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

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 on 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.

About the Author :
Paul J. Silvia received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Kansas in 2 . He studies the psychology of emotion, particularly what makes things interesting, the role of emotions in the arts, and how emotions intersect with personality. He received the Berlyne Award, an early-career award given by American Psychological Association Division , for his research on aesthetic emotions. Dr. Silvia is the author of Exploring the Psychology of Interest (2 ) and Self-Awareness and Causal Attribution (with T. S. Duval, 2 ). A contemporary admonition tells us, amp quot If you talk the talk, you have to be able to walk the walk. amp quot 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 5 articles.