What is AcWriMo?

Academic Writing Month, or AcWriMo for short, is a month-long academic write-a-thon that happens every November.

Inspired by the amazing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), it caters to the specific needs of academic writers at all stages of their career (from undergrads to the most distinguished of professors). It’s hosted by us – PhD2Published – and throughout the month we share dedicated blog posts about academic writing and literally thousands of tips via Twitter and Facebook.

The idea is that you set yourself a writerly goal and get stuck in with all the information, advice and support you’ll get from everyone taking part. The month helps us:

  1. Think about how we write,
  2. Form a valuable support network for our writing practice,
  3. Build better strategies and habits for the future,
  4. And maybe – just maybe – get stuff done!

And if you can get a lot done in November – a busy time for us academics all over – think how easy it’ll be to get your writing done the rest of the year!

How did it get started?

AcWriMo was set up in 2011 by Charlotte Frost (founder and director of PhD2Published) and was originally called AcBoWriMo (Academic Book Writing Month). Charlotte established a set of 6 ‘relatively relaxed’ rules and used this website, our Facebook Page and Twitter (plus the hashtag #AcBoWriMo) to co-ordinate (and cheer on) participants. When the month was over, those involved agreed upon the #AcWri hashtag to continue a channel for focused discussion on academic writing. And following this, PhD2Published managing editor Anna Tarrant was part of the founding team for the regular AcWri live chats. In 2012 we dropped the ‘Bo’ to make the project more inclusive (and so tweets would show up in the regular #AcWri Twitter stream) and we refined the rules/sign-up methods and developed the PhDometer.

How do I join?

Simply download the all new PhDometer app!

There are 6 basic rules:

  1. Decide on your goal. You might count words, hours put in or projects achieved – it’s up to you. But try and push yourself a bit.
  2. Declare it! Being accountable is key to this working for you. You need to feel a bit of pressure to get the work done. 
  3. Draft a strategy. Don’t start AcWriMo without doing a bit of planning and preparation. Get some reading done, carve out time slots in your schedule to dedicate to writing, even buy your favourite coffee. Sort out whatever you’ll need to write, and get it done now, there won’t be time when November comes around.
  4. Discuss your progress. OK so being on Twitter and Facebook with us all day isn’t acceptable – you’ve got work to do – but checking-in at certain times is really important! We want to know how you’re getting on? What is working for you and what isn’t? Do you need help? Do you want to share a writing triumph? (You’ll find most discussion about AcWriMo on Twitter using the #AcWriMo hashtag, but if Facebook is more your thing, go there. Or use your own blog to keep in touch. 
  5. Don’t slack off. As participant Bettina said of the first AcWriMo, you must ‘write like there’s no December!’ If you push yourself, you’ll quickly discover the tips and techniques that work best for YOU and that’ll save you even more time in the long-run.
  6. Declare your results. It’s great to use the spreadsheet everyday (or as often as you can) to chart how you’re getting on, but even if you can’t do that, you MUST announce your results at the end of the month. Our writing community benefits not only from sharing in your achievements, but knowing what didn’t work and being reminded that, at the end of the day, we’re all human!

What other links might I find useful?

So how is everyone doing with AcWriMo this year?

You can check out the public ‘leader board’ to find out!

Where can I read more about AcWriMo?

So what’s #AcWri then?

#AcWri is when we drop the ‘mo’ for ‘month’ because every month is an academic writing month. ‘AcWri’ stands for ‘academic writing’ and it’s a hashtag used all year round for people to connect in discussions about academic writing. In addition to that, the hashtag is used by a group of academics who host regular, themed, live chats on Twitter. You can find out more about the #AcWri Live Chats on PhD2Published or head over to the #AcWri hashtag on Twitter.