All About #AcWriMoments
A moment with your academic writing can be a window on eternity
Do I really have what it takes to do scholarly work? What’s even the point of trying to create scholarship in this messed-up world? What difference could my work possibly make for me or the people I care about?
If any of these questions trouble you when you’re trying to write, you’re in good company. We all struggle with questions of purpose, identity, and motivation sometimes in our scholarly work. These challenges can feel especially acute if we’re inadequately resourced, working in less than ideal environments, or navigating career transition.
Whether you’re feeling pressed and stressed in your work or energized and hopeful, you can benefit from pausing to reflect and remember who you are and why you’re here. What unique perspectives, experiences, constellations of values, and capacity for pleasure and joy define who you are as a scholar and as a participant in the larger scholarly enterprise?
When you ask yourself gentler, more expansive questions, you can transform your experience of the writing process and feel empowered to create work that is truly your own.
What is #AcWriMoments?
In days of yore, #AcWriMo (Academic Writing Month) was all about word counts, timers, and quantitative assessment of your writing progress.
We’ve created #AcWriMoments as an alternative to that kind of productivity-pushing writing challenge. Each day throughout the month of November 2023, you’ll receive a fresh writing prompt ushering you into a sacred moment of communion with yourself and your scholarly work.
These 30 beautiful prompts have been created by writing coaches, editors, consultants, and scholars whose approaches honor the connection between your intellect and the whole human being that you are. In just a few minutes of reflection each day, you can discover new energy, insights, and encouragement for your scholarly work.
We look forward to sharing this experience with you and to reading your reflections in the Comments each day. Please share this email with your friends and encourage them to sign up too!
Yours in scholarship,
Helen Sword and Margy Thomas
About Us
Helen Sword and Margy Thomas first connected back in 2013 (although Helen didn’t know it yet) when Margy read Helen’s groundbreaking Stylish Academic Writing and set out on a path to create ScholarShape. Since 2020, Helen and Margy have been in conversation for real, as co-laborers in building spaces for beauty and inspiration in the academic world — Helen through the WriteSPACE and Margy through ScholarShape. We’re thrilled to have you join us for #AcWriMoments this November!
Our contributors
Each #AcWriMoments prompt is created by a writing coach, editor, consultant, or scholar whose approach honors the connection between your intellect and the whole human being that you are.
Learn all about our brilliant contributors here!