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OU Ghost Stories Storybook Link:
https://sites.google.com/view/ou-ghosts/home




















Comments

  1. Hi Ashten!
    I really enjoyed reading your first ghost story about the ghost boy rollerskating in Ellison Hall! Not only was it really interesting to read (I was so into the story and couldn't wait to read it until the end), I also learned SO much from your story about the history of OU and one of its buildings. I knew that some buildings were haunted, but I stay away from that topic because ghosts freak me out (lol). It was really cool how you smoothly merged two seemingly different stories together to create a story that I would have believed to actually been real! One thing I would like to know would be if the ghost boy ever came back? Did any coworkers ever see him again or have anymore interactions after the boy was "caught"? Overall really good story, I'm looking forward to reading the rest of them!

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  2. Hi Ashten!
    What a great way to close off your final semester here at OU than to write stories about it, how exciting! To start off I always love learning about history and interesting facts. So it was neat to learn that Ellison hall used to be an infirmary in the early nineteen hundreds. I think the character you chose to tell the story, the advisor, was a great choice. This is because it was someone believable with a personal tie to the place and building, and not some random passerby. I like the mystery and ghostliness throughout the story that causes the storyteller to second guess herself and consider her memory. The office scene with the boy definitely gave me shivers down my back, which is a good sign of great storytelling on your part. The authors note is precise in that it gives the reader proper background, telling where these stories come from and also the realness of experiencing this ghost among people even today.

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  3. Howdy Ashten!
    I think this is an awesome premise for a storybook! I never would've thought there was enough OU ghost stories to make that source book out of (but I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised given that the university is well over a century old). I really enjoyed your first story. The atmosphere you set in it was excellent, I was getting pretty scared for Linda there for a minute. I actually don't think I've ever been in Ellison Hall, but I'm definitely gonna have to go take a look now. It certainly has a pretty freaky backstory, though I gotta say, I doubt it's as creepy as that "Ghost Hunters" picture makes out. Speaking of pictures, this is just a suggestion, but assuming you're in Norman this semester, this might be a great chance to go take some of your own photos for your storybook. If you've got the inclination, you might even try editing ghosts into them. I promise it's actually a lot easier than it looks. The app "Picsart" makes even my half-baked photoshop skills look professional. I can't wait to see what other OU ghost stories you tell in the future!

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  4. Hi Ashten!
    I stayed away from the ghost stories about the OU campus, because I did not need to be freaking myself out when I was supposed to be paying attention in class, but I am graduating this summer. I figured now was the time! I really liked your story! Focusing on adviser’s point of view was a good choice, I think. It made your story feel more creepy. Being hit by a car and having an asthma attack are very different, so it is interesting that there is debate over which one occurred. ! I have never been in Ellison hall. Your verbs switch from past to present tense in the beginning. “Linda…was staying late”, to “She is sitting in her office”. I think that telling your next story from the point of view of a student would be interesting. I heard people talking about how the Biz is supposed to be haunted, but I have no idea if that is accurate or not.

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  5. Hi Ashten!
    I am so excited about your storybook topic! I love all things spooky and I am sure I am unfamiliar with the majority of the ghost stories on our campus. One thing I noticed was many of the sentences in the roller skating story is that a lot of the sentences begin with "she". Consider changing up the structure of your sentences so that is does not get repetitive. I had no idea Ellison hall used to be an infirmary. That is terrifying and I will definitely be sure to avoid it at all costs. If I had been that advisor, I probably would have quit all together. I like that you finished the story with such a simple sentence that has a great impact.

    In regard to the web setup, I love that you are going to be able to use various pictures from OU's campus. I have always loved the gothic architecture and I think it'll play really nicely into your ghost stories. Are you planning on writing a longer introduction? Perhaps you could use the introduction to explain your writing plans to the readers so they know what they are getting into!

    I am so excited about this topic and will definitely be bookmarking your storybook to stay up to date on the stories so I know which buildings to avoid!
    Brooklin

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  6. Hi Ashten,
    I love ghost stories, and this one feels like a classic. I had no idea Ellison hall used to be an infirmary. I will have to check it out sometime, see if it feels haunted. Most of the places people tell me are haunted on campus are just old; they do not feel inhabited. I grew up in a house built in 1913 so I have had my fair share of interactions with strange phenomenon. Haunted places just feel different (or rather, non-haunted places feel somewhat empty). My roommate and I actually had an experience in the freshman dorms where our door opened on its own. The handle literally turned and opened on its own to reveal an empty hallway. Have you heard any stories about the dorms? Those seem far more likely to be haunted, even though they are not as aesthetically “creepy” as some other buildings on campus. I am excited to see what other ghost stories you have to tell.

