How I Study

It's the week before Reading Week! If you're a student, you know that means EVERYTHING IS DUE. But the end is near...

Anyway, since most of my time right now is taken up by writing essays, practicing presentations and studying for midterms, I thought I'd tell you how I study and include some handy dandy study tips! If there is anything about my identity that I am completely confident about, it is that I am a good student. If I know anything, I know how to organize my schoolwork and study habits. (Now if only I could be as competent in all the other areas of my life...)

So here are ~*~*ALYSSA'S STUDY STEPS AND TIPS!*~*~

Step 1: Read the review and listen closely

Most of my professors in my four years of university have been pretty good at giving review sheets, which include the questions or topics that they want you to know for the test. Some of my professors even go over the review a bit in class, about what they are expecting for certain questions. Make sure you pay attention, and write LOTS of notes when your professor talks about what they want on the midterm! This is invaluable information and they are plopping it right in your lap!

Step 2: Create my own review using the review sheet

I write my notes by hand because part of my study process involves typing up my notes. So I'll go through my written notes, and then plug them in as answers to the review questions. That usually takes a couple hours, but it's actually really easy - it's basically just typing while listening to music, and it's a good way to begin and get everything organized. If you type your notes in class, I would suggest printing them out and then typing them in again to your review sheet. I know you could just copy and paste, but then you're not actually methodically going through the information again, which is helpful for actually retaining the information later. And if I haven't got a review sheet, then I make sure I'm focusing on main subjects and points, rather than silly small details. If in doubt about anything you're not sure you're supposed to know, ask your professor!!

Step 3: Whiteboard study!! 

I love my whiteboard with all my heart for all things organization, but especially for studying. I'll transfer my entire review sheet to my whiteboard, although a slightly condensed version of it (because I only have so much space on my whiteboard). I'll try to focus on writing out the main points and keywords that will hopefully trigger the rest of the details. I usually do this a couple days before my actual midterm, because then I can scan it again a few times as I'm getting dressed or ready for bed in the following days. Also, it's super fun putting all my notes in a whole bunch of funky colours. ;) (Also tip: if you're going to use this technique, make sure you buy low odour markers otherwise you will have a headache after one page of notes.)


Step 4: Quiz myself

The ideal is to get together with a classmate and we quiz each other, but if that's not an option I try to find a willing family member. If I can't find a willing family member, then I'll just do the cover-the-answers thing and ask myself questions. The trick is to try saying the answers out loud. Once I can explain the material to someone else (or empty space) out loud, I know I'm ready for the test!

~*~*Some more tips*~*~

Tip #1: Use a variety of methods I've heard that it's good to study with a variety of different methods, because each different method solidifies the information in your brain even more. So by the time I'm done my study process, I've written the material, typed the material, written the material (in fun coloured markers), and said the material out loud, which I think is pretty good. ;)

Tip #2: Start early Obviously this process is fairly long, and takes awhile. You can't really cram AND do a lengthy 4-step process. I usually start maybe a week ahead, or at least the weekend before my actual midterm, and I usually do one step a day so it doesn't feel like too much all at once.

So that is how I study! Now I must get back to work... happy studying!

How do you study? What are your favourite study habits and tips?

How Imaginations Take Over the World (And Your Writing)

So this post is going to be a sort of follow-up of the ideas I expressed in my last post, "When Your Imagination Is 'Wrong'", so if you haven't read that yet click the link and go do that.

A lot of the time when I'm writing or editing, I find that one of my biggest problems is with description. I have this frantic urge to describe EVERYTHING with perfect, insane detail. I'll use multiple sentences just to describe the walls of a room; I'll use a boatload of adjectives to describe a single action. I'll spend tons of time trying to put onto paper everything I see in my head, because I want the reader to see what I see.

And this, I've come to realize, is stupid. Why? Well...

REASONS WHY WANTING THE READER TO SEE WHAT YOU SEE IS STUPID

Reason #1: The reader will NEVER see what you see.

Everyone is different, therefore everyone has a different imagination, therefore everyone pictures things in books differently. Have you ever looked up "fan casts" for certain books? Everyone has a different idea of who the actor should be for which character, based on how they picture the character themselves.

For example, a lot of people pictured Peeta like this:

While I picture Peeta more like this (although now that I look at them both, they look reaaally similar):

Source

Reason #2: The reader's imagination takes what's written and runs with it, anyway.

