Twitter has an amazing community of geoscientists that not only tweet the latest news and updates on scientific discoveries and geologic processes, but this virtual group is also there to support each other through the challenges and victories of our academic positions.  These “geotweeps,” as they are often called, also join the broader scientific community in being challenged to find time to disseminate our work – in other words, finding the time and motivation to write!  Whether it be writing manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals, or drafting a grant proposal, or writing narrative statements for dossiers, there is always something we need to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards!).

On November 1st, I came across this tweet:

If you want to #AcaDoWriMo this yr let me know and I’ll add you to our twitter list 🙂

— Sarah Hörst (@PlanetDr) November 1, 2014

I did a little searching, and it seems that this Twitter challenge has been taking place every November since 2012 – yet not everyone is quite sure what the hashtag stands for.

OK, I’m doing #AcaDoWriMo (or is it #AcWriMo?). Still don’t know what “Do” stands for… “Academic Document Writing Month??”

— Steven R. Cranmer (@solarstellar) November 2, 2014

The 2012 “rules” for participating was to write one complete paper from scratch, or create two mostly-written papers.  Headed by Dr. Sarah Hörst (@PlanetDr), an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences of Johns Hopkins University, here is how #AcadDoWriMo is unfolding this year.

.@kellecruz write every day. Preferably things that you wouldn’t otherwise be working on but writing is most important #AcaDoWriMo — Sarah Hörst (@PlanetDr) November 1, 2014

.@kellecruz in the past ppl have set goals and told Twitter and then we check in on progress #AcaDoWriMo

— Sarah Hörst (@PlanetDr) November 1, 2014

@amytoast @kellecruz @PlanetDr Do you need an extra bit of motivation and support to get it done this month? Would you have done it anyhow?

— Andy Rivkin (@asrivkin) November 1, 2014

@amytoast @kellecruz @PlanetDr It needn’t be new unless you want to self-set that rule. 🙂 My plan B is forcing myself to finish something. — Andy Rivkin (@asrivkin) November 1, 2014

Can just a hashtag generate the motivation needed to get results? For some, it certainly has!

.@PlanetDr @kellecruz This was mine– I even acknowledge #AcaDoWriMo and my tweeps. 🙂 http://t.co/jPK4PymCFa — Andy Rivkin (@asrivkin) November 1, 2014

Currently, Sarah has 30 people on a Twitter list of people that have pledged on Twitter to get some significant writing done this month.  Will you be joining them in the #AcaDoWriMo challenge?