These skills are improved when doing timed-writing activities, and they are essential to real-world writing and other exams.
What are: organization skills, critical thinking skills, reading skills? (other similar answers may be accepted)
This usually happens when we are put in a "timed writing" situation (hint: it's a good thing).
What is, we focus on getting our ideas on paper rather than second-guessing ourselves looking for perfection?
This is the name of Reyna's family's hometown.
What is Iguala, Mexico?
This is why teachers assign timed essay writing.
What is: to assess student's writing abilities on the spot, to assess student's abilities to follow and understand directions, to determine how students work under pressure?
Timed writing helps us skip this "negative" step in the normal writing process.
What is, procrastination/waiting to get started?
These are the names of Reyna's two grandmas who really influence her throughout the novel (hint: one is mean and her name matches that descriptor).
Abuelita Chinta and Abuelita Evila
What is building confidence, reduces anxiety, and helps writers understand priorities while writing? (Other similar answers may be accepted).
What is: take the 1st 5 minutes to write a quick outline to organize your ideas, create a list of questions you have about the prompt and then answer them through writing the essay (other similar answers may be accepted).
The characters are constantly moving throughout the novel, and one place is "El Otro Lado," which means/refers to..
What is "the other side," aka, referring to America.