Journals 2020

Creativity

Were you absent? Click here to see Writing Prompts I've assigned.

By signing up for this class you are signing up for a commitment. You are committing to writing SOMETHING every day.

A Journal document has been created and distributed on our Google Classroom. In order to receive credit your journal writing must be done on this document.

Your ability to keep your journal up-to-date will be a major part of your grade.

Each entry must have the date at the top of the page and be at least 300 words. It doesn't have to be good writing...it just has to be writing.

A good writer usually discards 90% of what he or she writes...this is the place where you exercise the writing muscle.

New entries should be added to the top of the document each day.

When Will Journals Be Collected?

I will collect journals a few times each marking period. I won’t tell you when I’m going to collect them. You need to make sure that your journal is up-to-date & with you every time you walk into class.

What’s Required?

You need to write at least one journal entry for every day that you are enrolled in Creative Writing...including weekends & holidays. 300 words minimum.

Each entry must start with the date.

NEw entries should be added to the top of the document.

How It Will Be Graded

Once I have all the journals, I will pick a span of dates..usually ten days at a time. Then I will check those ten entries.

You will get 5 points per entry if:

  • the date is at the top of the page

  • you wrote for at least 5 minutes (nonstop) or filled the page

AVOID WRITING DIARY TYPE ENTRIES. “I gotta go to the mall after school” type stuff.

Use your journal to exercise your creativity.

Writing Prompts

Most of your entries will be "freewriting" exercises, but I will often give you writing prompts.

Have writers block? Try a prompt from CreativeWritingPrompts.com

FAQ about Journals

Question: What if I’m absent

Answer: You are responsible for having a journal entry for every day of the semester, even when you are absent. If, for any reason, you aren’t in class you are still responsible for writing on that day.

Question: What if I forget to bring my journal to school on the day you collect them?

Answer: You will get a zero for that collection.

Question: What if my journal is in my locker when you collect them?

Answer: Go get it!

Question: What if I’m absent on the day you collect journals?

Answer: Hand it in as soon as you return to school.