a community of dream interpreters. And I really for days had to just be in that world. Otherwise I couldn't write it. And it's very disruptive when you have to get out of that creative mode of thinking and that imaginative 6 mode of thinking and you have to move to the critical mode of thinking, which is where I am when I am teaching."
RS: "What kind of advice would you give to our listeners, those who speak English as a foreign language who might want to write in their native language or perhaps someday in English?"
CHITRA DIVAKARUNI: "Well, one of the things that I always say to my students, and I think this applies to everyone, because it has been very helpful for me as well, is to read a lot, and to read as a writer, which is different. Because when you read as a writer, now you're reading much more slowly, and you're reading with a pen or pencil in your hand and you're marking things that you really admire. And as you admire these things, you're trying to figure out the technique of the writer. 鈥榃ell, here I really like how the character relates to another person, I can really understand the feelings. What did the writer do to create this?鈥? So that kind of reading I think is very, very helpful. And it's often something that we don't do when we're just reading right through a book."
AA: "Well, I imagine you must write a great essay. [laughter] Actually I was wondering if you have any advice for a student out there who had to write an essay either to get into school or something -- "
RS: "What advice would you give to my son who is applying for the university right now and has to write these college essays?"
AA: "Do you stick to the dreaded 7 five-paragraph essay, or what's your advice?"
CHITRA DIVAKARUNI: "Well, what I would first say is read the directions very carefully [laughter] because directions will often give you a sense of what they're looking for. And we want to work with language in these essays. We want to use exact descriptive phrases that will stay in the reader's mind. And then, of course, I think what's really important is being honest, being truthful 8 and writing something you're passionate 9 about.
"A lot of these essays will ask you to say something that is special about yourself, to describe something that has had meaning in your life and has taught you something. Now sometimes students will take the easy path and they'll write about an experience that isn't risky 10, that's pretty much along the beaten path. And what I say to my students, and what I tried to do in 'Queen of Dreams,' is to take risks. I think good writers take risks, and they're not afraid to open themselves up for their readers."
RS: Novelist Chitra Divakaruni is a professor of creative writing at the University of Houston.
AA: And now for a programming note: Wordmaster will move to Wednesday, with a repeat on Saturday, starting next week. We will put the exact times on our Website at voanews.com/wordmaster.
RS: And you can always write to use at。。。。。。With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.
- He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
- She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。
- The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
- By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
- She was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt. 她感到愧疚难当。
- If (one was) overwhelmed by passion, it could lead to serious blunders. 当感情完全淹没理智时,就可能铸成大错。
- The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
- The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。
- The imaginative child made up fairy stories.这个想像力丰富的孩子自己编神话故事。
- Scott was an imaginative writer.司格特是位富于想象力的作家。
- The dreaded moment had finally arrived. 可怕的时刻终于来到了。
- He dreaded having to spend Christmas in hospital. 他害怕非得在医院过圣诞节不可。 来自《用法词典》
- You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心,他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
- I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。
- He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
- He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。