writing（1）

As the development of high technology, the function of high-tech products improves greatly. People can type the text through the cellphone and they can write down whatever they want with computer. It seems that typing the information is so fast and convenient, so most young people don’t pay attention to write the words by their hands. When they learn to write the Chinese, their hand-writing is really bad. Though computer is popular, we need to practice our hand-writing. The one who writes the good words will impress the other person. As the saying that writing is the reflection of a person’s character, so we should not abandon our tradition.
随着高科技的发展，高科技产品的功能发展得很快。人们能通过电话来输入信息，通过电脑，他们能写下一切。似乎输入信息是如此的方便和快速，因此大部分人不关注用手写字。当他们学习些中文字的时候，手写是如此的糟糕。虽然电脑很流行，但是我们需要练习手写。写得一手好字的人能给别人留下好印象。就像有句话说书写就是一个人性格的体现，因此我们不应该丢掉我们的传统。

writing（2）

When I was very small, I liked to read novels and watched all kinds of detective cartoons. In my heart, I have a small dream. I want to be a writer. So I have written some short stories, but I am very shy and never let others to see it. I keep revising the stories and when I am ready, I want my best friend to be my first reader.
在我很小的时候，我喜欢看小说还有各种各样的侦探漫画。在我的心里，我有一个小梦想，我想成为一名作家。所以我写了一些短篇小说，但我很害羞，从不让别人看到。我一直在修改我的小说，当我准备好了，我希望我最好的朋友是我的第一个读者。

writing（3）

Suppose someone gave you a pen — a sealed, solid-colored pen.You couldn’t see how much ink it had.

假设有人给了你一枝笔，一枝密封的、纯色的水笔，里面有多少墨水你看不到。

It might run dry after the first few tentative words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of things.You don’t know before you begin.

很可能刚刚试写几字便用干耗尽；也可能足以完成一部或几部杰作，永存于世，使世事为之大变。

Under the rules of the game, you really never know.You have to take achance!

而这一切你在动笔之前却是一无所知。根据游戏的规则，你确实永远也不会知道，只能冒一下险。

Actually, no rule of the game states you must do anything. Instead of picking up and using the pen, you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up, unused.

而事实上，也没有规则说你就一定要做些什么。你大可以把笔搁在架子上、放在抽屉里，弃置不用，任墨水蒸发干净。

But if you do decide to use it, what would you do with it? How would you play the game?

然而，如果你真的决定使用，你会做什么？怎么来做这个游戏？

Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word?

你会左计划、右计划，然后才慢慢下笔吗？

Would your plans be so extensive that you never even got to the writing?

计划会不会太泛太多，根本就达不到写作这一步？

Or would you take the pen in hand, plunge right in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they take you?

会不会提笔在手，迫不及待地投入其中，任由手中的笔、笔下的字带着你在词海中上下翻腾、左突右冲？

Would you write cautiously and carefully, as if the pen might run dry the next moment, or would you pretend or believe (or pretend to believe) that the pen will write forever and proceed accord gly?

会不会下笔谨小慎微，似乎墨水随时都将干涸？会不会假装或相信、或假装相信笔中墨水永不会枯竭，任你挥洒？

And of what would you write: Of love? Hate? Fun? Misery? Life? Death? Nothing Everything?

你会写些什么？爱情？仇恨？乐趣？痛苦？生命？死亡？虚无空空抑或世事万种？

Would you write to please just yourself? Or others? Or yourself by writing for others?

是会用来自娱？还是取悦他人？还是为人写作而愉悦自身？

Would your strokes be tremblingly timid or brilliantly bold? Fancy with a flourish or plain?

你的一笔一划会颤抖怯懦还是亮丽大胆？花里胡哨还是朴实无华？

Would you even write? Once you have the pen, no rule says you have to write. Would you sketch? Scribble? Doodle or draw?

你确实会去写吗？你一旦有了这枝笔，却也没有规则说你一定就要去写。你会粗粗写来？潦潦草草？信手涂鸦？还是认真描画？

Would you stay in or on the lines, or see no lines at all, even if they were there? Or are they? There’s a lot to think about here, isn’t there?

你会写在线里还是写在线上，或者对纸上的线格根本就视而不见？真的有什么线格吗？此时此刻，有很多东西值得思考，不是吗？

Now, suppose someone gave you a life...

