Looking back at my reading diary posts, I realize that I generally do not follow the advice that was given in the first week, which was not to give a mere plot summary of the stories. The majority of my reading diary notes are just that. This is something that my high school English teachers tried tirelessly to teach me, but I find it so easy to fall back on the trusty plot summary when I take notes.
The usual goal that I have with these posts is to be able to write my other posts for the week (essay, storytelling, etc.) by using just the diary without having to go back and look at the original story in the Un-Textbook. As I look at the progression of my diaries, I can tell that I was very diligent in the beginning, but the last couple of weeks have slacked a little in terms of length and content of the posts. I was still able to do the other assignments with the diary, but I found that it required a lot more contemplation later on, rather than just having my thoughts laid out from the start.
When I stray from the plot summary, this is where I find I make the most connections to other literature and media and where I can allude most successfully to themes in other novels, units I'd read previously, etc. Certainly, this is not easy to do, but the weeks where I have actively tried to analyze the text rather than just reading it for the surface details have been the ones where I have been most satisfied with my storytelling posts. It is definitely difficult to remember to do this every week; whenever life gets hectic, I tend to go back to my old habits of summary and paraphrasing.
Reflecting on this, I realize that I must be diligent in my analysis of the weekly reading so as to get the most out of the text. I truly am interested in the worldly literature offered in this course, and I would like to retain stories for future reference.
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