School’s in session, and we’ve planned a series of lessons designed to teach writers of all ages and abilities how to be more productive and successful. The name for our “course” is “Sit, Stay, Write!,” and we hope you’ll join us for class each week. We plan to meet right here every Friday, so teachers or students, you’ll have a new writing tip to use for the upcoming week. If you want a class syllabus (wow, that is one ruff word to spell!), you can email us at ransomink@pobox.com . Hope you’ll join us!

There’s nothing like fall to kick-start my energy and enthusiasm for writing. Maybe it’s the smell of fresh crayons, the notebooks of clean, lined paper waiting to be filled, or the crisp, cool mornings.

Whatever the case, back-to-school time is a time for fresh starts and new possibilities. Even though I’m not the one boarding the big Twinkie (as my kids refer to the school bus) every morning, I’ve decided that back-to-school time is a great time to settle into a regular writing routine. I’ve shopped for my “school supplies” and always have them ready when it’s time to get down to work – no trips to the pencil sharpener to interrupt my work flow. I’ve used the bathroom and gotten a drink of water (or, in my case, a cup of coffee) before I sit in my “assigned” seat (the wicker chair on the front porch). And I don’t get up again until it’s time for lunch or “recess.” (Hey, we all need to stretch our legs once in awhile – or check our email, or run to Starbucks.)

Once I hear the gear-grinding rumble of the school bus as it climbs the hill near our house, I know it’s time to wrap up my writing for the day. Of course, school has only been in session for a week in our district, and I’ve already been “absent” a couple of days. But I have high hopes that this school year will be the year I buckle down and get some really good work done. How about you?

Everyone loves to get mail! But it seems that these days, most writers query and submit via email. This makes the process easier, saves paper, and saves time. In fact, most magazines and book publishers prefer electronic submissions, although some still prefer (and only accept) submissions by regular mail. Either way, it’s important to research – and to follow to the letter – the guidelines. You can usually find these (as well as publishers’ catalogues) online, which is awesome, by the way. Before you submit anything, however, check that you have the name of the current editor, as well as the correct spelling. We cannot emphasize this enough. People who don’t care enough to find out our names often call us Lassie, when it is clearly not possible – or logical – for both of us to be named Lassie, duh. Plus the original Lassie was a girl – a girl! Which brings us to the next point.

If you have any doubts whether the editor you’re submitting to is male or female, it’s worth it to make a quick, old-fashioned phone call. We dogs can sniff out those details, but we don’t recommend that humans use this technique. Jeanie’s editor, Randi Rivers, says she often gets submissions addressed to Mr. Randi Rivers, and we bet Ms. Randi doesn’t buy THEIR stories.

Here on the home front, people often assume that Nemo is a girl dog, just because he’s blonde, fine-boned and tends to prance around waving his tail. But if Nemo was an editor and you addressed your query to Ms. Nemo Ransom, or even worse, to Mrs. Nemo Ransom, we can tell you this, Nemo would NOT buy your story!

With the writing business largely being conducted via email these days, why does everyone still love to get mail? Apparently, we are mistaken. Jeanie says that NOT everyone loves the mail as much as we do. Although rejection slips generally are delivered electronically these days, about the only good stuff that the mail carrier brings anymore are royalty checks. At least according to Jeanie.

We beg to differ. Every day Ms. Sue, our mail carrier, puts two biscuits in our mailbox. And not just any biscuits – these are NAME BRAND dog biscuits – Milk Bones! All because one day, Ms. Sue saw us in the front office with Jeanie! Which is why, rain or shine, if we have our way, you’ll find us in the front office.

I know that having a writing routine is important. But I’d never really thought about having a pre-writing routine until recently. According to Kelly L. Stone, author of Thinking Write, a pre-writing routine signals your brain that it’s time to write. It can be as simple as making a cup of coffee, taking the dog for a walk, or turning on a particular song on your iPod. Think Pavlov’s dogs for writers.

Having a pre-writing routine makes sense. When you get ready for bed, letting the dog out, locking the doors, and brushing your teeth all signal your brain that it’s time to sleep. You may have other rituals to make it easier to transition from waking time to sleeping time. Why should writing be any different?

Think about what you do now before sitting down to write. Do you check your email, go on Facebook, read the paper, or do housework? Nothing wrong with any of those things, as long as you keep an eye on the clock. I’m as guilty as anyone of letting time get away from me. I’m also guilty of using any and all of the above activities to put off my writing. By being mindful of that, I’ve found that limiting my pre-writing routine to fifteen or twenty minutes allows me to check email, make a cup of coffee and gather my writing supplies.

Whatever your pre-writing routine, if it works for you, stay with it. But if, like me, you weren’t aware of the existence — or the importance – of having a pre-writing routine, you may want to check out Stone’s Thinking Write. Create something that works for you – I’d love to hear about it!