Ghost Stories

Stephen King needs help. It’s Halloween, and Americans unite under the telling of stories that keep us on the edges of our seats. Ghost stories are a tradition passed down from centuries that all contain what spooky-story master Edgar Allen Poe called “the wow effect”. Ghost stories—paranormal or not—leave people in a state of shock and wonder by employing only a few crucial storytelling structures that set the tone for the history of literature. The stories might be made up, and even unnatural, but they still contain truth about the human experience. Stephen King is the modern master of this, but he has run dry of ideas. Students working on this project will explore and identify what really makes a story scary and write their own story to send to Mr. King.

See below to read the stories written by students. To learn more about this project, click here.