那么，假设有人给了你一次生命……

writing（4）

My mother always complains about life is expensive, because every day she needs to pay all kinds of bills. But I just take it as nothing serious, because she complains other things as well. Since I went to college and move out, I started to wonder about the money I spend, so I decided to write down the things happened in a week.
我妈妈总是抱怨生活很贵，因为她每天都要付各种各样的账单。但我认为这没什么大不了的，因为她也会抱怨其他的事情。自从我上了大学，搬出去以后，我开始疑惑我花了多少钱，所以我决定把一周内发生的事情写下来。
I took a note in my handbag. So when I purchase, I would kept the bill in this small note. In the first day, I always forgot to record, but I still struggled to think about it before I slept. Soon I kept it as my habit. Finally, when seven days passed, I started to check my bills.
我在手提包里放了一张纸条，所以当我买东西的时候，我就会把账单记在这个小纸条上。第一天，我总是忘记记录，但我仍然努力在睡觉前回忆起来。很快我就把这当成了我的习惯，最后，七天过去了，我开始查看我的账单。
Every day I didn't spend much money. The food I ate and the things I bought were not expensive, but when I got the total number, I was shocked. It was much over my expectation. Suddenly I realized my mother's babbling. Life was really expensive, especially for the one who asked parents for money. I am so thankful for the things I have and grateful to my parents.
其实每天我都没花多少钱，吃的和买的东西都不贵，但是当我看到总数的时候，我很震惊，这远远超出了我的预期。突然我意识到我妈妈的唠叨。生活真的很昂贵，尤其是对那些向父母要钱的人来说。我非常感谢我所拥有的一切，并且感激我的父母。

writing（5）

WhenIwasfifteen,IannouncedtomyEnglishclassthatIwasgoingtowriteandillustratemyownbooks.Halfthestudentssneered,therestnearlyfelloutoftheirchairslaughing.“Don’tbesilly,onlygeniusescanbecomewriters,”theEnglishteachersaidsmugly,“AndyouaregettingaDthissemester.”IwassohumiliatedIburstintotears.

ThatnightIwroteashortsadpoemaboutbrokendreamsandmailedittotheCapri’sWeeklynewspaper.Tomyastonishment,theypublisheditandsentmetwodollars.Iwasapublishedandpaidwriter.Ishowedmyteacherandfellowstudents.Theylaughed.“Justplaindumbluck,”theteachersaid.Itastedsuccess.I’dsoldthefirstthingI’deverwritten.Thatwasmorethananyofthemhaddoneandifitwasjustdumbluck,thatwasfinewithme.

DuringthenexttwoyearsIsolddozensofpoems,letters,jokesandrecipes.BythetimeIgraduatedfromhighschool,withaCminusaverage,Ihadscrapbooksfilledwithmypublishedwork.Inevermentionedmywritingtomyteachers,friendsormyfamilyagain.Theyweredreamkillersandifpeoplemustchoosebetweentheirfriendsandtheirdreams,theymustalwayschoosetheirdreams.

Ihadfourchildrenatthetime,andtheoldestwasonlyfour.Whilethechildrennapped,Itypedonmyancienttypewriter.IwrotewhatIfelt.Ittookninemonths,justlikeababy.IchoseapublisheratrandomandputthemanuscriptinanemptyPampersdiaperspackage,theonlyboxIcouldfind.I’dneverheardofmanuscriptboxes.TheletterIenclosedread,“Iwrotethisbookmyself,Ihopeyoulikeit.Ialsodotheillustrations.Chaptersixandtwelvearemyfavourites.Thankyou.”Itiedastringaroundthediaperboxandmaileditwithoutaselfaddressedstampedenvelopeandwithoutmakingacopyofthemanuscript.

AmonthlaterIreceivedacontract,anadvanceonroyalties,andarequesttostartworkingonanotherbook.CryingWind,thetitleofmybook,becameabestseller,wastranslatedintofifteenlanguagesandBrailleandsoldworldwide.IappearedonTVtalkshowsduringthedayandchangeddiapersatnight.ItraveledfromNewYorktoCaliforniaandCanadaonpromotionaltours.MyfirstbookalsobecamerequiredreadinginnativeAmericanschoolsinCanada.

TheworstyearIeverhadasawriterIearnedtwodollars.Iwasfifteen,remember?InmybestyearIearned36,000dollars.MostyearsIearnedbetweenfivethousandandtenthousand.No,itisn’tenoughtoliveon,butit’sstillmorethanI’dmakeworkingparttimeandit’sfivethousandtotenthousandmorethanI’dmakeifIdidn’twriteatall.PeopleaskwhatcollegeIattended,whatdegreesIhadandwhatqualificationsIhavetobeawriter.Theansweris:“None.”Ijustwrite.I’mnotagenius.I’mnotgiftedandIdon’twriteright.I’mlazy,undisciplined,andspendmoretimewithmychildrenandfriendsthanIdowriting.Ididn’townathesaurusuntilfouryearsagoandIuseasmallWebster’sdictionarythatI’dboughtatK-Martfor89cents.IuseanelectrictypewriterthatIpaidahundredandtwentyninedollarsforsixyearsago.I’veneverusedawordprocessor.Idoallthecooking,cleaningandlaundryforafamilyofsixandfitmywritinginafewminuteshereandthere.IwriteeverythinginlonghandonyellowtabletswhilesittingonthesofawithmyfourkidseatingpizzaandwatchingTV.Whenthebookisfinished,Itypeitandmailittothepublisher.I’vewritteneightbooks.Fourhavebeenpublishedandthreearestilloutwiththepublishers.Onestinks.Toallthosewhodreamofwriting,I’mshoutingatyou:“Yes,youcan.Yes,youcan.Don’tlistentothem.”Idon’twriterightbutI’vebeatentheodds.Writingiseasy,it’sfunandanyonecandoit.Ofcourse,alittledumbluckdoesn’thurt.