Practice exercises: Playing with your senses.

1.         Meditate this question - Do you think one of your senses is more developed than others? How do you perceive things through it? Tell a story based on how you perceive things particularly, or choosing one specific sense that you enjoy (sound, sight, touch, smell, or taste). Would you want to nourish other senses? Now move on to the next exercise:

2.         Table of senses - Prepare the following game, or better yet, ask a friend to help you, this way it will be more fun. Put different foods on the table (sour, sweet, salty, bitter, etc.), as well as objects (with different textures: soft, harsh, coarse, etc.) Make sure they are interesting, since you have to describe them with your senses. Put on a blindfold, and touch the food and objects, then describe what you feel; taste the food as well. Try to make sounds with them. Smell them. Describe everything you can. You can record your words so you don't forget them or get distracted by writing them. Finally, describe them visually. Careful! Don't use bugs, or anything that might hurt your dignity, as some people do on certain TV shows. It's all about finding the literary meaning in things. It's not about being vulgar or ridiculous.

3.         Become an observer: imagine that you are in a bar and hear an argument (even if you don't hear what they say), ask yourself: what is the relation between these people? Who might have started the argument? What could their points of view be? What arguments are they using to defend themselves? How long have they known each other? What features capture your attention the most? Is that useful for a story? Would they be fitting characters for a different story you thought of? How would everything end? And anything else you can imagine. Remember to record smells, colors, and EVERYTHING that captures your attention.

Plan to distribute your time

The art of studying includes many other things that probably you have not seriously considered up to now, for example: finding an appropriate place where you can be free of any factor of distraction; making sure the lighting in that place is good (*it is better to try to use the day light as much as possible); getting used to withstand the temptation of postponing the study; having next to the text some paper or notebooks to take notes; etc.

Some of these things can seem stupid, others not. However, if you recognize that they are important, is enough. In effect, you need some help to do the things that seem a bit stupid.

For example:

         Can you read? This is stupid-you will think-. Of course, you can read. However, have you ever reflected on the way you read? So many people read so badly than, in comparison with the people that read properly, they are considered practically illiterate. Have you ever thought about how fast you read and how fast you could read? The same way, have you ever thought about how many things you can remember from the text you just read?

 Most of the students cannot remember more than half of what they've read.

Can you decide what is the most convenient to remember from what you read?

Do you pay attention and observe the reference sections that appear in between the texts?

What do you do when you start reading a topic? (some students close the book or study text and do something else)

How many times do you read the same topic? How?...

Do you read the study texts the same way you read a novel? If not, what is the difference?

Let's say these questions are more than enough for now. The best students usually know them and answer them correctly. We will analyze each of them in this guide, for you to learn how to study.