Hi Helen, I really like the concept that you're using for your storybook. I've never learned about the Four Immortal Gods before and I'm looking forward to learning more. I liked how you added some more story elements with the addition of a love story and My Nuong currently favoring Thuy Tinh. I wonder if the information will be enough to give him the advantage in the contest. Also, who else was in this competition? Were they worthy contenders or just push overs? If Thuy Tinh is able to win then maybe Vietnam won't have to endure all the flooding then. What if My Nuong is tricking Thuy Tinh and actually wants to help Son Tinh win? I think that'd be a huge betrayal. I also really like how your page is set up, but one of the tabs on the left side says untitled page, so I'd take a look at that.
I love your storybook. The bright image is a great start to your page, and it makes me want to keep reading. I love the structure of your storybook, that each story is focused on one of the four immortals. Very interesting topic and easy to follow. I also love that you include the pronunciations for the important characters and elements of the stories. This is something that isn't often done, but it really helps the reader to better engage with the content! Where I got tripped up the most was on the characters, because their introductions seemed to assume some level of understanding beforehand that I didn't have. Perhaps adding a character list before each story would help to clarify who's who so the reader can focus on the story a little more while reading. Overall, though, I really enjoyed your story and look forward to reading the rest as they show up!
Your storybook is very unique and I really love the layout. The pictures you added help the reader visualize the location and the clothing the characters wore. The pronunciation of the names were a great addition to your story. The description of who each character was really helped me to understand the story better. I wish more authors would do this as it helps the reader connect with the story. Your stories were very easy to follow! I like how you added the two perspectives from Thuy Tinh's and Son Tinh's perspectives in Chapter 1. You left very detailed author's notes which is great because it helps us to understand the background of the stories you have written. Great job! I look forward to reading more of your stories!
Hi Helen! I enjoy reading your story! I have never heard any information about Vietnam's four immortals. But your story gives me a fantastic chance to get to know them. For now, the most impressive story in your storybook would be the Saint Giong in my opinion. You put several imagines into your website which help each reader to imagine some scenes and pictures in their minds. I think this is a really good strategy for us to build the website. Next, your plots would never make me feel boring. They provide the motivation for me to continue reading forward. Moreover, the specific description in your story is vivid and interesting. For example, each character shows their unique personalities and characteristics.
Hi Helen, I really like the pictures you chose for your portfolio! They make me want to visit Vietnam. I enjoyed reading your adaptations of these traditional Vietnamese folktales, and I like how you changed them slightly to add your own touch. The first one was particularly interesting to me because of the plot twist where the king steps in and decides that the princess has to marry the contestant he likes better anyway! I think there is an interesting moral to be found in that story, that maybe some things in life are really unfair and beyond our control, and all we can do is keep trying even if we don't really know what the outcome will be. The shift in perspective between the first and second parts was really important because the ending felt more abrupt, which in this case I think was a good thing because it kind of transmits to the reader some of the sense of loss that My Nuong experiences.
Helen, I think this was a really creative idea! My favorite thing about this class is getting to learn lots of different mythology from various cultures, and I haven't gotten to read any stories from Vietnam yet. That's part of the reason why I enjoyed your stories. The other reason is that they are really well written! I especially liked your first story where you told the narrative about the competition for the princess’s hand from two different perspectives. I noticed in your author's note that you added the part where the princess gets to know each contestant individually - I really like that touch! It definitely made me root for the main characters to be together and to feel the stakes of the competition. I think it could have been interesting if you had added a third perspective and we could have read about the whole incident from the princess’s point of view. But maybe you can do that in a later story. Great job so far - I think this project will be very cool once it’s finished!
Hi Helen, I enjoyed reading stories from your portfolio. They are very creative. Additionally, thumbs up for the pictures that you choose for each story, it got me curious about visiting Vietnam one day. It also made me imagine the scenes of the story in my mind. I never read a Vietnamese mythology stories until now. My favorite so far is the first story, it taught me that, things in life can be beyond our control but we need to keep pushing and trying because there is always a good outcome from all the experience we will go through. I like how you told the story from Thuy Tinh and Sun tinh perspective but it think i would have enjoyed the story of the whole incident from the princess view. Maybe on your revision day you can add it. I also like how you presented the characters and some words pronunciation at the beginning of each story. Great storybook!
