A paper-first reading field guide
Note When a Reading Prediction Fails
Keep the original prediction, mark the page where it fails, and name the earlier evidence you treated as stronger than it was. End with one revised question rather than a replacement certainty.
A failed prediction is useful reading evidence. Erasing it loses the trail that explains how the book redirected you.
Step 1
Anchor the location
Record the page or chapter before interpreting the moment. Add the current reading boundary when later knowledge could change the note.
Step 2
Original prediction
Freeze the prediction with its original page and date.
Step 3
Failure page
Record the page that makes it untenable and the clue you over-weighted.
Step 4
Revised question
Turn the error into one open question for the next section.