When to Respond: Respond the day after you get your partner’s write. For example, on Wednesday you will respond to your partner’s Tuesday write. On Thursday, you will respond to your partner’s Wednesday write, and so on. For guidance, you can always refer to each week’s calendar located in the facilitator’s Monday Missive email.

When to Respond to a New Partner’s Write: On Tuesday of each week, you begin with a new partner. On Tuesday you respond to your previous week’s partner’s write, but you send your own write to your new partner. You respond to your new partner’s first write on Wednesday.

How to Send Feedback: Spend 10-15 minutes reading and responding to your partner’s write. You don’t need to create a new email. Hit the reply button and give them as much positive feedback as you can!

How to Respond to a Write: In the 10-15 minutes of reading and responding, offer your partner at least a short paragraph of positive feedback. The feedback encourages them to keep writing, and gets you thinking about your own writing, too!

Keep it positive: The purpose of this class is not to walk away with chiseled drafts. It is to write raw, to get the stuff on the page that needs to be said in the voice that’s most natural to you. Therefore, do not offer editing suggestions and do not tell your partner what didn’t work for you or where you think they can improve. Such efforts will only hinder your partner’s ability to write naturally. Finding the gems within your partner’s writes will enable you to see the gems in your own work. Give generously.