Silvia's Notes

From Chapter 2: Specious (false) barriers to writing a lot.

1. "I can't find time to write". Instead of finding time to write, allot time to write and you must defend your writing time. Close your Internet access, turn off your phone, and shut the door.

2. "I need to do some more analyses first" or "I need to read a few more articles". Do whatever you need to write your paper during your allotted writing time. Writing is more than typing words: any action that is instrumental in completing a writing project counts as writing.

3. "To write a lot, I need a new computer" (see also "a laser printer", "a nice chair", "a better desk"). [Personally, I think that you do need to have a decent chair and proper light! --not that it should be used as an excuse for not writing!!!]

4. "I'm waiting until I feel like it," aka "I write best when I'm inspired to write." Serious writers write, inspired or not. Over time they discover that routine is a better friend to them than inspiration [Keyes, 2003; pg 49]. --They make a schedule and stick to it!!!

From Chapter 3: Motivational tools. How to gain experience in setting goals, managing several projects at once, and sticking to the schedule? This chapter describes some tools for enhancing motivation and writing productivity.

1. Setting goals. Clear goals deserve the attention they get; "they enable people to plan, carry out instrumental actions, and feel proud when the goal has been accomplished" (Bandura, 1997). Developing the right kind of goals will make you a more efficient writer. HOW??

• Dedicate a writing session to develop and clarify your project writing goals (e.g., revising and resubmitting a paper, starting a new manuscript, writing an invited chapter for an edited book,...) --planning is part of writing, so people who write a lot also plan a lot--

• Write your goals down and put them near your writing space.

• Set a concrete goal for each day of writing. Break project goals into smaller units. When you start your writing period, take a couple of moments to think about what you want to accomplish that day. Examples of specific goals are:

-Write at least 200 words.

-Print the first draft I finished yesterday, read it, and revise it.

-Write the first three paragraphs of the general discussion.

-Add missing references and then reconcile the citations and references.

-Reread chapters 22 and 24 from Zinsser (2001) to recharge my writing batteries.

-Finish the "Setting Goals" section that I started yesterday.

-Brainstorm and then make outline for a new manuscript.

-Reread the reviewer's comments of my paper and make a list of things to change.

-Correct the page proofs and mail them back.

2. Setting priorities. Of all your project goals, what should you write first? General writing priorities are:

For professors:

• Checking page proofs and copyedited manuscripts. Because this is the final stage in the process of publishing, there is usually a firm deadline.

• Finishing projects with deadlines. Most writing tasks lack deadlines, so projects that have a due date should receive priority over those who don't.

• Revising manuscripts to resubmit to a journal. Most manuscripts get rejected. If you have the good fortune to be asked to resubmit your paper, don't squander it. Revised manuscripts are closer to publication than new manuscripts, so they should receive higher priority.

• Reviewing manuscripts and grant proposals.

• Developing a new manuscript.

• Doing miscellaneous writing.

For graduate students:

• Projects with deadlines. Papers for classes and seminars or grant proposals --such as fellowships that support graduate training--

• Curricular writing. A master's thesis, a comprehensive or qualifying paper, or a dissertation. You need to do these to graduate, so do them quickly. These projects sometimes yield publishable products, so many students can integrate their curricular tasks with real professional writing.

• Professional publications. Scientific research counts only if it's published in an accessible, peer-reviewed outlet.

• Other writing.

3. Monitoring progress. To write a lot, you need to take a cold, accurate look at your writing progress. Research on self-regulation shows that it isn't enough to set a goal and make it a priority: People must monitor their progress toward the goal (Carver & Scheier, 1998; Duval & Silvia, 2001). Monitoring your goals has many good motivational effects:

• Watching your progress keeps your goals salient, which prevents them from slipping away.

• Monitoring your behavior will help you sit down and write.

• Monitoring your writing will help you set better goals. After a while, you'll have enough data on yourself to make realistic estimates of how long it will take to write something.

Try something like a table with Date / Project / goal (met/unmet).

From Chapter 4: Starting your own agraphia group.

Agraphia group: A type of support group for people who want to write faster and better. It uses principles of motivation, goal setting, and social support to help maintain good writing habits. A writing group will reinforce these good habits and keep you from slipping back into the darkness of binge writing [saving your writing for big blocks of time or large spurts of often frantic effort].

This kind of group is based on five actions:

• Set concrete, short-term goals and monitor the group's progress.

• Stick to writing goals, not other professional goals.

• Reward members' writing success and intervene when a member fails to meet his or her writing goals.

• Have different groups for faculty and students.

• Drink coffee --or anything that keep the members on the mood of writing!

From Chapter 5: A brief foray into style. Recommendations on good writing.

• Choose good words. Writing begins and ends with words. To write well, you need to choose good words. The English language has a lot of words, and many of them are short, expressive, and familiar --write with these words.

• Write strong sentences.

• Avoid passive, limp, and wordy phrases.

• Write first, revise later.