All About #AcWriMoments
A moment with your academic writing can be a window on eternity.
Welcome to #AcWriMoments, an evergreen resource created by writing experts Margy Thomas (ScholarShape) and Helen Sword (WriteSPACE).
The 30 prompts in our 30 Days of #AcWriMoments series —contributed by writing scholars, coaches, consultants, and editors from around the world — offer you daily prompts for finding courage, clarity, and purpose in your scholarly work.
The 12 prompts in our A Year of #AcWriMoments series suggest a unique theme for you to focus on for each month of the year, along with simple prompts for integrating that theme into your daily life and work.
For further resources to guide and inspire you in your scholarly life, subscribe to our new collaborative venture, Tarot for Scholars!
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 of the 42 gentle writing prompts in this series ushers you into a sacred moment of communion with yourself and your scholarly work:
The 30 posts in our 30 Days of #AcWriMoments series — contributed by writing scholars, coaches, consultants, and editors from around the world — offer you daily prompts for finding courage, clarity, and purpose in your scholarly work.
The 12 posts in our A Year of #AcWriMoments series suggest a unique theme for you to focus on for each month of the year and offer simple prompts for integrating that theme into your daily life and work.
#AcWriMoments honors 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.
Yours in scholarship,
andAbout 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.
Thank you for being part of #AcWriMoments, a collection of daily and monthly prompts for finding courage, clarity, and purpose in your scholarly work. To help others discover this evergreen resource, please forward this message to friends and colleagues. If you’re reading this on Substack, would you drop us a heart and a restack too? We’re so grateful to have you here! 🙏
