Silvia, Paul. 2007. How to write a lot. American Psychological Association.
Self-improvement books are like antibiotics. They get one back on the feet after being debilitated by attack from an enemy that works from the inside out. Maybe they even clear up a chronic problem or two that, unnoticed, had resulted in a general malaise. But, as with other powerful medicines, they need to be administered in small, timely does. Applied carelessly and too often, they breed resistance, undermining their own effectiveness and setting up those infected with the disease for an even more spectacular fall. This book is not like those. It does not pander to the hypochondriac.
Rather, this book is for those who know full well what their disease is and just need to kick the reinforcing habits. Its lessons will be appreciated by clear-eyed graduate students, professors, and other academic writers. It will patronized by the self-assured; ignore them. It is entertaining and to the point--which is to say it is short. The investment will be well rewarded. It's also important--or it could be--to you, if your goal is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your writing. When I'm back in the lab on Monday morning I plan to pass it along to a couple of postdocs I know are interested in precisely that situation.
The goal of this book is to demystify prolific academic writing. It does not, by and large, address writing well, which is a different (and more commented-upon) topic. Rather, it is how to do it--however one does, though writing well is recommended--productively. Some myths exposed: writer's block (it doesn't exist); to be useful, academic writing must be original (most academic writing is formulaic--learn the formula and you'll be able to turn our journal articles faster than John Grisham turns out lawyer novels); finally, great academic writing results from inspiration (it doesn't, it results from thinking about writing, which results from writing a lot, which results from discipline). So, then, how does one write a lot? The answer is simple: plan it out and follow through.
You should consult the book for details, but some high points are worth mentioning. First, a couple of tricks from a psychologist help with the motivation side of things. For instance, when motivation doesn't come easily persist anyway. Silvia points out that even the most undisciplined among us schedule some events with strict observance. (What time does you favorite TV show come on? What's the last time you forgot to show up for your own lecture?) Our problem, says Silvia, is one of priorities. Our language betrays us. We (the overcommitted academics) try to find time to write. When was the last time we found time to eat, shower, or check email? No, these we do because they are a pattern. Thus with writing. The successful writer will allocate time to write. Once allocated, that time must be protected.
Second: plan. To write effectively one needs to know what to write. This means, in the first place, having some goals. These are both long term goals (projects) and short term goals (what I will write today). In the second place it means setting priorities among these goals--having a strategy to get from one to the next to the next. Finally, it mean outlining. Just do it.
Third: monitor. Silvia keeps data on his writing. When. How much. Whether or not the daily goal was met. Sure, maybe its a little nerdy. But if you're reading this book it's because you're already a little nerdy in the first place and, indeed, even want to become more efficient at nerdy things--like writing journal articles. Monitoring satisfies two needs. First, it reinforces success. (Silvia notes without irony the satisfaction he gets from marking down the day as "goal met".) Second, it provides information for better planning in the future. How long does it really take to write an article? How much time should be allocated to preparing a grant versus a book review? I've never thought of keeping data on writing. I think I'm going to try it.
In conclusion, this is a book for people who have a lot to say but a difficult time figuring out how to say it. It's an odd, but not unusual situation for the aspiring academic. For this problem, this book isn't so much an antibiotic but a prescription for healthy living: watch how much you consume, mostly exercise a lot.
Self-improvement books are like antibiotics. They get one back on the feet after being debilitated by attack from an enemy that works from the inside out. Maybe they even clear up a chronic problem or two that, unnoticed, had resulted in a general malaise. But, as with other powerful medicines, they need to be administered in small, timely does. Applied carelessly and too often, they breed resistance, undermining their own effectiveness and setting up those infected with the disease for an even more spectacular fall. This book is not like those. It does not pander to the hypochondriac.
Rather, this book is for those who know full well what their disease is and just need to kick the reinforcing habits. Its lessons will be appreciated by clear-eyed graduate students, professors, and other academic writers. It will patronized by the self-assured; ignore them. It is entertaining and to the point--which is to say it is short. The investment will be well rewarded. It's also important--or it could be--to you, if your goal is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your writing. When I'm back in the lab on Monday morning I plan to pass it along to a couple of postdocs I know are interested in precisely that situation.
The goal of this book is to demystify prolific academic writing. It does not, by and large, address writing well, which is a different (and more commented-upon) topic. Rather, it is how to do it--however one does, though writing well is recommended--productively. Some myths exposed: writer's block (it doesn't exist); to be useful, academic writing must be original (most academic writing is formulaic--learn the formula and you'll be able to turn our journal articles faster than John Grisham turns out lawyer novels); finally, great academic writing results from inspiration (it doesn't, it results from thinking about writing, which results from writing a lot, which results from discipline). So, then, how does one write a lot? The answer is simple: plan it out and follow through.
You should consult the book for details, but some high points are worth mentioning. First, a couple of tricks from a psychologist help with the motivation side of things. For instance, when motivation doesn't come easily persist anyway. Silvia points out that even the most undisciplined among us schedule some events with strict observance. (What time does you favorite TV show come on? What's the last time you forgot to show up for your own lecture?) Our problem, says Silvia, is one of priorities. Our language betrays us. We (the overcommitted academics) try to find time to write. When was the last time we found time to eat, shower, or check email? No, these we do because they are a pattern. Thus with writing. The successful writer will allocate time to write. Once allocated, that time must be protected.
Second: plan. To write effectively one needs to know what to write. This means, in the first place, having some goals. These are both long term goals (projects) and short term goals (what I will write today). In the second place it means setting priorities among these goals--having a strategy to get from one to the next to the next. Finally, it mean outlining. Just do it.
Third: monitor. Silvia keeps data on his writing. When. How much. Whether or not the daily goal was met. Sure, maybe its a little nerdy. But if you're reading this book it's because you're already a little nerdy in the first place and, indeed, even want to become more efficient at nerdy things--like writing journal articles. Monitoring satisfies two needs. First, it reinforces success. (Silvia notes without irony the satisfaction he gets from marking down the day as "goal met".) Second, it provides information for better planning in the future. How long does it really take to write an article? How much time should be allocated to preparing a grant versus a book review? I've never thought of keeping data on writing. I think I'm going to try it.
In conclusion, this is a book for people who have a lot to say but a difficult time figuring out how to say it. It's an odd, but not unusual situation for the aspiring academic. For this problem, this book isn't so much an antibiotic but a prescription for healthy living: watch how much you consume, mostly exercise a lot.
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