There were very few rules established. Participation by the high school students was voluntary. College students were required to participate, however participation was not used in calculation of the course grade. The goal of the Write Partner is to create a community of writers who write for a variety of purposes, including pleasure. It combines elements found in pen-pal programs, dialogue journals and writers' workshops.
Partners conduct friendly communication and exchange written compositions for each other's critique.
Each exchange includes a piece for the partner to critique as well as a cover note which may include some friendly chatting but must have a question or comment about the written piece. Both aspects of the exchange are important. Through the cover note, the partners become pen pals. More importantly, the cover note is a written platform for a writers' workshop and dialogue journal. The goal of this platform is to improve the author's writing through discussion and reflection.