Back in March, when I was traveling to the Fungal Genetics Conference, my PI finished a book he was reading and immediately handed it to me– mid-flight– to read. Unfortunately for him, I was in the middle of a book (El Oro de Los Sueños) and had another (Remarkably Bright Creatures) all queued up. But as airplanes are somehow the best place for me to read as of late, I finally embarked on the book he made me read suggested on my latest trip to Boston.
When I started How to Write a Lot by Paul Silva, my expectations were pretty low. I felt as though I had a pretty okay grasp on academic writing given I’ve just written my Master’s thesis and have been writing for classes/peer reviewing manuscripts/my own manuscripts/etc. As for non-academic writing, I write for this silly blog and have been working on some writing projects with Alex. I’d say that overall, I am not the most regular writer, but I have a lot of confidence in my ability to get things done and my knowledge of grammar and conventions (I mean, I am an English teacher, even if it’s not being put to use at this moment in my life).
Despite this, How to Write a Lot actually was, or at least felt, helpful. I’ve yet to put his words into practice yet, but writing feels much less intimidating than it did prior. Silva does a good job comically putting you and your excuses in their place, and reminding you that a few little changes can drastically increase your writing productivity. Some of the productivity tips are rather vague or repetitive (read: I have no desire to join or start a writing group no matter his belief that it works), but the biggest takeaway is the self-realization that you fall into some of these bad habits. The book also gives names to things we’ve all encountered, such as the phenomenon of “binge writing.” By turning our excuses and actions into described entities, we can identify where we are going wrong.
In a way, Silva smartly (and snarkily) reminds you that you are in the way of your own writing. You may ask, why read a book that’ll make you feel bad about yourself? Well, if you actually want to be productive and change, I’d argue that reading a book is a relatively low stakes way of trying to get a wake up call.
Similarly, he goes over writing tips to better shape your writing, as well as crucial information in the academic journal and book publishing process. Personally, these bits I already knew quite well, and I don’t plan to overuse semi-colons just to be cool. I’d suggest folks with experience skip these chapters. But, I would argue that a new grad student would really benefit from this info, and it could give them an understanding of expectations in the publishing process. Overall, I now feel oddly optimistic about being a better writer during my grad school career. I’m actually planning to start penciling in writing and hope that makes upcoming work go by without too much of an aftertaste.
Happy reading,
-Beppa