Weekly Writes is a ten-week online writing program designed to help you create original place-based writing, poetry or prose. It runs twice a year, starting in late January and mid-July. A weekly dose of writing inspiration, advice, and accountability in your inbox!
Weekly Writes opens for signups twice a year, in Dec-Jan and June-July. Sign up now!
Outside of those times, you may register your interest in the next round of Weekly Writes by filling out this form.
Weekly Writes is a generative writing program, to help you think outside the box when drafting new work. You can work at your own pace, but three new prompts will roll out every week, reminding you to set time aside for writing! You’ll also receive weekly Q&As from The Common‘s editorial staff and contributors, with advice about submitting work, committing to your writing practice, dealing with creative blocks, and more. And it’s affordable—only $25!
Each week participants receive:
⇒ Three writing prompts appropriate for both beginning and advanced writers.
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- For prose writers, two prompts each week will focus on generating new material and the third will guide participants through the process of writing a longer story.
- For poets, the three weekly prompts will be a mix: generative prompts for creating brand new work, and prompts to guide revision on previous compositions.
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⇒ Examples and readings to accompany some prompts, which were directly inspired by content from our magazine.
⇒ A look behind-the-scenes from our editors and contributors, with advice about writing, revising, and submitting, in addition to insights into what we’re looking for when selecting work for The Common.
⇒ An accountability incentive: upload one page per week to our system, and receive acknowledgment of your commitment to your writing practice (pages will not be read).
Writing workshops typically require time, travel, and childcare. Online writing classes can be expensive, and often vary in quality. Weekly Writes is a completely online writing program—you can do in your own time, whenever it fits in your schedule, making it accessible event to busy writers with other commitments. It’s also very inexpensive!
In addition to prompts and writing advice, there’s also an added accountability angle, to help you commit to regular work! Using Google Classroom, participants will turn in one page of writing per week and will receive an email from us acknowledging that they have completed their writing for that week. At the program’s end, participants will receive an email letting them know how many weeks they submitted work. Writing will not be read and no feedback will be provided, but we will help you stay on track and celebrate your success!
This affordable writing program costs just $25 for 10 weeks (that’s only $2.50 per week!). This fee includes one free, expedited* submission via Submittable after program completion.
Weekly Writes: Accountable You Questions
Q: What makes this an accountability program?
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 already did a past volume of Weekly Writes. Will the next volume be the same thing?
A: Prompts and advice for our January-start Weekly Writes programs are completely new. Summer Weekly Writes programs feature materials from earlier volumes. If you’re worried you might see material you’ve already worked with in a previous volume of Weekly Writes, send us an email at [email protected]. We can check and see!
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 the new one?
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 online writing 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. Weekly Writes is not an online writing class; rather it provides you with the inspiration and accountability you need to grow your own writing skills, in community with other Weekly Writers.
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 [email protected].
Weekly Writes: an Affordable Online Writing Program