最近有好幾個機會，需要用不熟悉的英文寫作，頗感吃力。奮戰之餘，也找了一些英文寫作的書來參考。在圖書館中看到一本The 29 Most Common Writing Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)，作者是Judy Delton。她所列出的29有的常見錯誤包括了：
01. Don’t procrastinate.
02. Don’t talk away your story or article before, or instead of, writing it.
03. Don’t try to write the best story or article in the world. Don’t be afraid to fail.
04. Don’t wear blinders. See life through the eyes of a writer.
05. Don’t edit as you write: don’t stop to admire – or chastise – your work.
06. Don’t generalize: use specific language.
07. Don’t tell, show. Use dialogue and incident, not long narrative.
08. Don’t forget to contrast and compare.
09. Don’t depend on adjectives. Use strong verbs.
10. Don’t use cliches, qualifiers, platitudes, and overdone words.
11. Don’t overdo punctuation.
12. Don’t forget your theme.
13. Don’t forget: you need a beginning, middle, and end.
14. Don’t lose your balance and don’t digress.
15. Don’t self-express, communicate.
16. Don’t get personal, get universal.
17. Don’t preach or opinionate. Let the reader discover for himself.
18. Don’t think of fiction as false! Honesty is essential in all your writing.
19. Don’t neglect research, but don’t overdo it.
20. Don’t write all “I” and “me” things. Use the third person when you want to publish.
21. Don’t be afraid to rewrite.
22. Don’t be obsessed with trivial concerns.
23. Don’t “want everyone to read it!”
24. Don’t listen to opinion and criticism from spuses, friends, and people on the street.
25. Don’t search for a talent scout.
26. Don’t think an agent will solve all your problems.
27. Don’t be taken in by the get-rich-quick myth. It takes ten years to become an overnight success.
28. Don’t send a gothic novel to Humpty Dumpty magazine. Study your markets before you submit.
29. Don’t give up.
檢查一下，自己踩到了哪些誤區？
01. Don’t procrastinate.
02. Don’t talk away your story or article before, or instead of, writing it.
03. Don’t try to write the best story or article in the world. Don’t be afraid to fail.
04. Don’t wear blinders. See life through the eyes of a writer.
05. Don’t edit as you write: don’t stop to admire – or chastise – your work.
06. Don’t generalize: use specific language.
07. Don’t tell, show. Use dialogue and incident, not long narrative.
08. Don’t forget to contrast and compare.
09. Don’t depend on adjectives. Use strong verbs.
10. Don’t use cliches, qualifiers, platitudes, and overdone words.
11. Don’t overdo punctuation.
12. Don’t forget your theme.
13. Don’t forget: you need a beginning, middle, and end.
14. Don’t lose your balance and don’t digress.
15. Don’t self-express, communicate.
16. Don’t get personal, get universal.
17. Don’t preach or opinionate. Let the reader discover for himself.
18. Don’t think of fiction as false! Honesty is essential in all your writing.
19. Don’t neglect research, but don’t overdo it.
20. Don’t write all “I” and “me” things. Use the third person when you want to publish.
21. Don’t be afraid to rewrite.
22. Don’t be obsessed with trivial concerns.
23. Don’t “want everyone to read it!”
24. Don’t listen to opinion and criticism from spuses, friends, and people on the street.
25. Don’t search for a talent scout.
26. Don’t think an agent will solve all your problems.
27. Don’t be taken in by the get-rich-quick myth. It takes ten years to become an overnight success.
28. Don’t send a gothic novel to Humpty Dumpty magazine. Study your markets before you submit.
29. Don’t give up.
檢查一下，自己踩到了哪些誤區？