Thinking about becoming the next Ernest Hemingway? Or Stephen King? It takes a great deal of practice, planning, experience of the world and talent. A good reader is a good writer. Read classics and quality newspapers. Try to contribute to newspapers of your school or community.
想成为下一个厄尼斯特·海明威或史蒂芬·金吗？当然，这需要天赋、计划、大量实践和丰富经验。好读者也能成为好写手。所以，多读经典名著和优质报纸吧。你也可以尝试向校刊或区报投稿。
1. Write down ideas for your writing, subtitles, or even topic. (It's best to do all of this unless you're given a topic!)
1. 写出文章思路、标题甚或主题。（除非是命题作文，否则最好列出以上所有要素。）
2. Narrow down your list to unimportant facts and details so you have your set planned.
2. 清除不必要的要素和细节，集中于主要目标。
3. Write an outline by listing the details for each paragraph.
3. 拟写提纲，列出各段落细节。
4. By now you should have basically your whole story planned. If not: make an additional outline, edit your work, add some brainstorm ideas, or make an idea web.
4. 这时你文章的基本框架应该已经出炉。若没有，可再拟提纲、修改既定思路，或增加新灵感，列出思想大纲。
5. You're now ready to start your "sloppy copy," otherwise known as your first draft! Begin by writing down an essay-looking model from which to work.
5. 现在还不可仓促组稿——也就是打草稿！先写一个行之有效的论文框架吧。
6. Revise your work with another color.
6. 用不同颜色的笔修改文章。
7. Edit! Look in the dictionary to check your spelling and look in the thesaurus to vary your word choices and make your written voice more interesting.
7. 仔细修改！查字典看是否拼写错误，或从辞典里选出更贴切的词语，一定要让行文更生动有趣。
8. Read your new draft aloud to anyone and accept any feedback. Doing this aloud will just let you know whether it needs some work. If you got ahead of yourself and forgot letters or punctuation, you will immediately realize it. Add any changes in a seventh color.
8. 大声读出新文稿，听听别人的意见。大声读出来会有意外收获。写的时候你或许会漏掉某些词语或标点，读出来时你就能发现这些错误。然后再用不同颜色的笔作修改。
9. Do your second draft. Do not skip lines. Write in "essay form."
9. 重写文稿。一定要一板一眼以论文格式写出来。
10. If you are happy with the essay now, you can turn it in for credit/publishing, after editing for spelling and grammar. If you're not, do steps 4, 5, and 6 again.
10. 拼写和语法准确无误后，如果你对文章比较满意，可以尝试投稿。如果不甚满意，回到第4、5、6步骤，重写。
TIPS:
小建议：
Make a mnemonic device to help you remember things you often forget.
利用记忆工具，以免忘记某些事情。
Similes and metaphors are fun to use!
明喻和暗喻能为文章增色不少！
Read books, newspapers, and magazines to help you find interesting facts you could use in your writing.
广泛阅读书籍报刊，挖掘自己感兴趣的素材，然后运用到文章中去。
The info sources are for finding info about a "knowledge essay".
写“知识型文章”时，查找信息资料很重要。
Teachers admire people who work hard instead of racing to finish the essay at the last minute.
老师喜欢的是踏实勤奋的学生，而不是临时抱佛脚的学生。
If you are going to use a computer, write out your story or essay by hand first, then type it on a computer. Writing by hand prepares you for essay tests. It also encourages very different ways of thinking; computers can tend to make work look more "finished" or "official" than it really is.
用电脑写作前，先手写初稿，然后再输入电脑。手写不仅对正式考试大有裨益，还能激发灵感。电脑写作容易使文章看上去呆板僵硬。
Use complete words and sentences. An essay or story is not a chatroom.
遣词造句要完整。写文章忌讳闲扯。
Good writers read a lot. Read all the time: magazines, novels, the paper, anything. Reading a wide range of material increases your vocabulary and gives you a sense of what you're trying to achieve.
优秀写手阅读相当广泛：报刊杂志小说，他们无不涉及。广泛阅读不仅能扩充词汇量，还可培养语感。
Just have fun while writing. Writing shouldn't be torture, it is a skill.
写作只是一门技艺，不是酷刑，要学会享受。
WARNINGS:
小提醒：
1. Be careful to stay on topic. If you are writing about something unimportant, you may find that your main message becomes buried under trivial stuff. This makes editing particularly important.
1. 要紧扣主题。如果你尽写一些无关紧要的东西，文章主旨就会不得要领。所以，修改步骤尤为重要。
2. Be sure that your writing is well organized! Poorly organized writing may not read well and may even confuse your readers. As you go from paragraph to paragraph, check for cohesion. Try to organize your paragraphs into some kind of logical order.
2. 要结构清晰。结构混乱的文章艰涩难读，易给读者造成困惑。要检查段落的连贯性。段落安排要有逻辑。
3. Writing takes patience and practice.
3. 写作需要付诸耐心和实践。
4. Use synonyms with care. There is no quicker way to sound ignorant than to use a word as the wrong part of speech or in the wrong context. Always look up words in the dictionary and make sure you understand their meaning before using them.
4. 慎用近义词。讲稿或行文中用错词是件很蠢的事情。务必查字典，确保自己对词义非常清楚。
5. Do not plagiarize! Realize that your references are very important in essays. They even lend credibility to your research. If you are writing something for a writing class, you may want to ask your teacher how to cite your references because there are many different styles.
5. 杜绝抄袭！论文的参考文献很重要，甚至能为你的课题增光添彩。参考文献的引用有多种形式，如果你是在完成写作课的任务，可以向老师问问清楚。