Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(53)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hello, my name is Renee. I am an assistant professor and a mother. I write a lot.

I inherited this book from a friend who didn't get tenure. I find books on writing valuable, because even though I write a lot, there's always something to learn from others who write a lot.

This book was interesting and easy to read. It was funny, and I share the author's interest in mid-century furniture (although I am not sure it is relevant to writing!). I would recommend it to people who want to read a useful text on writing productively.

However, I am giving this text only three stars because the advice is rather thin, and I do not necessarily agree with two of the author's major suggestions/ideas.

First is the central premise of this book - the author's assertion that the only way to write a lot is to set a schedule and stick to it (p. 17). Setting a schedule and sticking to it is a great way to write a lot. Many people, especially professors, use it successfully. It is well worth trying, and the book explores this very useful technique. However, it is not the only way to write a lot.

Here are some other methods that work for productive writers who do not always write on a schedule.

1. Set a daily wordcount goal. Steven King does this. His daily wordcount goal is 2000 words a day. For an academic, this is an insane goal. Academic writing is moving much slower. A realistic goal for me is between 250-500 words a day, i.e. between one to two pages a day. Get your writing goal out of the way as soon as you can - do not postpone this till the evening. You can grade student papers in the evening, as it takes so much less brainpower.
If you are editing rather than writing, set a page goal instead of a wordcount goal.

2. Grab a kitchen timer and set it for 15 mins. Everyone can write for just 15 mins (in fact, there is a book about it, and it should be available on Amazon). It doesn't matter WHEN you do this, only that you do this. Do at least one session a day. Two, three are better; but do not binge-write (Silvia warns against this, and he is right). In general, setting small daily goals works.

3. Find some buddies and set up a mutual accountability system. Just a short daily email with "I wrote!" is a great motivator. It is easier to do things together than alone. One version of the mutual accountability system is to chat-write together. You get together in a chat (such as google chat) with your buddies and you agree on a chunk of time. After this time you report to each other, and if you have juice left, do this again. Academics I write with usually do 15-20min chunks. Creative writers I write with go for 30 mins as a rule.

Do I write on schedule? Sometimes, but often it is unrealistic for a busy mother like me, who has a child with autism. Some days it is impossible to find 2-hr chunks of time in my day. It is, however, possible to find 15-minute chunks, 30-minute chunks. If you pre-plan and break your tasks into small units, you'd be amazed how much can be accomplished.

My second big quib with the author is his repeating statement, e.g. on p. 130: "writing is hard and will always be hard; writing is unpleasant and will always be unpleasant". I think this is a statement that is both harmful and untrue.

The more you write, the easier it gets. It's like exercise. The more you do it, the stronger your writing muscles become, the easier it is to "work out". Every journal acceptance or a good R&R will make writing even easier for you, because you will see that your effort brings results.

Second, telling yourself that writing is unpleasant and will always be unpleasant is harmful and will, I believe, make you write less, rather than more. Who wants to spend 2hrs every day doing something they hate? Even 15 minutess become painful. Writing might hurt now, but if there is no HOPE of it ever becoming pleasant, why bother at all? I was surprised to read this from a psychologist, since psychologists know very well that as humans we tend to spend more time on tasks that engage our interest and are pleasurable, rather than on painful tasks.

And here we come back to my friends, the creative writers. I often write with my creative writer buddies because they are more often available to chat-write and to talk about wriitng. In fact, I can find somebody to write with almost every time I have 15-20 mins to write. Why is that? The answer is simple. Creative writers love writing, want to write, cannot wait to start writing. It's fun. It can be really painful, and frustrating, but you do it because you love it. And even if you are suffering now, you remember why you are doing it/m . You tell yourself this every day, and you believe it. Most creative writers start out as rather lousy writers - it often takes years to get to publication, but they persevere because of love.

Over the years I have developed this habit as well. In 2002, when I grabbed my first book on writing, writing was excruciating, painful, almost impossible. In 2010, writing is still at times painful, but it's fun. I want to do it. It's awesome.

And that's my secret to writing a lot.

