Academic writing is often seen as rigid or formulaic, but as the previous sections have shown, students can write with originality and intention even within structured prompts. This section pushes that boundary further: what happens when you’re given free rein to be creative? How do you navigate the wide-open possibilities of an assignment while still grounding your work in strong academic practice?
The first piece, authored by Writing Center Fellow Jessica, models how creativity and scholarly rigor can coexist. Tasked with designing a “dream project” for a Sensory Ecology course, she followed a thread of personal curiosity to investigate green lacewing larvae. Her paper is imaginative, but it’s also a clear example of strong academic writing. Indeed, Jessica demonstrates how our Lexicon – and terms like motive, orienting and scholarly conversation – apply just as powerfully to scientific work as they do in the humanities.
In the second piece, Lucia draws on her experience as a writer, editor and Writing Center Fellow to reflect more broadly on how to embrace creativity in academic work. Her piece offers practical, encouraging advice for students who want to take risks – whether that means playing with form, redefining what a “scholarly voice” sounds like or simply giving themselves permission to follow an unconventional idea.
Together, these pieces invite us to reimagine what academic creativity can look like and discover how it can thrive across disciplines when we make space for our curiosity. After all, every strong paper begins with a motivating question. As these authors will tell you, the writing process is most rewarding – and often most creative – when you follow the questions that genuinely interest you and let them lead you somewhere new.
— Natalia Espinosa Dice ‘26