How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (Paperback)

by Paul J. Silvia (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
All students and professors need to write, and many struggle to finish their stalled dissertations, journal articles, book chapters, or grant proposals. Writing is hard work and can be difficult to wedge into a frenetic academic schedule. In this practical, light-hearted, and encouraging book, Paul J. Silvia explains that writing productively does not require innate skills or special traits but specific tactics and actions. Drawing examples from his own field of psychology, he shows readers how to overcome motivational roadblocks and become prolific without sacrificing evenings, weekends, and vacations. After describing strategies for writing productively, the author gives detailed advice from the trenches on how to write, submit, revise, and resubmit articles; how to improve writing quality; and how to write and publish academic work.

From the Publisher
A contemporary admonition tells us, "If you talk the talk, you have to be able to walk the walk." Paul Silvia does both; he writes effectively about how to write effectively. Without being either a scold or a Pollyanna, he identifies ways in which each of us can achieve our goals of being more proficient authors.
--Lawrence S. Wrightsman, Professor of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence; author of The Psychology of the Supreme Court and coauthor of Forensic Psychology (2nd ed.) with Sol Fulero.

A common complaint among faculty and graduate students alike is that writing often takes a backseat to other professional and personal commitments. For those who have trouble writing enough, Paul Silvia explains how to write more. For those who already write plenty, he shows how to do so more efficiently and with lower cost to one's other obligations. Every researcher will benefit from the gems of advice in this book.
--Mark R. Leary, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Paul Silvia's new book is just the tonic for academics who want to be more productive. Silvia demolishes all of the typical excuses that people use to put off getting to work, and he gives a few concise, practical tips that will help anyone to write more. Psychologists are the target reader, but professors in any discipline would benefit from the advice in this book.
--R. Keith Sawyer, Associate Professor, Department of Education, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri; author of seven books, editor or coauthor of three more, and author of more than 50 articles.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 149 pages
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 1 edition (January 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591477433
• ISBN-13: 978-1591477433
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,408 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the money, October 3, 2008

By	Laura R. Barraclough (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This product has a handful of useful tips but its basic premise can be summed up in a few words: Make a writing schedule, stick to it, and don't make emotional or psychological excuses. That's about all the book has to say, and while the author doesn't claim to do much more, nonetheless it is not worth the money and is not the kind of book you'd want to return to again and again. In addition, its sole target audience seems to be the field of psychology, so its usefulness is even less for people in other fields.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivational, Insightful and Extremely Helpful!, December 16, 2007

By	D. Horan "Franciscan Friar" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This little volume carries a lot of punch; don't be confused by it's small stature. While Silvia outlines his method right from the start - Schedule Time to Write - his development of the things one needs to consider in order to be productive is wonderfully insightful.

Perhaps the most useful chapter is the second in which he lists a number of "Specious Barriers to Writing a Lot," i.e. poor excuses. It may be his background in psychology, or just his keen observational and analytical skills, but he is right on target in identifying those excuses we use time and again to prevent productive writing. His combating of these barriers is both humorous and motivating.

The only downside, and it is minor, is that he writes as if to an audience comprised solely of psychologists. Granted, he is one and the book is published by the APA, but the psychological examples can become a bit grating. That said, his book still speaks to a wide readership that can glean wonderful tips from his book. (My field is in the humanities and I found the book to be top notch!) I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a writer - especially the academics out there!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1500 words per day, June 6, 2008

By	tuanomsoc (i didnt find it to be that, exactly) - See all my reviews

I read this book in early May. On May 7, I began writing my dissertation proposal. On June 6 (today), I turned it in; it is 106 pages (including several figures and tables) and contains over 25,000 words.

On the days I wrote, I averaged over 1500 words per day. On the days I didn't write, I still had Writing Hours, and worked on the figures, tables, references, etc. Without this book, I would not have had Writing Hours and I would not have written as high quality a prospectus as I did.

Contributing to the quality of my prospectus is the section in this book that includes grammatical information. This section is critical. You want to write a lot of good words, not just a lot of words.

If you know someone who likes things, this book would make a great gift.