I picked up this book knowing that it was going to tell me to stick to a writing schedule. I thought, "Well, I'll just ignore that part and pick out the stuff I like." I really did not want to hear that in order to be productive, I would have to schedule several hours a week in order to write. I am a busy person; where on earth will I "find the time"? Long weekends and school breaks are when the writing will get done. Well, P. J. Silvia shattered that illusion into a million pieces... He made it clear that I will never complete my papers if I keep waiting for the perfect moment, because during those perfect moments I will find something else that needs to be done (e.g. catch up on sleep, call my mother, wash the laundry, etc.). Unfortunately, it is my job to write. Problem, no?

But you see, I DETEST writing. I become paralyzed by anxiety, and I dread the exhaustion that inevitably follows a bout with my computer. So, I avoid it. But Dr Silvia argues that if I wrote at a specific time, on specific days, every week--and gave myself small goals for that session (e.g. write 200 words)--there would be no anxiety. Afterall, who can't write 200 words in an hour or two? Moreover, that small task won't drain me of energy. Research would not become enjoyable, but it would lose its status as cruel and unusual punishment. It would simply become an unpleasant part of my work, comparable to having to attend boring committee meetings.

I picked up this book intending to ignore the nasty scheduling piece, and I left converted. This book shatters any illusions you may have about binge writing being the "technique" that works for you. So, if you don't want to schedule writing time, maybe you should ask yourself why--and then read this book.

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!

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.

All of my grad student friends went to a talk by Dr. Silvia during a recent conference. I decided to go to a different talk on some boring topic I don't remember anymore. Everyone came back raving about what a good talk it was and how helpful the advice seemed. So I decided to buy this book because I didn't want to be left out of the conversation.

Over the last month, I followed the advice in this book and tripled my average writing output even though I had a master's thesis to defend and was teaching my first class. I owe 3908 words in my thesis and 11452 words overall to the method in this book. I think I owe a piece of my sanity to it as well.

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.

I take great pleasure in being the first person to review this gem. I am not feeling particularly eloquent; my words will not do justice to this fine book, but I am not going to let that stop me from suggesting that if you are having any problems getting pen to paper, fingers to keys, or butt to seat, this book is for you. Dr. Silvia presents scientifically sound AND entertaining, engaging information. It is a quick read, which is good. You have to write after all. Speaking of which, I'd better get to it! This book is super. TOC: Specious Barriers to Writing a Lot, Motivational Tools, A Brief Foray Into Style, Writing Journal Articles, Writing Books, and a couple more. This book is published by the American Psychological Association, which tells you a lot about the quality. It is part of their LifeTools imprint. Dr. Silvia is a very talented young man, obviously a talented writer, and a darned good psychologist, too, I bet! The book is targeted for those interested in "productive academic writing," but I think it is perfect for anyone interested in productive writing of any type. Okay, now back to my writing.

This book is the perfect length, so you'll actually get through it. The chapters are focused, and the topics covered are relevant and useful. I've really enjoyed reading it.

Silvia's style is funny without trying too hard, which makes a short book go even faster. My favorite chapters... Chapter 2 (on specious barriers to writing a lot) will motivate you and get you to finally give writing a place in your schedule. Chapter 3 (Motivational tools) presents time-tested goal-setting tips that will help you start writing and keep going. Chapter 5 (a brief foray into style) gives you just enough tips on style and improving your writing that you might actually take some of his advice.

I'm in a PhD program in psychology, so his advice to students and professors (which comes from his experience in psychology) seems really helpful and relevant, but I wonder if the tips in chapters 6 and 7 (on writing journal articles and books, respectively) would be less helpful to people from very different fields. Anyone would benefit just from reading chapters 1-5, though, so I still whole-heartedly recommend it.

I bought this several months ago and have found it truly helpful. I am writing more. As noted by the less favorable reviews the key to his system is write based on a schedule. There is more to the book than this one line. I enjoyed the author's dry sense of humor and the details of his own experiences. The next most important thoughts in the book are avoid binge writing and form a writing group. It may be most helpful to academics. Although I am not in psychology I did not find the references to his field distracting. Some of the critics say there is not enough depth to this, but I re-read sections from time to time to motivate myself.

This is the best investment a graduate student or academic can make. While other books may encourage some of the same behaviors prescribed by Paul Silvia, *no* other how-to guide so brutally, convincingly, and entertainingly demolishes the excuses that you tell yourself when you're procrastinating. Other how-to's merely give advice, while this book positively demands productivity from you.