Weekly Writes: Accountable You Questions
Q: What makes this accountability program different from past Weekly Writes volumes?
A: Weekly Writes Accountable You includes an additional focus on committing to a regular writing practice. After joining the Google Classroom, you’ll be asked to upload one page a week to show that you’ve worked on a prompt. This is not a submission to the magazine, and these assignments will not be read or receive any feedback. To recognize your hard work and commitment, you will receive a short note of encouragement after uploading your piece!
Q: Do I send in my weekly writing for you to read? Will I get editorial feedback on my weekly writing?
A: You will be asked to upload one page a week to Google Classroom to show that you’ve worked on at least one prompt. This is not a submission to the magazine, and these assignments will not be read or receive any feedback.
Q: I’ve done past sessions of Weekly Writes before. Is this the same thing?
A: If you already did Weekly Writes Poetry Vol. 7, or Weekly Writes Prose Vol. 6, you will see some familiar material in this summer’s program. If you can’t remember which volume you did, email us at info@thecommononline.org and we can figure it out for you!
Q: What if I don’t want to use Google Classroom?
A: Google Classroom is the only way to receive weekly prompts, and to submit your work for accountability. Let us know if you have concerns about being able to use it!
General Program Questions
Q: I didn’t participate in past volumes of Weekly Writes. Can I still sign up for this summer’s program?
A: Absolutely! Our program doesn’t build upon or rely on experience with earlier volumes of the program. Prompts are designed for both beginner and advanced writers.
Q: What if I’m busy and can’t work on the week’s prompts? Will they expire?
A: No. While we hope that writing every week is part of your program experience, we understand that life gets in the way. The prompts are yours to download and keep, so you can start writing whenever you have time.
Q: Can I share my pieces with other Weekly Writers?
A: If you want to, yes. You will have the option to add your name, email, and location to a list of participants interested in being in touch with one another. The Common does not facilitate this process beyond compiling the list, so interested Weekly Writers will need to set up their own sharing process online via email or another platform, or in-person through local groups.
Q: Can I do both poetry and prose prompts?
A: Weekly Writes is designed to be either all poetry or all prose; if you are interested in receiving both prompts, you’ll need to sign up for both programs. They will run simultaneously.
Q: What will the prose prompts be like? What are scaffolded prompts?
A: Each week participants will receive three prompts. The first and second will be for generating brand new short work, like a piece of flash fiction, a dispatch, or an essay. The third prompt each week will be scaffolded, which means that every one will help you build and revise a story week-by-week, from brainstorming to final editing.
Q: What will the poetry prompts be like?
A: Poetry participants will receive three prompts every week: a mix of generative prompts for creating brand new work, and prompts to guide revision on previous compositions.
Q: How does the expedited submission work? Will I get feedback from an editor?
A: At the end of the program, you have one free credit to submit a piece of your choice. (You may submit additional pieces subsequently.) While we can absolutely guarantee that your piece will be carefully read and considered by at least 3 of our readers and one editor, we cannot guarantee feedback on submissions.
Q: Is this an online writing course or workshop?
A: No. Discussion or evaluation of the work produced is not part of this structured writing prompt program. There are no online sessions, editor-led discussions, or group workshops.
Q: How will I submit my work at the end?
A: After the program wraps up, you’ll receive a link to an exclusive Submittable form for Weekly Writes submitters. This form will allow you to submit one piece for free, and we’ll provide a decision on it within one month.
Q: Will the editors give me advice on what to submit? What advice will editors provide throughout the program?
A: Editors at The Common have put together advice, notes, and tips based on their own experience, intended to give participants a behind-the-scenes look into the writing, revising, and submitting processes. This does not include notes on your own writing, or suggestions on what writing you should submit to The Common. Some weeks will also include notes and advice from writers published in The Common.
More questions? Email us at info@thecommononline.org.
