Week 8 Reading and Writing

Looking Back

Overall, I am really enjoying the reading and writing assignments in this class so far. I find that the more time I spend on each assignment, the higher-quality it is and the better I feel about it. For that reason, I like how making my schedule is flexible—I don't have to turn something in if I don't feel good about it yet.

I am happy with my blog, but even happier with my project website. I enjoy working on the storybook more because it's one topic that I chose and am very interested in, and it gives me a lot of creative freedom. I would like to find ways to incorporate more images into my storybook site, however. I like the blog more and more as I get a sense for what types of writing and images I want to include. I find that I usually prefer, photos of nature more than illustrations, and I enjoy writing microfictions and prequels or sequels. I will most likely continue to write more of these types of stories in the future, rather than just doing simple retellings or changing the setting. I've gotten better at the reading notes too—I now think about what I want to write about before I begin my notes instead of vice versa.

The only writing I have done so far for my project is the introduction, but I like how it turned out. Even though it took me a little longer, I'm glad I went with a narrative format rather than just a factual introduction. I have never done this type of creative writing before, but I really enjoyed it. Continuing to tell stories from the same perspective I hope will be both enjoyable and informative.

So far, my favorite stories have been the Mayan ones I'm reading for my storybook project. I like reading from the physical book, and I also feel like I can relate to the places and culture more since I've been to Guatemala. I also love that all these stories are completely unfamiliar to me.

This panorama photo of Lake Atitlán is the banner image on my storybook website, and it's my favorite one I've included in a class assignment so far. All the stories in my project will take place either on the lake, in the town, in the mountains, or near the volcano, and this image gives the reader a visual for all of those. The image is also very high-quality, and I like the colors—it seems very peaceful.

Looking Forward

As I finish the rest of the semester, I want to continue experimenting with new forms of storytelling. This past week, I really enjoyed choosing just one detail from the original story to focus on and being creative with the rest; I also liked creating my storybook introduction completely from scratch. To get the most out of writing assignments moving forward, I want to start emulating what other students in the class are doing well. While posting comments on others' blogs, I can focus on what I can improve on rather than just what feedback I want to give.

To get the most out of reading assignments, I need to be wary of when I complete them. Reading a story too late at night leaves it very fuzzy in my head, which isn't very helpful when I want to write about it later. I also need to think about how much time I dedicate to class readings vs. how much time I dedicate to storybook readings. As I retell stories, thinking about which information I wish I had in my notes will help me fine-tune my reading note-taking method.

Library photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash.

Lake Atitlán photo by chensiyuan on Wikimedia Commons.