#AcWriMo is over. The goals I set myself were to complete two of the six chapters planned to make up my book by writing between 500 and 1500 words over 20 days during the month of November. So how did I do?

I finished one chapter (edited draft, footnotes need work) and made a start on the second (planning, opening salvo, additional reading I thought was required). In total I wrote 17420 words, an average of 871 words across the 20 writing days. Outside of academic writing, I also gave 4 talks, opened an exhibition (the word count of which I could add to #AcWriMo I guess…), and was drafted in last minute to cover a colleagues master’s class on lobotomy (which was fun).

So, overall, I’m happy with my achievements. Yes, I failed to complete two chapters, but I also gained an important sense of perspective on what it will take to get this book done – in short, a lot less ‘free’ time than I thought I’d need – and I learnt along the way how to squeeze writing in alongside my other commitments (without ignoring friends, home life, et cetera).

In sum then #AcWriMo was a modest success for me. Thanks to all those who offered words of encouragement (especially Ernesto and Sarah at Networked Researcher) and contributed to a lively #AcWriMo debate. Perhaps we should all now move on to #AcWriMomentum. Who’s with me?