Next month, Pitt will host a 14-day Writing Challenge — through a program started by NCFDD, formerly the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity,

This challenge is open to academics at all stages, looking to experiment with daily writing and find joy in the process. Here’s how to participate

• Commit to writing for at least 30 minutes a day for two weeks.

• Login to the online community, start the timer, complete your writing, and post your progress at the end.

• Take 5 minutes to support other writers in your group by commenting on their progress

“Writing” refers to any scholarly activity ranging from the spark of a new idea to polishing a near-complete project (article, grant proposal, exhibit, book chapter, etc.).

The average participant writes for 350 minutes over the two weeks and 98% of recent participants agreed that “the 14-Day Writing Challenge was helpful in making progress on your scholarly work,” according to NCFDD, which is an independent organization dedicated to supporting faculty, graduate students and postdocs on their path to successful academic careers.