里面有几条加粗的我觉得还是值得一看的
When faced with writer’s block: “Writing often comes down to having a conversation on the page. But sometimes that conversation first needs to happen with another person. So talk to people about what you are writing. Then, with their permission, scribble the best bits down on paper.”
When stating the thesis of your paper or proposal: “If nobody would disagree with you, you’re probably not saying anything that interesting.”
When trying to come up with a new idea: “The key to coming up with a new idea is to make it not that new. So search around for things you already know and for things other people already know. A lot of innovation comes from recombination.”
When wondering how to have long-term success as a writer: “Write. Every. Day.”
When deciding whether to use a comma, dash, semicolon, or other punctuation mark: “Check the other punctuation you have already used in the sentence (or in surrounding sentences) before making your final decision. Punctuation affects other punctuation.”
When deciding when to begin writing: “Toward the end of the project, as the deadline looms, you are probably going to want an extra day, week, or even month to finish. Take that time now, by starting earlier than you originally planned. Your future self will thank you—maybe even with a leisurely nap.”
When trying to study or learn something: “Learning is not about having a photographic memory. It’s about taking the right kind of pictures.”
When considering whether to take on an ambitious project: “Trying is cool.”
When things don’t go as you hoped: “Failure is a public good. So share your mistakes with people. You’ll help them learn, and you might even teach yourself something along the way.”
When deciding where to go on spring break or some other vacation: “Try to visit, once a year if you can, a country less prosperous than your own.”
When considering whether to take a trip overseas: “International travel: sounds great, feels terrible, usually worth it.”
When giving feedback: “Remember: Few people like to be corrected. Most people prefer to be helped.”
When frustrated by the process of writing: “Writing is rarely easy, but there are ways to make it less hard. Find a teacher who knows some of those ways—and then take every class they offer.”
When mapping out the schedule for a long project: “Build in small wins. You need to remember what accomplishment feels like.”
When editing: “Before handing something in, try to have at least one other set of eyes look it over. Your set is not to be trusted.”
When trying to network: “A good way to network is to do excellent work. Then people will network for you.”
When deciding when to network: “A good time to network is similar to a good time to negotiate: when you don’t have to. Desperation is rarely attractive.”
When deciding whether to spend some time learning how to write better: “The inability to write well is not a moral failing. But it can be a professional liability.”
When picking classes: “Once you’ve paid tuition, learning to write in school is a lot less expensive than learning to write on the job. So take some writing classes before you graduate. And if you can’t find any good ones, create your own. That’s why the world invented the term ‘independent study.’”
When about to use an unnecessarily fancy word or phrase or theory: “Trying to sound smart is a pretty dumb strategy. Writing is about connecting with people—not trying to impress them.”
When thinking about your career: “Starting with what you like to do and then trying to figure out if there is some way you can get paid to do it seems like a much better strategy than starting with what you can get paid to do and then trying to figure out if there is some way you can like it.”
When thinking about your current academic or professional circumstances: “How much of your day is spent doing things that make you smile with people who make you smile?”
When deciding what to feed your brain: “To write good sentences, you need to read good sentences. Be deliberate about your inputs.”
When you feel like you are not getting anywhere on a piece of writing: “Trust the process—but every once in a while, have someone evaluate that process.”
When you think you have finished a piece of writing: “Spend some extra time cleaning up your sentences. Your readers will be grateful.”
When approaching the next few weeks of your life: “If you are going through hell, keep going. If you are going through heaven, sit for a while.”
When approaching the next several decades of your life: “Embrace getting older. It just means you have more ages and experiences in your repertoire.”
When meeting new folks, especially powerful folks: “Respect people’s résumés. But do not be intimidated by them. They probably have a pretty big antirésumé as well. We all do.”
When contemplating a career: “Beware of jobs where the principal use of your education is to exploit someone else’s lack of education.”
When engaged in a serious conflict: “An ‘us against the world’ mentality can be helpful—unless the world is right.”
When making many kinds of decisions: “It is good to trust your instincts. It is better to trust your instincts when those instincts are informed by experience and education.”
When thinking about your education: “The most important things you write in your life will probably not be in school. But what you learn in school can help you write those important things better.”