When I am reading one of my favorite reading strategies is to make connection to real life. Whether it is to other texts, to myself, or to the world, writing down related ideas helps increase my understanding. I am able to place the literary work into my life and it not only helps me comprehend the author’s argument, but it helps me remember the claim. Another strategy that helps me understand and remember what I have read is to ask questions about the text. Whether it is to clarify something, that I can look up or ask my teacher about later or complicate the author’s stance. Especially when reading opinion pieces, I don’t always agree with what the author is saying. By asking questions about their stance, it helps me see their point of view, but also carries a conversation between me and the text. These opinions and points of view then assist me in formulating a claim when writing an essay or any form of writing.
In terms of my writing process, I enjoy revisiting my annotations, questions and connections that I made while reading. I find this to be the easiest and most productive form of brainstorm in creating an essay. After I have a plan laid out and draft an original piece, I reread my essay out loud to edit and revise my piece. This helps me to catch not only local revisions, but it helps me hear the claims that I am trying to make. I ensure that every paragraph and sentence correlates to my thesis. As I continue in my college education, I know I will continue to have conversations with the text in order to understand what is occurring. These annotations will continue to act as inspiration and brainstorming in order to fuel the writing process.
