Post-pandemic,
student issues seem to be shifting, especially for English students. The jump,
for students who have not had to produce a lot of writing in school, is higher.
The gap, between what was expected at school and what ATYP expects, is greater.
How do we
bridge that gap so students can produce quality work in a reasonable amount of
time?
I will be
posting a series of blog posts with a number of tips, suggestions, and ideas
drawn from my experience as an ATYP English parent, from ATYP alumni, from professional
writers, and from my own experience as an English major in college and a
sometime writer now. As I always tell students, try one or two new techniques
every week, then keep what works, throw out what doesn’t, and then try
something else. Don’t stop trying – you never know what might make the
difference for you.
I know that
many of you are going to read some of these tips and think, “Oh my gosh, that’s
just more work.” And it might seem like it at first, but when you string them
together you will hopefully find that they do in fact save you time
because the time you spend in front of your computer or with a pen in your hand
will be more effective.
1.
Give
your ideas time to marinate. Or rise. I
don’t know about you, but I am not very good about getting a topic and being
able to sit down and write about it immediately. My brain needs time to stew
things over. Many other writers work this way, which is why we take three years
to prepare you for the AP exams, which require you to do just that: read a
prompt, decide how to answer it, and write your response in 30-45 minutes. That
is not a skill most 7th or 8th graders have.
So,
when you get home, the evening after you have class, read over your ENTIRE
homework sheet carefully, including the prompts for any journals or essays.
Maybe write down the prompt in your own words to make sure you understand it.
If you’re not 100% sure what it asks, don’t worry about it quite yet. The whole
idea of this exercise is to give your brain time to think.
Now
your brain can use the time when you’re doing other things – playing
basketball, riding the school bus, eating a snack – to ruminate about the
prompts and how you might want to approach them. Professional writers guess
that up to 80% of what they write has been coming together in their head before
they pick up a pen or touch a single key. If you’ve been spending a lot of time
sitting in front of a blank screen, waiting for an idea to come to you, this
strategy can be a lot of help.
It's
like baking a loaf of bread. You’re going to read the recipe (your prompt),
you’re going to mix together the ingredients (think about some ways you might
want to answer that prompt, including quotes or citations that were meaningful
to you), and then you’re going to let that dough rise. Let it really come
together. If ideas come to you, be sure to jot them down so you don’t forget.
Now you can put it all in the pan (write up the ideas that came to you) and see
how you do.
2.
What
to do if you can’t figure out the recipe. If you’ve had the homework sheet for 48 hours and still are
not sure how what a prompt is asking, this is the time to ask the instructor, a
tutor, or another student in your class about the prompt. Many times a five
minute email or text can save you hours of stress and anxiety. The key is to
not wait until the last day to know that you don’t know.
Give these a
try! Be sure to say in the comments what works for you!
Until next
time,
Ms. Nan
P.S. Many of
the ideas here come from authors all over the world interviewed by host Dan
Simpson on the podcast Writer’s Routine. You can find out more at https://writersroutinedotcom.wordpress.com/about/
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