I don’t know about you, but sometimes it can take me a while to get into the academic-paper-writing mood of zen. A long while. Like…several months.

Since I don’t usually have that kind of luxury to juggle around class deadlines, I do fun writing exercises to help me get in the mood. They’re easy, short, and they really will help your writing skills get better, so you can snag the high grades you need. Try these, or make up your own.

• Journaling. I don’t mean the kind of journaling that your sixth-grade teacher made you do about your summer vacation. I mean real journaling about what you really care about. Write a page about how much of a douchebag your ex is, or a few paragraphs about your favorite kind of chocolate and why exactly you love it so much. Loosening your writing muscles will help you get better starts on your papers.

• Songwriting. Come on. We’ve all listened to a Backstreet Boys song or two and thought to ourselves, “My four-year-old cousin could write better lyrics than those.” So why not prove it? Rather than calling up your baby cousin, do it yourself. A quick exercise like scribbling down a song will give you more creative, open ideas about the content and outlets of your academic writing.

• Describe-a-Prof. Now this one is fun, particularly if you hate the prof for whom you are writing the paper. Picture him or her in your mind, then set a timer for three minutes and write down everything you secretly think about that person. Does he use crusty old bottles of Head and Shoulders shampoo and still gush dandruff like a gumball machine? Does she put on a miniskirt and heels on Friday night and try to pick up some nookie with guys 30 years younger than she is? When your three minutes are up, you’ll have a good laugh and maybe even a better idea of what your prof is looking for in a good paper.

Got any other ideas?  You KNOW we’re always looking for good ones…