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  7. Hi Ashten!
    I love reading ghost stories - especially stories that pertain to aspects of my life or where I live. When I saw you had chosen to write about ghost stories at OU I got so excited! I will definitely be checking out your reference book Campus Ghosts of Norman, Oklahoma.

    Will you be adding an introduction, or are you just going to jump right into the stories? Either way, I'm excited to check it out. The story of the roller skating ghost was creepy! I will be saving your storybook to read more!

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  8. Hi Ashten! I think it is really interesting that you chose to make your first story an actual story rather than an introduction! I am so excited I get to read the first one, however I do think that adding an introduction or a brief overview of what your topic is generally will help the reader a bit more with understanding what to expect!

    I have actually heard this story before which is spooky to me! I have a history minor so I get advised in Ellison hall and one time before I went my friend told me the story and I got super scared and worried about going in there haha. I actually did not know that there was an OU ghost story book! That is super interesting and good to know. That is super creepy that people have heard giggling! Gosh I do not love to hear that haha, but I did get eery feelings when I went into that building one time so I guess it makes sense! I am interested to see which other ghost stories you choose for the OU campus storybook! I know there are plenty of good ones :)

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  9. Ashten,

    I recently have heard some OU ghost stories from one of my friends that is an OU tour guide and have been hooked ever since. There are so many stories about all of the different buildings on campus, some spooky and some not. I have heard of this one briefly, and I really like how you took elements of the story that you read and blended things together to make a story. I also really liked the picture that you incorporated! I thought the format and look of your storybook is very fitting for your theme as well. I wonder how much this impacted Linda? Did she just not stay late at work or did she barely even want to come into work? Also, there were a few tense things you might want to look over. Towards the beginning, you had said things like "Linda was known to stay late..." and "She is sitting in her office." There wasn't anything major, but I just thought you might want to go over these to make sure you are consistent. I really liked your story, and I will definitely be back to hear the rest! Great job!!

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  10. Ashten, I just read your storybook introduction. I first must say that I really like the topic! I think it's fun to incorporate something about our actual campus into this online class, really grounds the project quite a bit and I'm learning about things I see on campus! Also, I think the decision to jump right into the story is definitely a good choice in this case.

    One comment I will make is the tense is a bit confusing. You start out the intro with "It was just a regular day" then tell a lot of the story in present tense. Just something to point out, it would be cool if you wanted to stick with the present tense if you opened up the story and allowed time to unfold like "It's a regular day on campus for Linda." I almost think past tense would work best with your story, like recalling back on the story almost. I don't know, just a thought!

    Anyways, I really liked your story and I am excited to read more of them!

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  11. Hi Ashten, I really enjoyed your first story about the skating ghost in Ellison Hall! I never really knew that OU had ghost stories, so I think that the concept of your storybook is really interesting as well as really relatable as we all attend OU. Your author’s note is really useful as it explains both where you got your information from as well as the background information of all of your stories in good detail. I love a good ghost story and I think that the images that you used both for your banner and before your author’s note really helped to create that sort of creepy vibe. I also really liked the character of Linda and how you developed her character throughout the story. I am interested to see where this story goes as you add more stories. Overall, I think that this is a great first story and I am excited to see where it will go from here!

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  12. Hi Ashten!
    Glad to be back for round two of learning about OU's ghostly past! You did a great job setting up the initial scene for the story, letting the reader slyly identify who will be an important part of the story, the girl and her friend that saves here a couple of times! I really liked the vivid detail in the ghost scenes that helps the reader know exactly what the ghost does to spook the victim.

    There is a spelling mistake in paragraph three in the quote "Who is in her?". And the sentence after that is a little funky to read, so it could use a rewrite or a look over.

    I cant help but ask why you changed the main character to a girl instead of a boy as mentioned in the author's note? Was it relatable more to you as the author or was there another reason? I Wonder if the buildings were still around would we still have occurrences like this today?

