The Meandering Path
A lush landscape for learning, a pathway to pleasure, a joyful January, and a WriteSPACE resolution
Dear fellow writer,
Are you an academic or professional writer who aspires to write more stylishly, productively, creatively, and joyfully — or simply more — in 2024 and beyond? Over the next few weeks, I’ll introduce you to three routes, each more ambitious and scenic than the last, that can help you get there.
If you’re not in a hurry, start with the Meandering Path (aka my website). Along this leisurely route you’ll find:
Free digital tools such as The Writer’s Diet, The Writing BASE, The Roadblock Quiz, and the SPACE Gallery.
A free YouTube channel featuring Wordcraft Workouts, Writing Warmups, Pomodoro Timers, and other craft-focused writing tools.
Free events, videos, and resource links including monthly WriteSPACE Special Events, keynotes, articles, interviews, and my classic TedED video Zombie Nouns.
Helen’s Word, a blog featuring a curated selection of my free Substack posts about all things writing.
A curated Bookshop stocked with books on writing, creativity, and well-being, which you can borrow for free from your local library or purchase for the price of a light meal — a great deal either way.
Later this month I’ll take you on a tour of my Guided Path (aka the WriteSPACE) and Skyward Path (aka my Courses and Retreats) — or you can click on the website links and start exploring right now.
Whichever route to better writing you choose, I look forward to seeing you there!
Coming soon
The Pleasure Catalyst (Feb 3 - Mar 14, 2024)
On the high meadowed slopes of the Skyward Path you’ll find the Pleasure Catalyst, a playful-yet-serious online course for academic and professional writers who want to write with more confidence, pleasure, and panache. Over 6 delightful weeks in February and March, I’ll help you recalibrate your writing practice and tip your emotions from anxiety and frustration into joy. Here’s our planned itinerary:
Week 1: Leylines & Lifelines (patterns)
Week 2: Ground & Sky (tools)
Week 3: Wind, River, Stone (processes)
Week 4: Star Navigation (identity)
Week 5: Chiaroscuro (challenge)
Week 6: Island Time (balance)
Each week, you can take part in a lively online discussion forum and meet fellow participants from around the world in my Live Writing Studio. Don’t forget that WriteSPACE members qualify for a 10% discount, while WS Studio members and Catalyst alumni save 20% off the regular price.
I hope that you can join us for the Pleasure Catalyst this year — we’re going to have a blast!
Featured resource
30 Days of Writing with Pleasure
Speaking of pleasure, there’s still time to sign up for this joyful series of free daily prompts inviting you to write with pleasure every day throughout the month of January. If you’re already subscribed to Helen’s Word, follow these simple steps to opt in:
Navigate to your Settings page via www.substack.com/settings.
Click on Helen’s Word.
Scroll down to “Notifications” and slide the toggle next to the 30 Days of Writing with Pleasure section. A green toggle means you’ve signed up!
Other writing news
Scaling back and stepping up
My New Year’s resolution for 2024 is to spend less time writing on Substack and more time developing the WriteSPACE into the world’s most engaging, dynamic, resource-rich membership community for academic and professional writers.
Accordingly, I’m scaling back Helen’s Word to just one post per week, with a focus on quality over quantity. Early each week you’ll receive either one newsy newsletter, one craft-based essay, or (for paid subscribers only) one 30-minute Swordswings podcast.
Meanwhile, WriteSPACE members can look forward to an ever-expanding treasure trove of premium resources, course and retreat discounts, and live events planned throughout the year — all for as little as $12.50 per month. Not a member? Sign up for a free 30-day trial and check out all the great features of the WriteSPACE for yourself!
Do you have writing-related news, events, or resources to share? Contact me with a brief description (50 words max), a hyperlink, and a high-quality image.
Spread the joy! Please encourage your friends, colleagues, and students to join me in the WriteSPACE, a vibrant, low-cost writing community with members in 30+ countries. As a WriteSPACE member, you’ll get premium access to resources, workshops, and tools designed to help you hone your wordcraft, sharpen your style, and coax your writing gently out the door.
Kia pai tō koutou rā (have a great day) – and keep on writing!
Helen
Books on writing by Helen Sword
Writing with Pleasure
Princeton University Press, 2023
Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write
Harvard University Press, 2017
Stylish Academic Writing
Harvard University Press, 2012
The Writer’s Diet: A Guide to Fit Prose
University of Chicago Press, 2016