This story was so interesting. I love a good romance story, and I can tell that by having the two of their encounters shown, it was more personal. I loved all of your descriptive imagery such as of the girl and even her outfit you added a link to see what an Ao Dai is which I am not familiar with, so I really appreciated this. I LOVE the two different perspectives of both guys' rivalry. I love a good happy ending, so I was a little sad. Great usage of quotations. Overall, AMAZING story. I loved it.
Saint Giong was a really interesting story as well. It took me a bit to understand why the formatting on this was unusual. It appears that there is a big gap on the left hand side of the story after the words "heard him speak." It makes it look like the formatting is a little off.
Hey Helen, I want to say right off the bat that I thoroughly enjoy your storybook! I'm always a fan of learning about different cultures stories, but also the deities that inhabit them. So, definitely reading these two stories was really interesting, and I was excited to learn something new as it went on.
Not to mention, I like that you used two different formatting styles for the stories. I'm not sure if that was on purpose, but it definitely worked in your favor! For the first story, I like that we got to see the intentions of the two men, but also their inner dialogue. Likewise, the bits you added in really fits into why Vietnam gets its floods, and the same for the second story with everything you added and making it feel more realistic!
There's not much I have in the way of critique besides just going through and maybe rephrasing things if you'd like. Clean up any grammar you find or even add more for certain characters to extend the stories a bit more, and give them more life! Really though, everything looks great and I can't wait to read more.
I think the images you have are beautiful. The photo on the homepage has a lot to look at from the beautiful water, to the excellent cliffs in the background, people paddling in the water, and the nearby houseboats. For your first story, I like how you had your image go along with the topic of your story. The photo is very expansive, and it makes readers feel like they're high in the sky. One suggestion I could make on the photo is finding a similar photo that also incorporates rain, a river, or some similar body of water. Having both the mountains and a body of water would help tie the idea of "Mountain God vs. Water Lord" together. The photo in the second story is very nice. However, I don't see a dragon in it. Since your story is about a dragon slayer, I might include a photo of a dragon instead of a horse. Also, when it is in cover photo mode, it cuts the head of the horse off. It might need to be repositioned to show the entire statue. I'm looking forward to the rest of your project!
I'm in the Indian Epics class and our weekly assignment was to come over to this class and comment on a blog. I thought your blog really stood out from the rest. As someone who is Vietnamese myself, I'm glad that somebody decided to share our culture with the rest of your classmates. I found your project idea to be completely unique. Your project layout is really well put together and I found it to be really pleasing. I also liked the fact that you chose images that have some sort of Vietnamese background or influence to them. I liked the fact that you retold the four immortals story. As someone who went to Temple, we learned a lot about the ancient gods and it's nice to see someone put their own twist on it. I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future!
Hi Helen! Your portfolio is really cool. I got the chance to check out all of your stories, as well as the images that go with them. I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into the creative images in your project. I like how you have added banner images as well, I think that adds a nice touch and looks really clean. I think it gives the reader a really good visual of what the story is going to be about. I also really like how your images encompass what your story is about, and are not just random stock photos, or the first picture you found on your google search. The pictures actually add and element to the story, instead of just being something random to look at. Great job!
Hi Helen! I liked your storybook! I think you have a really neat central theme for your storybook! I feel you did a good job with adding small changes to make the stories your own and give them a folktale feel that most readers would be familiar with. I think your changes to the second story were very logical and helped flesh out the story and make it a bit more reasonable. I also really enjoyed the detail that you included in that the riddle used was one used in Vietnam. It adds another little layer of detail to the story that's really nice. I also liked the changes you made to the first story. They helped to make the characters more three-dimensional and interesting, by giving them varying goals and personalities, well done on that front!
One of the first things that I caught my eyes about your website was the stunning pictures that you put on the front of your introduction! I'm from Vietnam, and I can definitely tell you that there are many sites such as these in the country. Also, being from Vietnam, I've heard a couple of those stories from my childhood. However, I've yet to find them anywhere online so it's quite surprising for me when I saw this storybook on the list! I've never heard of them translated in English before. The story I liked most about your portfolio was of Son Tinh, the Mountain God. I think you did a great job depicting the story and even added in details that was not mentioned in the original stories. I also liked how you included the perspectives of both of the main characters whenever you were re-telling your story! I look forward to reading more from you.
