How to Write a Lot
A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing
Introduction
Nova: What if I told you that writer's block doesn't actually exist? That it's basically the academic equivalent of believing in alien abductions — only the people who believe in it get afflicted by it?
Dismantling the Five Great Excuses
The Specious Barriers We Tell Ourselves
Nova: So Silvia opens the book by taking a wrecking ball to what he calls 'specious barriers' — specious meaning they seem legitimate at first glance but completely disintegrate when you scrutinize them. These are the excuses we all make, and he identifies five big ones.
Your New Non-Negotiable Routine
The Writing Schedule
Nova: So we've demolished the excuses. Now what? Silvia says the writing schedule is your new best friend. And he has a very specific metaphor for how to treat it.
Accountability Through Community
Agraphia Groups and the Myth of the Lone Writer
Nova: One of the most practical chapters in the book is about starting what Silvia playfully calls an 'agraphia group.' Agraphia is the medical term for the pathological loss of the ability to write. So the idea is that this group is the cure.
Writing Well and Writing for Life
Style, Rejection, and the Bigger Picture
Nova: After the core productivity advice, Silvia devotes several chapters to writing style and the publication process. And his take on academic writing style is wonderfully blunt.
Conclusion
Nova: So if we step back and look at the whole picture Silvia paints, what's the real takeaway from 'How to Write a Lot'?