2007年VOA标准英语-Writers Pen Plays, Books, Family Diaries for Li

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
19 September 2007

Freelance writers often struggle to earn a living, and a group of California authors, playwrights², and journalists provides moral support and job leads for fellow writers. Mike O'Sullivan spoke³ with members of the Independent Writers of Southern California about their passion for the written word.

Gary Young earns his living as a playwright¹, and admits it is not easy. He has been given grants by artistic⁴ and cultural organizations, including the Kennedy Center and Smithsonian Institution, to write and stage productions.

He has also performed as an actor in mime⁵ plays, where the action is conveyed through gestures and facial expressions.

"And we went into schools, a lot of good stuff," he said. "We did a lot of work by, with and for disabled populations. We did a jobs program where we trained inner city kids to do some of these things, and then we hired them. We trained them for free and then we hired them and paid them money to do these things - [it] brought back a lot to the community."

He has written about the grief and healing process of a spouse⁶ who loses a partner, and is now writing a light-hearted book for men called The Immature⁷ Male Handbook, with a companion play.

"The theme is guys," said Young. "You know, when did anybody say we ever grew up? Nor do we really want to, so what I am doing is, I am embracing that."

Laura Blumenthal is a personal history writer:

"That means I help people who want to pass their family stories onto their children and grandchildren for generations to come," said Laura Blumenthal.

She has a wide range of clients, from wealthy business people to middle class grandparents. She is sometimes hired by grown children who want their parents' story transcribed⁸ in permanent form.

"One of the great things about doing this is there is no typical book," she said. "They are all different. I just finished one that is 675 pages. That was the exception. I have done them with as few pages as 50. That includes copies of family photos, sometimes recipes. It is amazing what parents collect for their children."

Telly Davidson writes a film column, and has written a book called TV's Grooviest Variety Shows.

His says first love is popular culture.

"Ever since I was 13 or 14, when I saw a movie of TV show or a music artist that I was interested in, I wanted to know more about it," said Telly Davidson. "And so it was just a natural progression. I have been researching those things since I was a kid."

Flo Selfman is a Los Angeles publicist and copy editor, and she is president of the Southern California writers' organization.

She says payments range from a few hundred dollars for an article to thousands for books ghost-written for celebrities⁹ or wealthy business people, who then issue the books in their own names.

"They can be as high as $50,000," said Flo Selfman. "It is like any other business. You really have to have some sort of an estimate of how much time it is going to take you, how much your time is worth per hour, and then you can come up with an estimate of what the job is going to be worth, and that of course is all compounded by the kind or reputation you already have."

She says there are many ways to get books and articles published, including self-publishing, in which a writer gets a book printed and then distributes it. Telly Davidson, who is 32-years-old, says the Internet has also created new markets for his generation.

"From someone in my age group, in their late 20s or early 30s, they really cannot afford not to work in the Internet field and be somewhat literate¹⁰ in that because that is where a lot of the buzz about any books or novels, or certainly film and TV is going to be," he said.

With talent and resourcefulness, writers say they can earn a living as they pursue their passion.

1 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

2 playwrights   

n.剧作家( playwright的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We're studying dramatic texts by sixteenth century playwrights. 我们正在研究16 世纪戏剧作家的戏剧文本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hung-chien asked who the playwrights were. 鸿渐问谁写的剧本。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 mime   

n.指手画脚，做手势，哑剧演员，哑剧；vi./vt.指手画脚的表演，用哑剧的形式表演

参考例句：

• Several French mime artists will give some lectures this afternoon.几位法国哑剧表演艺术家将在今天下午做几场讲座。
• I couldn't speak Chinese,but I showed in mime that I wanted a drink.我不会讲汉语，但我作摹拟动作表示要一杯饮料。

6 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

7 immature   

adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的

参考例句：

• Tony seemed very shallow and immature.托尼看起来好像很肤浅，不夠成熟。
• The birds were in immature plumage.这些鸟儿羽翅未全。

8 transcribed   

（用不同的录音手段）转录( transcribe的过去式和过去分词 )； 改编（乐曲）（以适应他种乐器或声部）； 抄写； 用音标标出（声音）

参考例句：

• He transcribed two paragraphs from the book into his notebook. 他把书中的两段抄在笔记本上。
• Every telephone conversation will be recorded and transcribed. 所有电话交谈都将被录音并作全文转写。

9 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

10 literate   

n.学者；adj.精通文学的，受过教育的

参考例句：

• Only a few of the nation's peasants are literate.这个国家的农民中只有少数人能识字。
• A literate person can get knowledge through reading many books.一个受过教育的人可以通过读书而获得知识。