English Original
It seems to me that all writers, including geniuses, need encouragement, especially in their early years. I always knew I could write, but that just meant I wrote a little better than my classmates. The idea of writing professionally never crossed my mind in school.
At Hyde Park High School in Chicago, a teacher named Marguerite Byrne focused her attention on me. She taught English and encouraged me to submit my writings—mostly poems at the time. Her belief made me consider writing as a possible profession.
To my surprise, the Chicago Tribune published several of my poems. They also paid me an inadvertent, supreme compliment: the editor sent a confidential letter to Miss Byrne, suspecting that her student, Stephen Allen, might have plagiarized the work. He found it hard to believe a seventeen-year-old could write at such a professional level.
When Miss Byrne showed me the letter, I was ecstatic. It was tremendously encouraging. Maybe I really am a writer, I thought.
Miss Byrne also encouraged me to enter an essay contest titled "Rediscovering America," sponsored by the CIVITAN organization. I was astonished to win. The prize was a hundred-dollar check and an invitation to a banquet in downtown Chicago.
My mother was unaware of my writing interest. That evening, I placed the check on the breakfast table for her to find in the morning and went straight to bed.
This experience highlights the immense importance of giving young people caring attention and encouraging their talents. Years later, I dedicated my book of poems, Wry on the Rocks, to Miss Byrne to repay my debt to her.
Conversely, a lack of encouragement can stifle potential. At the same high school, a Spanish teacher's cold, sarcastically critical attitude drove me away. I learned little from her, and partly due to her negative influence, I am not fluent in Spanish today.
I learned that one can also learn from negative examples by avoiding such behaviors. Witnessing alcoholism in my family made me disinterested in drinking. Similarly, my mother's heavy smoking and its unpleasant consequences led me to never smoke a cigarette.
Once again, young writers need encouragement. Thanks to Miss Byrne's influence, I have enjoyed a lifetime career writing books, songs, and TV scripts. And guess what? I haven't plagiarized a single word.
中文翻译
在我看来，所有作家，包括那些堪称天才的，都需要鼓励，尤其是在他们早年时期。我一直知道自己会写作，但这仅仅意味着我比班上其他孩子写得稍好一些。奇怪的是，在小学和中学时代，我从未想过有一天能靠写作谋生。
在芝加哥的海德公园高中，有一位名叫玛格丽特·伯恩的老师。她教授英语，仅仅通过关注我，就让我相信自己或许能掌握写作的诀窍，足以将这门技艺视为职业。她给我的指导与其他学生并无二致，但不同之处在于，她鼓励我开始投稿当时主要写的诗歌。
令我惊讶的是，《芝加哥论坛报》不仅认为我的几首诗值得发表，还无意中给予了我——一位初出茅庐的作者——所能得到的最高赞誉。编辑给伯恩小姐写了一封密信，询问她是否有学生——一个叫斯蒂芬·艾伦的——可能犯了抄袭罪。编辑产生怀疑是因为，他善意地表示，他很难相信一个十七岁的孩子能创作出如此专业水平的作品。
当伯恩小姐把这封信给我看时，我欣喜若狂！这真是莫大的鼓励。也许我真的能成为作家，我想。
伯恩小姐还鼓励我参加由CIVITAN组织赞助的一场征文比赛，题目是“重新发现美国”。当我收到信得知自己赢得了比赛时，我简直惊呆了。奖品是一张一百美元的支票和一张前往芝加哥市中心酒店参加一场丰盛宴会的邀请函。
当时，我的母亲甚至不知道我对写作感兴趣，或者即使她有所察觉，也并未在意。那天晚上我回到家，她没有询问晚会的情况。我把那张百元支票放在早餐桌上，以便她早上醒来时能看到——然后立刻上床睡觉了。
这个事例说明了给予年轻人关爱、关注并鼓励他们发展和实践其天赋的极端重要性。多年后，我将我的一本诗集《Wry on the Rocks》献给了玛格丽特·伯恩，以此偿还我对她的亏欠。
另一方面，没有鼓励，有才华的学生可能永远无法被激励去学习、发展技能或发挥全部潜力。例如，在同一所高中，有一位我上过她西班牙语课的老师，不幸的是，我从她那里几乎没学到什么，仅仅因为她那冷漠、讽刺挖苦的批判态度。她似乎完全不懂如何鼓励学生，反而擅长轻蔑地嘲讽我们这些学得不够快的人。她的消极态度让我敬而远之。部分由于这位老师的负面影响，我至今西班牙语并不流利。
你看，我已经明白，人们可以从反面例子中获得教益——通过避免那样的行为。酗酒是我母亲家族的一个严重问题。由于在童年时期目睹了足够多的酗酒过度事例，我对饮酒从未产生过任何兴趣。吸烟也是如此。我可怜的母亲是尼古丁成瘾的受害者，每天抽两包烟。因为那无尽的烟雾、咳嗽声、满溢的烟灰缸，以及屋里和我衣服上难闻的烟味，我一生从未吸过一支烟。
再次强调，年轻的作家需要鼓励。由于伯恩小姐的影响，我得以享受一生创作书籍、歌曲和电视剧本的乐趣。你猜怎么着？我从未抄袭过其中的任何一个字。