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Week 8 Reading and Writing

Taking a break this week has been really nice and I have enjoyed looking over my stories and my reading notes. I especially like my stories. I took a while to think of exactly what I wanted to write about before I began my stories and I still like what I ended up with. I especially like the pictures I have chosen for my stories and my reading notes. I wish I could use them for other things as well.

I really liked the theme of my blog. It is simplistic but easy to follow, however, I changed the accent colors from orange to teal. I don't really like orange and since I am an OU student I thought it was best to get rid of it! I also added my name to my project site so that, in case people forget whose project they clicked on, they won't have to search too hard to find my name. I am pretty unfamiliar with the project site so I imagine I will play around with it some more as we continue. I like the way mine looks but there are still some things I want to tweak here and there.

I am happy with how my project is going. I need to revise my latest story because I know there are errors and I haven't started on the next one yet but I have ideas so I am confident that once I get started it will go fairly quickly. As for my story posts, I really like them a lot. It has been fun to have a lot of free rein when it comes to them. I like having something to base my story on but then it is exciting to think about different ways to go from there.

I think my biggest accomplishments for this class have been my project and my technical skills. I am really bad at poetry so I was a bit confused with myself for taking up a project entirely written in verse. It does not come naturally to me and I have done quite a bit of pacing while thinking of rhymes and counting syllables! Beyond that, I have never blogged before and have come across several problems as I have been blogging for this class. For one thing, I can't comment on other people's blogs on my laptop, I have to use a desktop on campus. It is weird things like that that have been obstacles but they has helped me think of ways around them so that I can be successful. I feel much more confident blogging now than I did at the beginning of the semester.

My favorite reading was Arabian Nights. I have wanted to read it for a while and I was really excited to get a chance to try it out. When I have a free moment (if ever) I will be getting the full book to read. I also enjoyed revisiting old favorites. I notice new things every time I pick up the Iliad and it has been a while since I read the Odyssey. I also really liked Sinbad which was a part of the Arabian Nights but was a different reading.

Some times, I read the weekly reading and immediately have a story idea. When that happens, I can jump right in and I don't really have to look at my notes. However, other times, it takes me longer to get through the reading and then I have to take another few days to outline my story. In that case, referring to my notes has been immensely helpful. They have been especially useful for stories I haven't read before.

I started out not taking notes as I read, especially for stories I have read before, however, my notes were not as good. Now, I am writing my notes as I read and they are much more insightful.

I am looking forward to the other stories I will be reading in this class as well as for the rest of my project. I also look forward to reading more of the projects of my classmates. Some of the ones I have read so far are really good and I am excited to see what comes next.

It was difficult to choose a favorite picture, I love all of the pictures from my stories and readings so far. My favorite pictures were probably from my Sinbad and Iliad stories but I chose one from my reading notes. It is from Arabian Nights and it is a pretty simple piece of art but I find it compelling.

Photo Credits: pixabay

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