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  13. Howdy there Ashten!
    I read your Roller Skating story and I really enjoyed it since I'm familiar with Ellison Hall. Makes the story all the more haunting! I'm going to have to check out that Campus Ghosts of Norman, OK book. There's been a couple times where I've been in the stacks or basement of Bizzell and it's so quiet that I get that brain melting wave of relaxation come over me, but never have I experienced anything I'd call paranormal. If I run into my adviser I'm going to have to ask if she's ever encountered anything spooky in Ellison! I gave it a google and it turns out there's actually someone in the College of Arts & Sciences named Linda, lol. I'm only stating this to hopefully jinks any possibility of her encountering something paranormal! Will you be adding an introduction to your storybook? Looking forward to more ghost stories!

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  14. Hi Ashten!
    I liked your first ghost story so much I just knew I had to come back and see if you had written a second one yet – and I'm glad I did! I like your stories seem so real and relatable, not just because they are based off of real stories, but because you base them off of situations that we all can probably relate to. The one thing in your "exorcism" story I would have loved to see more detail or explanation for was the part about the priest and the ghost and getting to the priest being able to perform the exorcism. You mentioned that it would be a "challenge" and I would have loved to read about the struggles or fight each of them put up. Was there it seemed like the ghost would win? What did the priest have to do to finally take the spirit out? Other than that, great story! I will definitely be coming back for your third!

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  15. Hey Ashton,
    I just finished reading the first two installments on your storybook and I am quite impressed! Both of your stories do an excellent job of immersing the reader in the supernatural of the scenes. I definitely made a mistake reading these stories first in my room alone! One question I did have is where the inspiration came from for your characters and for the storyline for your stories? Did they also come from the book you mentioned in your author's notes, or are they all original? A detail I would love to see added to the second story is fleshing out the exorcism a little more. Like Sara mentioned (the comment above mine), seeing the battle between the priest and the spirit would be really cool and it may give a good opportunity to give some more background on the spirit itself! Overall, I really loved the stories and am excited to see what else there is on our spooky campus!

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  16. Hey Ashton!
    I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading your story. I really enjoyed the way you told the story, using various descriptions to intensify the story more. The Norman Campus stories were not something I had heard of before reading your stories. I had no clue Ellison Hall was an infirmary nor did I know about people hearing a small child's giggle, that is truly horrifying! I also wrote a similar ghost story in my older blogs, I think you would really like it. One thing I would suggest with your story would be the tenses of your story. It's really not a big deal but the past and present tense can be a bit confusing to readers. Other than that, I think your storybook overall looks amazing with great stories. I will be using this as a reminder to book all my advising appointments online rather than visiting Ellison Hall because it actually happens to be where my advisor is stationed as well!

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  17. Ashten, the font on your comment wall is kinda scary. It fits with the spooky tone of your stories. I didn't know there were actual ghost stories about OU. Your first story got me interested in reading and doing some independent research. It's interesting how you write in the present tense. I'm trying to think of someone telling a ghost story around a campfire in that tense. Maybe it would scare kids more?

    "...into bed for quick nap." All you gotta do is add an a! That's in your second story. In the very next line you have a quote. I think you can end it with a comma instead of a period. I'm sure Laura will tell you how to format quotes, so I won't offer any other advice on that. However, you go into past tense at the end of your fourth paragraph. Up to this point it's been present (mostly).

    My grandma's name is Nadine! I've had dreams or maybe not dreams where some kind of entity prevents me from speaking. It's not choking, but when you want to desperately speak and something prevents you from doing so, it's kinda like choking. My mom taught me to say "In the name of Jesus" whenever I was having a nightmare, so whatever was holding me down and covering my mouth knew the power of the words.

    Your second story was scarier. I think it could use a little work with the grammar, but you'll be able to get that sorted out quickly. Your stories are different than most of the ones I've read in this class because they take place in reality. Good job!

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  18. Hello Ashten. I just read your first story and I thought it was really good as I am a big fan of ghost stories. I want to first focus on the end of the story. I thought it was kind of funny how Linda's solution to the ghost problem was just to stop working late. Maybe she could just do some of her work at home. I also wonder if Linda would tell her other co-workers that her office was haunted, or if she would keep it to herself out of fear of being made fun of by her co-workers. I also wonder if the boy ghost is evil. After all, it seems like he was just roller skating and pulling harmless pranks on Linda, so maybe he is a friendly ghost. Overall, I really enjoyed the story as it was not too intense and it had nice pacing. I look forward to reading the rest of your stories as well.

