Commenting Review Week

Usually when I am leaving a short comment on a classmate's writing I usually like to focus on the flow of the story. I focus on whether the story seems to jump around from point to point or if there is clear efficient transition between points. After that, I like to add in my comment what I liked about the story and then possibly something I would have done differently or what could be added to really pull the story together.
When making longer comments, I tend to look at what I mentioned above first and then move on to paragraph structure and wording. When I read stories I like the paragraphs to be smaller and more concise. If there are long paragraphs in a story or post I feel like I'm reading a lab report or something even when the material is still easily readable. The length of the paragraph just makes me automatically start thinking its going to hard to comprehend. Another thing I look for is wording. If a certain style is used at the beginning of the story it should be used throughout. It makes readings a little awkward if the style does a complete 180 degree turn in the middle of the story.
The hardest part about commenting is criticizing. I feel like this is tough because sometimes I don't know if I'm completely right or it is just a matter of personal preference. Many times I have read through previous comments where they praise what I was about to criticize. I usually just say what I have to say and let the person decide for themselves what they would like to do.

(XYZwallpaper)

Writing Review Week

Looking back on the writing I've done for this class I feel like my best storytelling post was in Week 2 when I wrote Achilles' Great Armour. It involved a story containing my favorite character in the units thus far, Patroclus, so it made it easy to think and write a well rounded story. I also think it might have been the best use of my imagination as I used the armour of Achilles as the storyteller. I also wrote an essay post over Patroclus and I think that was one of my better writing posts as well. The picture below is from my storytelling post I mentioned and depicts Patroclus killing Sarpedon with his spear.

Patroclus' spear embedding in Sarpedon as he lay dead (Wikipedia).

By reading and commenting on other student's storytelling posts I have seen many ideas that I want to incorporate into the second half of the semester. I think it will test me enough as a writer to try and do some writing styles I've never thought of that it well be a rewarding experience.
I think the best feedback I can get is when I am told I'm somewhat rushing an ending or not spending enough time on certain aspects of the story that need greater detail. I tend to write a lot at the beginning of the post containing detailed storytelling and then when I get to the main part of the story, which should have the most detail probably, I sometimes rush through it. I want to work on this in the second half of the semester and improve my writing.

Reading Review Week

Looking back I can see that my reading diary posts in the beginning were more detailed and focused on more than just favorite stories. I feel like I should possibly return to that way of note-taking. I don't think my storytelling posts have suffered from this but I think if I go back to how I was taking notes throughout my earlier posts then it will make it easier for me to recall things I want to include in my storytelling. There hasn't been a time yet where I didn't use my reading diary posts to aid in my storytelling assignments. So I feel like if I start taking more detailed reading diary notes it will definitely help.
In regards to the actual note taking, I have found it is much easier for me to do the complete reading and then go back and the stories I remember the most vividly I decide to take notes on. Also, while reading I make little mental notes about things I could see myself using for my storytelling post. This makes it easier to enjoy the reading instead of stopping every few minutes to write out notes for the reading diary.
So far, my favorite units have been from the first two weeks when I read the Homer's Illiad unit. I liked the fact that the stories were a little longer and the characters lasted throughout the unit (for the most part). This made it easier for me to get invested in the story itself and find which characters appealed to me the most and those that didn't. My favorite character, Patroclus, is pictured below and I selected this picture because he has actually been my favorite character in the readings to date.



My favorite character from the Homer's Illiad unit, Patroclus. Photo taken by D. & M. Hill (Flikr).

I don't really read that much for other classes so I have enjoyed how this class has given me the chance to read and keep improving and using that skill. I have always enjoyed reading for pleasure and these readings have done a good job of letting me do that while also working on my reading skills.