How to Schedule Your Homework Writing Time

Good writing requires solid preparation, many rough drafts, editing, and learning from your mistakes. Even bestselling authors, go through this refinement process. The odds of wiring a successful and fully finished essay on the first draft are about 1%. When scheduling homework-writing time, you need to follow a few tips:

• Do not wait until the last time
• Use an outline
• If you get writer’s block, simply writing anything you can think of, you can weed through it later
• Decide if you do better writing by hand or using the computer
• For editing purposes, try to get another person to check it for you at least once
• If it is a big assignment, set a schedule for your writing
• Try to have a dedicated space for your writing homework

Outlines

Even a rough and rudimentary outline is better than no outline. Using an outline helps you stay on task. Consider it a roadmap to the end of your work. Make sure each of your main ideas and your thesis statement is very solid. Do not be afraid to modify the points or thesis statement if they are not working. Changing direction is part of the process.

Small Increments

If writing is difficult for you, you may want to break up your writing in to small periods. Just make sure you stick to your schedule if you are writing at a smaller pace. You do not want to keep behind and then have to play catch-up to finish by the deadline.

Rough Drafts

Once you finish the rough draft, put it away for a while, if you schedule allows. Professional writers call this “breathing.” Work on other assignments and then in a day or two, pick up your writing. You will see the rough patches and areas that need help right off the bat.

Time of Day

Hemingway was a morning writer. Every morning, he got up from his Key West bed and walked across a plank to his office. He would write nonstop until the afternoon. Then he would nap, swim, and fish.

Find out when you are most productive. You may discover that getting up an hour early to write will free up your afternoon time and produce some of your best writing. Test out different times of the day, and see which works best for you.

Pay Attention to Your Other Subjects

Make sure you do not fall behind in your other homework assignments. It will be hard for you to concentrate on writing if you have a science, math, and fine arts assignment. Use an agenda if keeping up with your assignments is an issue with you.