Just go read the comments on my last post... even though characters are clearly described a certain way, people picture them differently. What's the point of describing something obsessively if your readers aren't even going to picture what you describe?

Reason #3: Imaginations don't need a lot of help to imagine stuff.

In one of the first Harry Potter books, I remember J.K. Rowling described the Gryffindor common room in about one sentence, and the gist of it was "there were some cushy armchairs." There was barely any description at all, and yet I had a perfectly formed, complete and detailed picture of the Gryffindor common room. J.K. Rowling gave me a sentence, and my imagination did the rest.

Reason #4: An author's book, as I said in my last post, does not belong to the author. It belongs to the reader.

So if you want the reader to see what YOU see, you're being like my nine-year-old egotistic author self that I talked about in my last post. You should just let the reader see what they see, whether it's the same as your vision or not, and be cool with that.


So, as far as description goes, I have learned that you really don't need as many words as you think you do.

Just look at this description-overloaded sentence of some story of mine I wrote years and years ago:

She raised her glistening silver sword into the thick black night.

The note in my edits beside this was: "adj. much???"

And now, in conclusion I shall provide you with this summary:

1. Imaginations are cool.
2. Less words are cool.
3. Books belong to their readers.
4. I used to be in love with adjectives, and that was a mistake.

And a really good example of awesome, minimal description (oh my goodness, more adjectives - apparently I am not yet over them) is the book Sold by Patricia McCormick... which is an awesome, compelling book that you should really add to your TBR list.

Oh and follow me on twitter! @AlyssaSherlock. Have a great day.

7 Things You Shouldn't Do When You Should Be Writing

1. Do not go on the Internet, because it is a black hole.

2. Do not convince yourself that going on the Internet is OK.

Me #1: But, vlogbrothers videos are educational.
Me #2: NO. Write.
Me #1: But... tumblr. There's... bookish stuff on there.
Me #2: Really? I think you're reaching, there... do you not understand you are procrastinating and wasting time???
Me #1: OK, you're right about that one. But... blog posts. C'mon, those have to do with WRITING!!! By reading blogs, you're pretty much writing anyway.
Me #2: Well... uhm...
Me#1: See, even you know I'm right.
Me #2: *surfs internet frantically for fun things*
Me #3: No... all hope is lost...

3. Don't read (for the sake of not writing).

Me #1: READING. It is important. That is how you learn to write properly.
Me #2: Yes but writing -the actual action of it- is pretty important when writing, don't you think?
Me #1: SHUT UP I LIKE BOOKS *buries head in book* Now go away.

4. Do not allow yourself time to dawdle.

Me #1: *rereads what I wrote last time* *stares at following blank page* What now?
Me #2: I don't know.
Me #1: ARGHHHHH I hate this...
Me #2: Look! I wrote something!
Me #1: Um... all you wrote was "ARGHHH why can't someone else write this for me???"
Me #2:  So what?


5. Do not try to convince yourself that your story is almost done anyway, so you don't need to work on it.

Me #1: 7 more scenes!! Only seven more scenes!
Me #2: Yes! 7 scenes that will never get written if you don't stop talking about it and just WRITE.
Me #1: Yes, but on average that's only 7 hours! I could be done by tomorrow!
Me #2: You still aren't writing. You have to realize this will never happen if you don't write, right?
Me #1: Can you imagine being DONE this monster?? And then I can FINALLY send it to my friends to read. Did you know I've been waiting two years for this?
Me #2: YOU AREN'T LISTENING TO ME. IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN IF YOU DON'T WRITE.
Me #1: Yeah, but I'm almost done!!

6. Do not replace the action of writing with something you trick yourself into thinking is equally important.

Me #2: Oh, like blogging about how you keep procrastinating instead of writing? HUH?
Me #1: um...

7. The #amwriting tag on twitter. (Also, see #1 and #2).

Random Person: Working on stuff blah blah blah #amwriting
Me #1: You are not writing... you are on twitter.
Me #2: Well, you're not writing either, so...
Me #1: Would you just go away already!
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Me #1: All of your blog readers are going to think you are crazy when they see how much you talk to yourself...
Me #2:  Hey, this is the funniest post I've written in a while! I'm going to publish it, and you can't stop me!
Me #1: NOOOOOO

How do you distract/excuse yourself from writing?