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  19. Ashten,
    What a great storybook you've got her! This storybook feels closer to home than any other (maybe because it is in fact literally taking place close to home). As a college of arts and sciences student myself, I've been into Ellison Hall before without knowing about its history as an infirmary or stories of ghosts . And as someone who is a huge skeptic/non-believer of ghosts, compliments to you for still being able to give me chills while reading these stories. They were told in such a way that was no too far-fetched and supernatural (except for maybe the final part of "The Exorcism" where the priest is actually talking to a ghost) - all of the mysterious light flickering, noises, etc. made for the best type of scary story for me. The author's notes provide great context throughout; I think you did a good job putting your own unique touch on each ghost tale.

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  20. Hi Ashten!
    I keep revisiting your story book every time we do project comment because I love it so much! I read The Exorcism this week. That sounds terrifying! I had no idea that there was an old Tri Delt sorority house. How terrifying for the boy that this happened to! The picture is also very scary and relates well with the story. Your project is very easy to navigate and all of the titles do a good job in giving the reader a sneak peak into the story. It sounds like this was a very vindictive ghosts which makes me sad. I feel sorry for the trapped spirit in a way. If I had been Jenna I would've asked Caroline to sleepover, there is no way I would have tried to sleep again in that room alone. Great job! I love your stories so much and they give insight to some of the haunted history of our campus!

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  21. Hey Ashten!
    I was always so intrigued at the OU ghost stories I've heard around campus! I've always wanted to take one of those tours but I was never able to sadly. I'm mostly familiar with the one with the roller skating kid. What else is crazy is that I've been in that building so many times! Spooky! I'd love to stake out there one night and see what happens haha. I really enjoyed reading your stories as if they were happening to the person. The images were great as well, and after reading the stories, they all seem so erie, even the Casa Blanca image that has no ghost on it! Nicely done and I will definitely be back to read more!

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  22. Hey Ashten! Your storybook is so good! I honestly didn't know OU even had ghost stories, so this was really entertaining. I also liked how you went into detail about the history of each building in your author's notes at the end of each story. My favorite was the second story with the rollerskating boy. I guess I will think twice before going back to Ellison Hall now! Also, I want to go and see Casa Blanca now. I never noticed it on campus, but I'm betting I will now. There were like one or two typos I think, but it was not a big deal for reading. Great job!

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  23. Hi Ashten!
    What a great idea for a storybook! I'll be honest and say that I was a bit hesitant in reading it though, because I get easily spooked by scary stories. But I'm glad I powered through and read your third story "Exorcism" since it was really entertaining! I can't believe OU has so much history with ghosts that there was a whole book written about it. It's at least nice to know that the original building is no longer there. I like that you used present tense throughout the whole story because it feels like I'm experiencing the moments in real time with the characters. Nice work!

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  24. Hi Ashten!
    I read your first story about the roller-skating ghost in Ellison Hall a while ago. I came back to read your other stories! The one about the sorority girls was more lighthearted than the others! I think that one was my favorite, just for the sheer ridiculousness of it all. The ghosts turning the lights off because the boys changed too fast is something else. In your author’s note, you did not explain why the sorority girls haunted their old house. Did something happen and they died at the house? The one about the exorcism was the scariest in my opinion! Your comment about you not saying that the dorms now were not haunted was hilarious. What made you decide to change the gender of the person involved in that story? In your author’s note, you mention that you are doing it, but you do not say why. Overall, great stories!

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  25. Ashten,

    I had not heard of two out of your three stories! I think it is very fascinating to learn more about things around campus, and your stories definitely drew me in! I love to learn more about campus, and it's crazy that there are accounts of these things happening. I, too, had no idea what the Casa Blanca building was, so it was cool to learn more about that. AFter looking at your book, do you think there are more peaceful ghost stories on campus or more harmful ones such as the choking? I am curious as to all the things that have been reported. I thought your author's notes were great and told me exactly how you altered the original story. They gave me great background information regarding the stories as well!! I think it would so cool if you made a little list of all the stories you have heard about on campus and what buildings they are located in. That would be extra work, but selfishly, I would love to hear about the history of a ton of places.

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  26. Hi Ashten,
    I was really drawn to your storybook because I have never heard of the OU ghost stories. I do not know how that is possible since I have been here for 4 years now. I really like how you balance out your stories with having two not-harmful ghosts but the last one is really scary. I was wondering what drew you to the ghost stories at OU? Also, do you believe that there are ghosts on OU, or did you just enjoy the stories? I really enjoyed the stories that you told and how close you kept them to the original stories. The pictures that you used along with the stories really helped to paint the picture, especially the picture with the roller-skating story. That story made me really sad once I read that the ghost was a young boy. Wonderful job on your storybook, it was great!

