How to write a timely commentary

With the popularity of the Internet, major content websites have emerged. Whether it is Weibo, WeChat public accounts, Zhihu, Yinxiangshitang, etc., the entry threshold has been greatly reduced, and more and more high-quality writers can show their talents. Among these writers, a considerable number are engaged in critical writing, such as book reviews, film reviews, and of course, current reviews. "Ten Lectures on Current Commentary Writing" is specifically about current commentary writing, but many of the contents mentioned in the book have great reference significance for all types of comment writing and even for all types of writing.

The biggest feature of Cao Lin's current commentary writing tutorial is that it breaks the structural arrangement of traditional commentary textbooks, arranges chapters with a problem awareness that is more in line with the inherent laws of commentary writing, and makes a unique analysis of the writing laws. , put forward the two core concepts of "added value of comments" and "expression efficiency of comments". This is a very practical reference book for writing current commentaries. It can not only help beginners avoid detours and get started as soon as possible, but also help commentators get rid of misunderstandings and quickly improve themselves.

Next, I will talk to you about this book from four aspects: "preparation before writing", "added value of comments", "expression efficiency of comments" and "perspectives of comments".

First, data accumulation. Any text output work requires the accumulation of data, especially current commentary writing. The author said that he has been writing commentary for many years and has always maintained a habit: carrying a notebook with him to write down his thoughts at any time and write down the valuable information he read in the book.

Nowadays, mobile phones are becoming more and more powerful, and they are always with you. Mobile phone recording is a good choice. Recording and synchronization are performed at the same time, making it easy to organize and classify on the computer. When it comes to organizing and categorizing, the author said that when he surfs the Internet, he saves interesting information and valuable data for later use, and regularly organizes this information and stores it in corresponding folders. As follows:

What are the benefits of organizing and browsing the database frequently? Can discover new review topics and review perspectives. Comments compete to a large extent on the amount of information and authority. By establishing a database, you can accumulate your own valuable information on related topics, thereby making your comments more "added value." Whether using a portable notepad or other recording methods, commentators must maintain an "open state" and accommodate news facts.

This is the author’s experience in data accumulation. To put it simply, carry a notebook with you or use your mobile phone to record, and classify and digest it regularly.

Second, let’s talk about reading. Long-term text output is bound to be accompanied by a lot of reading. "Editorial: A Study of Writing Effectiveness" published in the United States in 1920 wrote:

So how to read efficiently? The method is simple: choose good books.

The author's experience in selecting books is to "draw inferences from one case to another": for example, he became very interested in American stories after reading "Glory and Dreams", and then read Tocqueville in one sitting. "Democracy in America", Foner's "The Story of American Freedom", Linda's "A Closer Look at America" ??series; I became interested in Americans through American history, and then read Lippmann's "Public Opinion" ” and Steele’s Life of Lippmann.

Zhang Jiawei expressed a similar mentality of reading, but not by works, but by authors. He said this:

Nowadays, there are so many books published every year, and the quality varies. When we usually read, we can follow the reading mentality of these two people and make a good screening before reading. Look for related books based on the content, or look for good authors worth reading based on the author.

Regarding reading, the author gives beginners a piece of advice:

The above suggestions on data accumulation and reading are not only preparations before writing, but also two items that should be adhered to for a long time during the writing process. . Especially important for beginners.

So, when you actually start writing a review, where should your focus be? The author puts forward an important concept, which is the "added value" we mentioned before.

First of all, since it is an "additional" value, what is the "additional" value? For current commentary writing, “added value” refers to the value attached to news reports.

Secondly, what is the "added value" of comments? Simply put, it is information in a review that is higher than public awareness and goes beyond the preset judgments of news.

The public gets something he didn’t know after reading it. These things may be information or knowledge that he has ignored, or it may be your exclusive information, unique judgment, and unique understanding. It may also be that you used a wonderful way of expression to allow readers to get to the essence of things through the appearance.

The author is very annoyed when someone tells him to "equate" a comment to the news. The word "match" makes comments become subordinate and appendix to news. Commentary is also news, and its novelty lies not in providing factual information, but in opinion information, value judgments, and factual judgments about future development trends based on rational analysis. The comments themselves are also valuable and thoughtful, but they are not as profound and obscure as philosophy, but strive to be concise.

This book mainly talks about the writing of current commentaries, but the concept of "added value" is also very useful for writing in other genres. It should be like a birthmark on the surface, allowing readers to recognize at a glance that this is your article.

Finally, how can we make review articles have high "added value"?

The answer is "hard writing". What is hard writing? Your article must have a hard fact, not information that everyone can search on Baidu. Its opposite is "write for the sake of writing", "must write", "reluctantly write".

Strong writing means that you have to have strong confidence, and the articles you write will definitely benefit readers in some way.

