After reading about and experimenting with the three different techniques of staying focused while reading stories, I was surprised to find that I was already employing one! Each week, when I read through my chosen story, I take notes by hand after reading something that catches my attention. After I've read through all of the stories, I go back and look at my notes, think about which I liked the best, and then go reread my favorite stories and take additional notes. I take notes both on what elements of the story I liked, and techniques for writing the story that I may end up using. Sometimes an idea comes to me quickly, other times I have to really ponder how to approach the story. I find that physically writing down my notes helps me stay focused, instead of worrying about typos and copying/pasting/deleting.
I did find that reading the story aloud at a slow pace helped me stay focused. I think this would be a good technique to incorporate when I read and take notes, either the first or second time I read a story. (I will have to try both!) I wish I had someone to read the story aloud to, but luckily my cats are pretty good listeners (usually).
I didn't find the timer technique of much use, but I may give it another try when I read my stories this week, especially since I've started my portfolio project, and thus have more of an idea what I'm looking for in each story.
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