Week 8 Reading and Writing

Looking back on some of the things I've written and some of the notes I've taken this semester, there are are a lot of things that I felt were good and bad. I could see that as the semester has progressed I've made some significant improvement in making more useful and concise notes. At first I believe I was adding a little too much fluff from the stories, such as some irrelevant plot line details, but now I am doing better at taking note more specific scenarios from stories that caught my eye or a theme I had not thought of.
As the semester has progressed I feel as though I've become more comfortable with writing a story and I felt like that was evident in the examples I have created. I also feel good about the quality of the plot lines in my stories and the goals of the characters I've created. That being said, there are a couple things I'd really like to improve on. As I read through my stories I feel that, even though the story line is decent, they tend to be a little bland. They lack the descriptive words that make the reader interested and help them create the world I describe in my head. I know that I love reading those details in other people's stories so I'm sure mine would benefit from them as well.

Found on wikimedia.

I've chosen this image  of a depiction of Sindbad for very simple reasons. First, I really like all the vibrant colors it has. I think that accurately reflects the culture and trade that Sindbad comes from. Merchants were very important people in his time, and they traveled far and wide to sell and experience other cultures. I also like how this picture has all the elements of an adventure: food, a treasure chest, and a determined-looking individual.

Looking forward, I think I would greatly benefit from reading more stories that use very descriptive language. I think that is one of my biggest weaknesses regarding my story-telling capabilities. I need to look for more opportunities to add things into my story that would trigger the creative mind of the reader and allow them to really delve into the story. I should also look at more examples of comma splicing because that tends to be a recurring theme in my writing.