Hi Helen, I really like the concept that you're using for your storybook. I've never learned about the Four Immortal Gods before and I'm looking forward to learning more. I liked how you added some more story elements with the addition of a love story and My Nuong currently favoring Thuy Tinh. I wonder if the information will be enough to give him the advantage in the contest. Also, who else was in this competition? Were they worthy contenders or just push overs? If Thuy Tinh is able to win then maybe Vietnam won't have to endure all the flooding then. What if My Nuong is tricking Thuy Tinh and actually wants to help Son Tinh win? I think that'd be a huge betrayal. I also really like how your page is set up, but one of the tabs on the left side says untitled page, so I'd take a look at that.
ReplyDeleteHi Helen!
ReplyDeleteI love your storybook. The bright image is a great start to your page, and it makes me want to keep reading. I love the structure of your storybook, that each story is focused on one of the four immortals. Very interesting topic and easy to follow. I also love that you include the pronunciations for the important characters and elements of the stories. This is something that isn't often done, but it really helps the reader to better engage with the content! Where I got tripped up the most was on the characters, because their introductions seemed to assume some level of understanding beforehand that I didn't have. Perhaps adding a character list before each story would help to clarify who's who so the reader can focus on the story a little more while reading. Overall, though, I really enjoyed your story and look forward to reading the rest as they show up!
Hi Helen!
ReplyDeleteYour storybook is very unique and I really love the layout. The pictures you added help the reader visualize the location and the clothing the characters wore. The pronunciation of the names were a great addition to your story. The description of who each character was really helped me to understand the story better. I wish more authors would do this as it helps the reader connect with the story. Your stories were very easy to follow! I like how you added the two perspectives from Thuy Tinh's and Son Tinh's perspectives in Chapter 1. You left very detailed author's notes which is great because it helps us to understand the background of the stories you have written. Great job! I look forward to reading more of your stories!
Hi Helen!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your story! I have never heard any information about Vietnam's four immortals. But your story gives me a fantastic chance to get to know them. For now, the most impressive story in your storybook would be the Saint Giong in my opinion. You put several imagines into your website which help each reader to imagine some scenes and pictures in their minds. I think this is a really good strategy for us to build the website. Next, your plots would never make me feel boring. They provide the motivation for me to continue reading forward. Moreover, the specific description in your story is vivid and interesting. For example, each character shows their unique personalities and characteristics.
Hi Helen,
ReplyDeleteI really like the pictures you chose for your portfolio! They make me want to visit Vietnam.
I enjoyed reading your adaptations of these traditional Vietnamese folktales, and I like how you changed them slightly to add your own touch. The first one was particularly interesting to me because of the plot twist where the king steps in and decides that the princess has to marry the contestant he likes better anyway! I think there is an interesting moral to be found in that story, that maybe some things in life are really unfair and beyond our control, and all we can do is keep trying even if we don't really know what the outcome will be.
The shift in perspective between the first and second parts was really important because the ending felt more abrupt, which in this case I think was a good thing because it kind of transmits to the reader some of the sense of loss that My Nuong experiences.
Helen, I think this was a really creative idea! My favorite thing about this class is getting to learn lots of different mythology from various cultures, and I haven't gotten to read any stories from Vietnam yet. That's part of the reason why I enjoyed your stories. The other reason is that they are really well written! I especially liked your first story where you told the narrative about the competition for the princess’s hand from two different perspectives. I noticed in your author's note that you added the part where the princess gets to know each contestant individually - I really like that touch! It definitely made me root for the main characters to be together and to feel the stakes of the competition. I think it could have been interesting if you had added a third perspective and we could have read about the whole incident from the princess’s point of view. But maybe you can do that in a later story. Great job so far - I think this project will be very cool once it’s finished!
ReplyDeleteHi Helen,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading stories from your portfolio. They are very creative. Additionally, thumbs up for the pictures that you choose for each story, it got me curious about visiting Vietnam one day. It also made me imagine the scenes of the story in my mind. I never read a Vietnamese mythology stories until now. My favorite so far is the first story, it taught me that, things in life can be beyond our control but we need to keep pushing and trying because there is always a good outcome from all the experience we will go through. I like how you told the story from Thuy Tinh and Sun tinh perspective but it think i would have enjoyed the story of the whole incident from the princess view. Maybe on your revision day you can add it. I also like how you presented the characters and some words pronunciation at the beginning of each story. Great storybook!