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  27. How's it going Ashten?
    I remember when my best friend and I were about to enter our freshman year at OU her mom had gotten her the same book you used as inspiration. I don't think either of us ever read it, so it is cool to see stories based off of it! I really liked you story about the Roller Skating ghost, especially since I myself have made a few trips to Ellison Hall. I wonder if the security cameras ever caught some of the boy's actions. Like, if the footage could see when the roller skate tracks suddenly began to form. The photo along with the story gives me the chills and fits the vibe perfectly! When you first chose to do these ghost stories did you visit these places? I think i might just have to read that book that my friend's mom gave her. Awesome stories with awesome, creepy vibes!

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  28. Hi Ashten! What a brilliant idea for a storybook - local legends are really fun, and by focusing on campus ghost stories you kept it REALLY local! As much as I hear references to OU apparitions, I've never actually heard any of the ghost tales myself, so I was quite excited to read your storybook.
    The pace of your storybook is great, perfect for ghost stories, and I like that you work dialogue into these stories as well! I feel like dialogue is not something you often find in a whole lot of ghost stories, as they're all pretty centered around the actions and origins of the ghosts, but the dialogue added an element of closeness to the action for your reader.
    Since this week we're meant to focus on paragraphing, I will say that there were some places I thought you could add some paragraph breaks, like during dialogue - adding a paragraph break between speakers helps provide a visual cue that the speaker is changing. There are also some places where I felt you could move the break, such as when the last sentence of a previous paragraph is more connected with the next paragraph (or vice versa, when the first sentence of a following paragraph is more connected with the paragraph prior). For example, in The Exorcism, you describe Caroline's boyfriend just before he tells the girls he's gonna go check out Jenna's room, but there's a paragraph break between the description and the relevant bit of action. If you moved the paragraph break to before "Caroline's boyfriend..." this may flow better - or, you could move the break to "Caroline comes out of her room...", and add another after "There is nobody in the room."
    I think of paragraph breaks kind of like punctuation in a way, but a kind of punctuation where you're using the visual space on a page to show the reader something. This can be pretty useful in suspenseful stories like ghost tales! By adding a paragraph break after an eerie creepy statement like "There was nobody there" you're adding a sense of suspense in a way, giving the reader's eyes a visual pause (dramatic effect!) beyond the easily glanced-over period.

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  29. Hi Ashten!
    I think this is the third time I have commented on your storybook... it's just that good! I read the most famous OU ghost this week. I think your paragraph breaks make sense and it was easy for the reader to follow, so I don't think any changes are needed there. I would suggest making the author's note a smaller font or something that makes it differ from the body of your story. I also got this suggestion on my storybook. I hadn't even realized that it kind of blends in, so I changed the font size and now I think it looks better! I had heard about the Biz ghost, luckily I haven't spent much time there since Freshman year. I think its great that you added your own experience int he author's note about hearing the story from a professor. It seems to hold more weight when an adult originally told you. Did the professor believe the story? Or did she just believe it was a myth passed through generations at OU? I have about two weeks left before I graduate. I will definitely not spend a second of those two weeks in the stacks. Great job! I am so sad that this class is ending because that means no more ghost stories! I might just have to go get that book you cited in your author's note.

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  30. Wow! What a fantastic idea to tell of the ghost stories from our own campus! I love reading and learning about the paranormal, so reading your stories was a lot of fun!

    I've heard about the ghost in the library! I often studied in the upstairs area and would sometimes listen to the tour guides that would come through and talk about it. The stacks are definitely creepy! Especially when you're alone! Great job with the imagery in this part. It sent chills down my arm when I read about the ghost talking to her. So eerie! I think it was an excellent idea to include a picture of the stacks. You might think about including it at the part of the story where it is being described, it might help the reader to better visualize the scene.

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  31. I love the way that you used the school history and compiled it together to make a whole page. It is so creative and I must say that it was great reading all of your story. I have been at OU for not a long time, but I did hear some ghost stories about it.

    I have been to the Bizz almost everyday when school was back on full campus. I camped there with a bunch of my friends almost every time I get to the Bizz I stay until like 2am all the time. Sometimes I needed some quiet time so I went to the reading room at like midnight and that room even freak me out just by the fact how quiet it is in there and the light was not so bright at all.

    I have been the stacks a few time and I learned that to never go there alone. I heard that the first at OU and It freaks me out to even think about going there alone.

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