Specifically, if you want your articles to have high "added value", you must do the following:

To summarize. Why do reviews need to have “added value”? Nowadays, print media and the Internet produce countless comments every day. In this ocean of information, the reason why people read yours and not others is because you write something that others do not have, and it can make people gain something. That gain is the added value of your article, which is the magic weapon for your article to attract readers' attention.

So, if a review has added value, can it become an excellent review? uncertain. This involves the expression efficiency of review writing.

The expression efficiency of comments is to use as few words as possible and convey opinions to readers in the most understandable way of expression.

The most taboo thing to improve expression efficiency is divergent thinking. The most common mistake novice writers make is to always try to "cover everything" and talk about many issues in one article. "Covering all aspects" means not covering one aspect. In an article of only 1,000 words, there are five or six arguments and eight or nine judgments. Each argument is not explained thoroughly, and every judgment is hit-and-miss. This kind of comment is a typical inefficiency of expression.

When you have a lot to say and many angles to comment on, it’s best to calm down and think clearly, find an angle that gives you the most impulse to express yourself, and choose the one that feels the best to you. Make a unique argument, then organize the evidence and focus the materials to support this argument. Only such comments will be compact, clear, and efficient in expression.

An efficient review must have three characteristics and meet five requirements.

In addition, use rhetoric and elaboration as little as possible, because rhetoric and elaboration largely only express emotions and exaggerate emotions, and do not contribute to reasoning.

At this point, the two core concepts in the book, "added value" and "expression efficiency", are finished. The role of these two concepts is simply to better serve the expression of the author's views. So in the last part, let’s talk about the “viewpoint of the review”.

Opinion is the core element of a review and the soul of the review. The most important added value of comments is mainly reflected in the opinions; the author's knowledge and accumulation are mainly expressed through opinions.

A point of view is a clear judgment of facts or values. So what is judgment? Judgment is analysis and reasoning; judgment is giving a clear conclusion. This "break" is very important. There must be a clear and unambiguous decision and conclusion before it can be called "break" - when readers read your comments, they mainly look for your clear and definite judgment.

We often ask a person: What is your opinion on this matter? In fact, it is asking: What is your judgment on this matter?

The two most commonly used judgments in comments are fact judgment and value judgment.

Factual judgment is a judgment on the facts themselves. Because facts exist objectively, judgments can often ultimately be verified with facts. The famous critic Mr. Ma Shaohua once said that on February 1, 1911, Shao Piaoping wrote a commentary for "Qing Army Generals Jointly Play Electronic Music to Request the Qing Emperor to Abdicate." The most critical judgment was: "Those who abdicate and then cause harm to China will It must be Yuan Shikai." It came true a few years later. This is a factual judgment. Because factual judgments are verifiable or falsifiable, there are greater risks in making factual judgments, and the quality requirements for reviewers are relatively high.

Value judgment is to judge facts based on certain values, emotions, principles, morals, ethics, and aesthetic standards. For example, it is wrong to do so, a certain behavior is against morality, the government's regulations are unfair, etc. Because values, moral values, etc. are diverse and different people have different understandings, value judgments are largely subjective and there is no objective knowledge and quantitative standards. Based on this, few people make factual judgments on a piece of news, but many people make value judgments, because there is more room for value judgments.

Regarding the order of judgment in comment writing, Liu Jian, a senior media person, said this: When a matter is at hand, first ask whether it is true or false, then decide what is right and wrong, and then discuss the pros and cons. This very insightful sentence basically covers the most common and important judgment in comments. Asking what is true or false first is a factual judgment; "then deciding between right and wrong" and "discussing interests next" involve value judgments.

In this era, due to the carnival of interpretation and the noise of pluralism, the boundaries between right and wrong have become blurred. Many obviously illegal behaviors often win the sympathy of public opinion and are sought after as public opinion heroes because they are disguised as weak, have good intentions, have the advantage of the majority, or are directed at people or behaviors that people hate; Some legitimate and legal actions are often drowned out by hatred because they are done by people who are hated by the public.

Every day, a large number of hot topics appear in front of us through computers and mobile phones, drawing us into the whirlpool of controversy. In the face of these events, many commentaries ignored the facts, took quotes out of context, continued right and wrong, and only talked about interests and harms, turning "making judgments" into "national melee" and even evolving into "cyber violence"; there are quite a few readers who do not write articles to speak out. , will also express opinions and attitudes in the comment area and message area, and directly join the "battle situation". So whether you want to learn review writing or not, this book is worth reading. It can help you develop the thinking style of commentators and their ability to see through the fog to see the essence, which are necessary for personal development and social progress. If there are more "thinking commentators", there will be less angry youth and cyber violence; if there are fewer angry youth and cyber violence, society will be more rational and civilized.

At this point, we have finished talking about the book "Ten Lectures on Writing Current Commentaries". The article is relatively long, so I will briefly review it.