第7页 Simplicity

原则二是简洁，第一个秘诀是删，删到只剩主干，不能再删为止。名词和动词能讲清楚谁干了什么，可以充当主干；副词和形容词常是枝蔓，尽量删掉。
第二个秘诀是不断修改。先关注句子内部的问题：结构混乱、歧义、语态。后检查句子之间的过渡。是否有跳跃？如果有，用连接词或连接句来解决这个问题。最后问问自己，首次接触这个主题的读者能不能看懂？ 如果不能，修改模糊之处。
The secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every word that serves no function, every long word that could be a short word, every adverb that carries the same meaning that's already in the verb, every passive construction that leaves the reader unsure of who is doing what—these are the thousand and one adulterants that weaken the strength of a sentence.写作的秘诀就是删。有些词不提供新信息，只削弱句子的力度。
That carelessness can take any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence is so excessively cluttered that the reader, hacking through the verbiage, simply doesn't know what it means. Perhaps a sentence has been so shoddily constructed that the reader could read it in several ways. Perhaps the writer has switched pronouns in mid-sentence, or has switched tenses, so the reader loses track of who is talking or when the action took place. Perhaps Sentence B is not a logical sequel to Sentence A; the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, hasn't bothered to provide the missing link. Perhaps the writer has used a word incorrectly by not taking the trouble to look it up.句子表达中的问题：结构混乱；有歧义；半路变时态和语态，让读者搞不清主语；句子间过渡不自然，没有用好连接词，使读者感到不流畅、有跳跃。
Is it clear to someone encountering the subject for the first time? If it's not, some fuzz has worked its way into the machinery. The clear writer is someone clearheaded enough to see this stuff for what it is: fuzz.第一次接触这个主题的读者能读懂吗？如果不能，句子肯定还存在模糊之处。
Professional writers are constantly bearded by people who say they'd like to "try a little writing sometime"—meaning when they retire from their real profession, like insurance or real estate, which is hard. Or they say, "I could write a book about that." I doubt it. 你一旦想开始写作，就能马上写好？呵呵。
A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard.当你绝望之时，请记住，落笔成文都是传说，好句子需要打磨很多遍。多少遍？通常是三遍以上。