Back to School Tips for Students and Writers

School bells began ringing yesterday in this area. In other states, the kiddos will be learning the 3 R's after Labor Day. If you have children or grandchildren at home, you can adapt some back-to-school tips to your routine, too.

• Read more. Even before school begins, it's good to get students into an established reading routine. Good students are good readers. Good readers make good writers. Apply this to your situation: how much time do you set aside for reading every day? And I'm not talking about the latest manuscript of yours you are polishing. Homework assignment: Set a goal to read a certain number of pages, chapters or for a period of time each day. Read with your student, too.
• Go to bed. Getting your student into a bedtime routine can be difficult, but it ultimately helps prepare them for the upcoming day. The body needs rest. Apply this to your situation: what's your bedtime routine? Do you stay up until the wee hours of the morning and then bolt (or drag) from bed at the crack of dawn? When do you unplug from technology and allow your body to rest? Homework assignment: Get into a bedtime routine and stick to it. Your energy levels will be boosted and that will improve your writing.
• Zero in on tasks. Distractions - cell phones, MP3 players, computers, TV - prevent students from focusing on assignments. Do they interrupt your writing time? Homework assignment: Unplug and write. It's that simple.

Back-to-school tips for students can easily be applied to a writer's life. Try these tips to make your writing improve and your productivity increase.

by LuAnn Schindler. Want to read more of LuAnn's articles? Read her weekly newspaper column about life in Nebraska at LuAnnSchindler.com or follow her on twitter @luannschindler.