My History with Annotation

 Hi guys! I, like many of us, used to hate annotating. I remember my first introduction to annotating was in middle school when we were reading a poem. We were told to highlight the similes, underline the metaphors, and box any words we didn't know. We used this system almost the whole year in this class, so I assumed that this was what annotating was. This "one-size fits all" approach that our teacher had instilled upon us made me dread each reading we would complete. I didn't understand why I couldn't write more details on the page or why I couldn't use more than one color of highlighter. However, as my academic career progressed, my teachers allowed us to be more creative in how we annotate. I learned that what works best for me is highlighting and writing myself notes. These notes range anywhere from reactions and questions to full analysis if I have the space. I learned that writing in my books help me understand not only the text, but also my own thoughts better.

I have always been an avid reader outside of school, but this summer I decided to try annotating a full book not for an English class for the first time. I wanted to complete it as a gift for a friend who had just moved to college and was missing home, so I chose my favorite book and ordered a new copy of it just for him. I spent two weeks or so rereading my favorite story, and the process of annotating it definitely helped me see it in a different light. There were so many details I didn't notice the first few times, and being able to write out the way I saw certain characters or plot points gave them a new depth. 

(The picture is of me annotating the book for my friend!)

When I am able to, I love highlighting and writing in the books themselves, filling up the margins with my notes. But when it's a library book (or in this case a textbook rental) sticky notes work as a close second.