FAQ: Weekly Writes Accountable You

January 7, 2021 Weekly Writes

Accountable You Questions

Q: What makes this program different than past Weekly Writes volumes?

A: Weekly Writes Accountable You includes an additional focus on committing to a regular writing practice. You’ll see this reflected in editor Q&As and advice, but the largest difference is that 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 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.

General Program Questions

Q: I didn’t participate in Weekly Writes Vol. 1, 2, 3, or 4. Can I still sign up for Vol. 5?

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: I already did Weekly Writes Vol. 1, 2, 3, or 4. Is this the same thing?

A: Vol. 5 includes all brand new prompts and editor advice.

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.

Weekly Writes Vol. 5: Accountable You

January 7, 2021 News and Events, Weekly Writes

The sign-up period for Weekly Writes Vol. 5 is now closed. If you’re interested in hearing about our next Weekly Writes program when it opens, please register your interest here.

Weekly Writes is a ten-week program designed to help you create original place-based writing, beginning January 25.

We’re offering both poetry AND prose, in two separate programs. What do you want to prioritize in 2021? Pick the program, sharpen your pencils, and get ready for a weekly dose of writing inspiration (and accountability) in your inbox!

Weekly Writes Vol. 2

December 18, 2018 News and Events, Weekly Writes

Signups for Weekly Writes Vol. 2 closed on January 27th. To register your interest in future WW programs, click here.

Weekly Writes is a ten-week program designed to help you create original place-based fiction and nonfiction.

WW Volume 2 kicks off on January 28, just in time to help you sustain the momentum of your New Year’s writing resolution! The deadline to sign up is January 27, 2019.

Sign up for Volume 2 is now closed. The $15 fee includes one free, expedited* submission via Submittable after program completion. Prompts and advice are brand new for Volume 2, so Volume 1 participants will not encounter any repetition or old prompts.

The Common’s Weekly Writes: Week One

July 1, 2000 Weekly Writes

Advice from the Editors

“Lit mag editors shouldn’t be the first people reading your piece. Early drafts, even if they have successful elements, rarely have the tight cohesion necessary to get an acceptance. Find readers you can trust to give you frank, helpful feedback, and work hard on revisions before you submit anywhere. Time is also a great editing tool; put aside your drafts for weeks or even months, so you can come back to them with clear eyes. It’s much easier to see the bones of a piece, and to spot weak scenes or characters, when you have some distance from the initial writing process.”

— Emily Everett, Managing Editor at The Common

Weekly Prompts

	Spend a few hours exploring a place that’s fairly close to you but that you’ve never visited before. This might be a park or a historical site or it might simply be a grocery store on the other side of town. Take careful notes about this place and the people you encounter there, paying special attention to anything that strikes you as out of the ordinary. Then, brainstorm different options for how you might write a short essay about this experience.
	Brainstorm a list of significant moments from your life that are connected to place. This might be a vivid memory from childhood, a significant moment from a trip, or simply a moment from your recent history that feels representative of the place where you currently live and what makes this place unique. Then, using the examples on The Common’s website, write a dispatch—a short written snapshot of moment in time that is inextricably tied up with the location in which it took place.
	Research an occupation that takes place in an unusual or interesting environment that many readers are unlikely to know much about. This could be anything from a nail salon to a movie set to a horse track. If possible, shadow someone who works in this environment and take notes about the sights, sounds, smells, and vocabulary of this world as well as the work being done. Then, write a character profile of a person who works in this place.