Pavlina appears to be speaking as someone who enjoys writing in itself. Most students do not. So it's unsurprising that bludgeoning techniques for those who hate it may be counterproductive for those who like it.
(This does not mean the bludgeoning techniques are therefore a good idea.)
Of course, the bludgeoning techniques may be partly responsible for the students not enjoying writing.
Steve Pavlina explains that the method he'd been taught in school-- a highly structured writing process of organizing what to say before it's written-- tends to produce dull writing, but starting from enthusiasm results in articles which are a pleasure to write and are apt to be more fun and memorable to read.
This looks like PJ Eby territory-- it's about the importance of pleasure as a motivator.