Lisa Ackland Carriere: Nurturing Academic and Spiritual Growth Through The Writing Well

In the thriving hub of Indianapolis, Lisa Ackland Carriere has forged a fulfilling life at the intersection of academia and ministry. As the founder and director of The Writing Well, she is able to combine her passion for both worlds by providing superior writing services to clients in higher education and faith-based organizations. However, her journey to purposeful entrepreneurship was not a straight path; it was marked by determination and a firm commitment to her craft, which have brought her to a place where she is making a significant impact in both academia and ministry.   

The Winding Road to Writing Well   

Lisa grew up on a farm in the Midwestern United States during a time when television options were limited. "Back then, we had maybe three television stations, none of which I was allowed to watch unsupervised," she recalls. "So, as you can probably imagine, I did a lot of reading."   

Her lifelong love of books led her to pursue English literature after high school. She earned a master's degree with the intention of sharing her passion for reading with college students. "Working with students has helped me to understand what they need, what they don't have, and what I can provide them moving forward," she explains.   

Over the next two decades, Lisa taught English and developed academic support programs at several universities. She collaborated with colleagues to create initiatives aimed at improving retention and graduation rates among underserved students. "While the program went well, and we showed that it was going incredibly well, and students were saying to us keep this going, it's working for us," she says, "we did not achieve full-time funding for me." Initially, she saw it as a failure on her part.   

After a year without permanent funding in place, Lisa made the difficult decision to resign from the university. In hindsight, she believes it was the right choice due to losing key personnel and funding availability. "I had done as much as I possibly could," she reflects, "but I didn't have those other things in place so that I could achieve my goal."   

Stepping back from her university career ended up being the catalyst for Lisa's next chapter. As word spread of her departure, former students and colleagues started reaching out for help with their writing projects. At first, she saw it as a temporary gig, but the requests kept coming.   

"After a while, I started to go, wait a second, this might actually be a business," she remembers. With encouragement from family, friends, and mentors, Lisa officially founded The Writing Well at the beginning of 2023.   

A Wellspring of Writing Support   

The Writing Well, the faith-based name, was inspired by Lisa's desire to create a "well" overflowing with writing support, just as Jesus offered the woman at the well living water in the Bible. As Lisa shares, "The name also points to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for giving me that which truly satisfies."   

Through The Writing Well , Lisa provides a broad range of writing and editing services tailored to meet the needs of both academic and ministry clients. "Some people might think that's a tough marriage," Lisa remarks. "But it actually works out really well for my business."   

For academic clients like graduate students and professors, she focuses on projects such as dissertations, theses, research papers, essays, and other scholarly works. Specific services include proofreading, editing, guidance on proper citation formats (such as MLA, APA, and Chicago styles), and assistance with literature reviews and research.   

For ministry clients such as pastors, churches, and faith-based organizations, Lisa's services include curriculum development, presentations and workshops, Bible studies and spiritual writings, website content, newsletters, brochures, and other materials. She draws on her extensive academic and ministry background to adapt her approach for each client's particular goals and voice.    

Whether a dissertation, training manual, or sermon series, Lisa starts by understanding the client's subject matter and target audience in depth. She asks questions to clarify intent and style preferences. From there, she artfully shapes the writing to optimize clarity, flow, and impact while preserving the author's unique perspective and purpose. Lisa summarizes her collaborative approach: "I align your work to publication standards and overall create a higher clarity in your writing." Her goal with every project is to help writers find the right words to powerfully convey their ideas.   

Empowering Students in the Digital Age   

Today, Lisa draws on her background in academia to help online learners succeed. She emphasizes the importance of interactivity, "One thing about online learning is that it needs to be much more interactive," she advises. "Because if it's not, you're not going to capture the imagination and the interest of your learners."   

Lisa incorporates discussion prompts, peer review activities, multimedia assignments, and other interactive elements into the online curricula she develops. Her goal is to make digital learning feel engaging and dynamic.   

She explains , "One of my clients is a new ministry called Family Pastors Institute. I'm putting different interactive materials in place so that as learners complete the program, they can say, my learning will not stop. It continues because it has impacted my everyday practice."   

The Balancing Act of Entrepreneurship   

In addition to running her business, Lisa is a wife and mother of two. Her 17-year-old son has developmental delays, which prompted her to put plans for a PhD on hold years ago. After attending a conference and speaking with other faculty in the humanities, Lisa gained wisdom on the practicality of pursuing a PhD given her family obligations at that time. Many academics encouraged her to explore alternate career options that would allow her to support her family better.   

Owning her own company has given Lisa the flexibility she was seeking. "Once I changed, I was able to be more flexible in my schedule, which created much more satisfaction," she shares. Now, Lisa can be there for school events and doctor's appointments without compromising her career. "If I have to miss a couple of hours of my workday, I can make up those hours later on, and I can be present and be mentally there as well for my children," she says.   

With The Writing Well , Lisa has found her purpose at the intersection of academia and ministry. She is able to use her gifts for teaching and language to advance educational programs and faith-based organizations. Most importantly, she has achieved the flexibility and fulfillment that eluded her during previous career chapters. "It's about building something useful to serve my community," Lisa says. Through her writing ministry, Lisa is empowering a new generation of students and clergy to find their voices and share ideas that matter. For her, that is the ultimate reward.