Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing [Paperback]

Robert Boice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 1990 | ISBN-10: 091350713X | ISBN-13: 979-0913507130

Here is a proven book to help scholars master writing as a productive, enjoyable, and successful experience -- Author, Robert Boice, prepared this self-help manual for professors who want to write more productively, painlessly, and successfully. It reflects the author's two decades of experiences and research with professors as writers -- by compressing a lot of experience into a brief, programmatic framework. Like the actual sessions and workshops in which the author works with writers, this book admonishes and reassures. In the innovative book lies the path for sustained, highly productive scholarly writing!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Boice received his B.A. degree in the honors program at Michigan State University magna cum laude, and later received the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from MSU in psychology. He devoted much of his distinguished career to the study and application of techniques for helping faculty to become more productive writers. He served as a Professor of Psychology at SUNY at Stony Brook, NY, and conducted scores of workshops on his and other campuses pioneered numerous techniques to include highly successful post-workshop visitations to help faculty stay on track with their writing programs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: New Forums Press (March 24, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091350713X
• ISBN-13: 979-0913507130
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Authorship

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Advice that really works December 16, 2001

By Melanchthon VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Face it, all of us academics would like to think that someday a muse will descend upon us and infuse us with the capability to write the great work in our field without self-doubt, procrastination, etc. Boice shows empirical evidence that demonstrates these hopes are in vain (which is no big surprise to anyone), but even better, he provides the solution: writing is like physical exercise--the more you do it, the easier and more pleasant it becomes--if you write a little bit every day, even if you think it's pointless, at the end of a six month period, you will have 150 pages of writing to edit. It makes sense and it works. He even talks about reasons that people want to resist this truth, and how to trick yourself out of your writer's block. Grad students especially should benefit from the strategies he suggests.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must for Academic Writers July 18, 2000

By Rosemary Tyksinski

Format:Paperback

If you are writing a dissertation, thesis, or engaged in other regular academic writing this book is a must read. Boice's sage advice is based on years of experience with and (yes, empirical evidence) research on helping academicians produce necessary writing -- regularly. He includes self-assessment questionnaire on writer's block that enables you to target your areas of strength and weakness so you can focus on exactly the areas that hinder your progress. The book is short (180 pp including excellent anotated bibliography). He answers the agonizing questions about why you don't write when you want to and desperately need to write. He discusses, in clear, concise detail, the phenomenology of writing problems, while providing both short- and long-term strategies for ensuring writing productivity that are actually do-able. His writing style is easy, conversational and reassuring. He takes you through his actual consultation process, session by session. Simply stated, the book is just great.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for struggling academic writers April 27, 2003

By Mary McKinney

Format:Paperback

This is one of the best books out there for academics who need help getting themselves to write. I'm a clinical psychologist who coaches faculty, post-docs and grad students, and this is one of the first books I recommend. Almost all of Boice's prolific body of work is useful - and his suggestions, both in books and journal articles, are backed up by research - this makes his contributions unique in the genre of self-help books for academics.