Our senses by themselves are stupid. They take in experience, but they need the richness of sifting (筛查) for a while through our thought and through our whole bodies. I call this "composting (堆肥)." Our bodies are garbage piles: we collect experience, and from the breakdown of the thrown-out eggshells, vegetable leaves and old steak bones of our minds come nitrogen, heat, and very fertile (肥沃的) soil. Out of this fertile soil come our poems and stories. But this does not come all at once. It takes time.

Often I will think about what I want to write many times in my mind. For instance, you can look in my notebooks from August through December 1983 and see that I attempted several times a month to write about my father dying. I was exploring and composting various materials. Then suddenly, and I can't say how, in December I sat motionless at a restaurant in Minneapolis and a long poem about that subject poured out of me. All the disparate things I had to say became combined with energy and unity—a bright red flower shot out of the compost. Ultimately, after much composting, you are in line with the stars or the moment or the dining-room chandelier above your head, and your body opens and speaks.

Understanding this process develops patience and produces less anxiety. We aren't running everything, not even the writing we do. At the same time, we must keep practicing. It is not an excuse to not write and sit on the sofa eating candies. We must continue to work the compost pile, enriching it and making it fertile so that something beautiful may emerge and so that our writing muscles are in good shape to ride the universe when it moves through us.

What Are Some Good Study Skills

Good habits are developed over time and trained through practice. It isn’t possible to learn every single study skill in a single study. It is, however, helpful to know what specific skills that good students use. 【小题1】.

Studying Usefully

It may sound obvious, but studying usefully is among the most important of all study skills. 【小题2】. Though there are plenty of examples of such ones online, a simple memory skill is to create an abbreviation(缩写). To remember the order of the north, east, south, and west directions, for example, kids are sometimes encouraged to remember the laughable abbreviation “never eat soggy waffles”.

Reading Actively

Though most students understand how to read, reading to get information can be much harder. One way to make the brain remember better is to mark at least one key phrase per paragraph of reading material. 【小题3】. And it shouldn’t simply be given up as something useless.

To add extra power to reading, many careful students write notes beside the sentences about any questions or misunderstandings they may have about the material(材料). Others simply write out connections or ideas that come about.

Using Test-Taking Skills

【小题4】. Multiple-choice tests are an effective(有效的)way. Crossing off unlikely answers, for example, can improve students’ chances of guessing correctly without any more research. Another skill is to give up the unclear and search for the answer later in the test. There are many other simple ways, and each can help remove test worry and improve grades.

Understanding Sources(信息来源)

The world of today is full of poor information. 【小题5】. Unluckily, students are often taught far too late how to find well-thought-of scientific writings online. However, the earlier kids learn about these small differences, the better.

Speaking of tests, the amount of competition is so high that it nearly makes students suffer from the fear of exams. 【小题1】.

Prepare in advance. To stand out in an exam, it is necessary to start your preparation in advance. Do not waste your precious time and wait until a week or day before the exam starts to study the subject. 【小题2】.

Make a timetable. Now that you have received the exam schedule, prepare for it by making a timetable. Work it out yourself and see if you can get adjusted to it. By parting time to every activity, you can limit your other activities and focus more on studies.

Concentrate on Study. If you can focus well in the morning, then wake up early and finish the difficult parts of most of your study. But if you can concentrate better at night, then better start your studies at night after resting for the entire day. 【小题3】. Probably you are physically or mentally tired. At this moment, a short break will help you concentrate better.

【小题4】. When preparing for your test, try practicing to be positive. If you find yourself getting lost in negative thoughts, stop whatever you are doing and go out for a walk. Focus on positive thoughts and you will achieve the much-needed peace of mind.

Get enough sleep. As the exams come near, don’t overwork yourself. Keep your mind and body in a healthy state by getting enough sleep. 【小题5】. You senses will be more sharp and you can respond to any situations better.