Hi Helen,
ReplyDeleteThis story was so interesting. I love a good romance story, and I can tell that by having the two of their encounters shown, it was more personal. I loved all of your descriptive imagery such as of the girl and even her outfit you added a link to see what an Ao Dai is which I am not familiar with, so I really appreciated this. I LOVE the two different perspectives of both guys' rivalry. I love a good happy ending, so I was a little sad. Great usage of quotations. Overall, AMAZING story. I loved it.
Saint Giong was a really interesting story as well. It took me a bit to understand why the formatting on this was unusual. It appears that there is a big gap on the left hand side of the story after the words "heard him speak." It makes it look like the formatting is a little off.
Hey Helen, I want to say right off the bat that I thoroughly enjoy your storybook! I'm always a fan of learning about different cultures stories, but also the deities that inhabit them. So, definitely reading these two stories was really interesting, and I was excited to learn something new as it went on.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, I like that you used two different formatting styles for the stories. I'm not sure if that was on purpose, but it definitely worked in your favor! For the first story, I like that we got to see the intentions of the two men, but also their inner dialogue. Likewise, the bits you added in really fits into why Vietnam gets its floods, and the same for the second story with everything you added and making it feel more realistic!
There's not much I have in the way of critique besides just going through and maybe rephrasing things if you'd like. Clean up any grammar you find or even add more for certain characters to extend the stories a bit more, and give them more life! Really though, everything looks great and I can't wait to read more.
Hi Helen!
ReplyDeleteI think the images you have are beautiful. The photo on the homepage has a lot to look at from the beautiful water, to the excellent cliffs in the background, people paddling in the water, and the nearby houseboats. For your first story, I like how you had your image go along with the topic of your story. The photo is very expansive, and it makes readers feel like they're high in the sky. One suggestion I could make on the photo is finding a similar photo that also incorporates rain, a river, or some similar body of water. Having both the mountains and a body of water would help tie the idea of "Mountain God vs. Water Lord" together. The photo in the second story is very nice. However, I don't see a dragon in it. Since your story is about a dragon slayer, I might include a photo of a dragon instead of a horse. Also, when it is in cover photo mode, it cuts the head of the horse off. It might need to be repositioned to show the entire statue. I'm looking forward to the rest of your project!
Helen,
ReplyDeleteI'm in the Indian Epics class and our weekly assignment was to come over to this class and comment on a blog. I thought your blog really stood out from the rest. As someone who is Vietnamese myself, I'm glad that somebody decided to share our culture with the rest of your classmates. I found your project idea to be completely unique. Your project layout is really well put together and I found it to be really pleasing. I also liked the fact that you chose images that have some sort of Vietnamese background or influence to them. I liked the fact that you retold the four immortals story. As someone who went to Temple, we learned a lot about the ancient gods and it's nice to see someone put their own twist on it. I look forward to reading more of your stories in the future!
Hi Helen!
ReplyDeleteYour portfolio is really cool. I got the chance to check out all of your stories, as well as the images that go with them. I can tell you put a lot of time and effort into the creative images in your project. I like how you have added banner images as well, I think that adds a nice touch and looks really clean. I think it gives the reader a really good visual of what the story is going to be about.
I also really like how your images encompass what your story is about, and are not just random stock photos, or the first picture you found on your google search. The pictures actually add and element to the story, instead of just being something random to look at.
Great job!
Hi Helen!
ReplyDeleteI liked your storybook!
I think you have a really neat central theme for your storybook!
I feel you did a good job with adding small changes to make the stories your own and give them a folktale feel that most readers would be familiar with.
I think your changes to the second story were very logical and helped flesh out the story and make it a bit more reasonable. I also really enjoyed the detail that you included in that the riddle used was one used in Vietnam. It adds another little layer of detail to the story that's really nice.
I also liked the changes you made to the first story. They helped to make the characters more three-dimensional and interesting, by giving them varying goals and personalities, well done on that front!
Hi Helen,
ReplyDeleteOne of the first things that I caught my eyes about your website was the stunning pictures that you put on the front of your introduction! I'm from Vietnam, and I can definitely tell you that there are many sites such as these in the country. Also, being from Vietnam, I've heard a couple of those stories from my childhood. However, I've yet to find them anywhere online so it's quite surprising for me when I saw this storybook on the list! I've never heard of them translated in English before. The story I liked most about your portfolio was of Son Tinh, the Mountain God. I think you did a great job depicting the story and even added in details that was not mentioned in the original stories. I also liked how you included the perspectives of both of the main characters whenever you were re-telling your story! I look forward to reading more from you.