Week 8 Reading and Writing

My notetaking strategies are still in the developmental stages. I have explored focusing on plot, focusing on an individual character, and focusing on content (if foreign places or things are mentioned). Being completely new to the study of mythology, I find that I just enjoy reading the stories and then simply free-writing on what struck me as memorable or something that was quirky.

My favorite readings, so far, have been the origin stories, especially those with animals. The African units have been my favorite reading units (I have completed Congo & Nigerian). They are simple, involve animals, and bring a smile to my face.

After finding motivation for my project in the Extra Credit Mythology Crash Courses, which I highly recoommmend for the beginning mythology student, I feel much better regarding direction for my storybook project. It was difficult at first to connect the topic that I wanted to a storyline that made sense. I had no idea how large the study of mythology and folklore was. The Crash Courses have been helpful in that they present how structures, like the Hero’s Journey, are utilized in mythology. I also enjoyed learning about the complex and confusing Pantheons as well as god and goddess archetypes.

I think my biggest accomplishment has been feeling more confident and allowing my writing to be more creative. When I wrote stories in the beginning, I was afraid to leave out details from the original and I was overly careful not to depart too far from the original story. I find, now, that as I read the stories, I immediately make notes on whether the particular story would lend itself to a Trial Scene, Tabloid, or simply a retelling.

Bleeny Fish
South Pacific

My favorite image was the Blenny fish used in my storybook. I am a scuba diver and love when I see the elusive Blenny fish on a dive. With my love of origin stories, I was glad that I could use the Blenny fish in one.

Looking forward, I want to challenge myself to utilize different notetaking strategies. I am so excited to continue to write the stories for my storybook and continue to utilize Wiki Trials as an excellent source for not only a little extra credit, but also to generate links to related content that I can use for my story. I am looking forward to the Native American units.