In case you couldn't tell from the incredibly boring title, I am not great at talking about myself. I always have a hard time deciding what actually makes me interesting or what people want to hear about me so I'll start with the basics. I am a senior chemical engineering major here at OU. I have three cats at home but they're a pretty new addition so I don't have any pictures yet (sad I know). I've always wanted a dog but my mom doesn't like them so here we are. I never tell anyone I'm from somewhere since my family has moved almost every three years since I can remember. To date I have lived in: Hazen, ND, Salt Lake City, UT, San Antonio, TX, Ardmore, OK, San Antonio, TX (again), Nashville, TN, Prosper, TX, and of course Norman, OK. Moving around so much gave me a lot of appreciation for new places and new people. I enjoy traveling and am not afraid to go somewhere new. After graduation, I will be moving to Memphis, TN to start my new job! (Photo
Hi Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI had a great time reading through your storybook project website. I love your opening banner image on the first page. Excellent choice in imagery to gain the attention of your target audience. Wow, your introduction was a fun read. I am sure that getting cold feet before a wedding is a feeling that many can relate to. Your retelling of this phenomena was excellent. It was also incredibly clever to use the strategy of multiple people giving advice and calming nerves to present your stories. Your intro really had me on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait to hear the story that the grandma tells in hopes of calming her down. Will it work? I also enjoyed how you jumped right in to the scene. At first, I was a bit lost and thought I needed more background info, but you do a wonderful job of setting the scene in this introduction.
-Andy
Hi Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI loved your site: the colors, pictures, story, everything. It is all so wonderful to see. I like how you jumped right into the story. At first, I was a little confused about what your storybook was going to be about. After getting to the end, I figured it out. The background of your storybook is something that is very relatable to a lot of people. Most people get cold feet before a wedding just because it is a very big commitment even if people have been together for a long time! I like how we know what the stories are going to entail as well as who is going to tell them, but there is a little suspense at the end. I really want to know what Nana's story is! Nana is always the wisest haha. I loved your introduction, but I would just fix some grammar issues with commas between independent phrases. Other than, everything looks great.
Hey Meghan,
ReplyDeleteFor my first impression, I really like the design of the site. The design is simple and clean, and I really like how the colors pop. My only suggestion on style would be making the background of the text a constant color. I found it a little hard to read since the colors of pink kept varying behind the text. You wrote a very solid introduction, and I can see how you are setting up this storybook for stories from each friend of the bride to be. I do hope all these stories help calm Caroline down. It would be quite a plot twist if still after all these stories, she still had cold feet and wanted to leave. I am intrigued to see what type of stories you think will calm a nervous bride down two hours before a wedding. I do hope the best for the bride and her soon to be husband!
Hey there Meghan,
ReplyDeleteThis was a fantastic read and I really enjoyed reading through your storybook website. Right away I was drawn in by the opening banner as it is so captivating. Your introduction was so captivating I couldn’t read fast enough to see how they were going to calm the lucky lady down. But I guess now I will just have to wait for the next story to come out to hear nana’s story to Caroline. I was very clever how you used multiple people in this small introduction. I really enjoyed how this story jumped straight into action and really got the tempo of this storybook project rolling. I was a little confused at first with little background information, but it was all cleared up and the scene of the storybook was set up perfect. The way you retold the action of getting cold feet before a wedding was great. I look forward to reading your future stories!
-Drew
Hi Meghan!
ReplyDeleteI read your storybook introduction and first story! I think the set up for your storybook is really clever, and I love how the introduction leaves me on the edge of my seat as to whether Caroline's family will be able to reassure her. I think the length and pacing of your introduction is spot-on, as well. There was enough detail for me to get a good sense of what was going on in the story, but not too much detail that it became difficult to read. I also really liked the layout of your introduction page!
The transition from your introduction to your first story is really effective. I like that the grandmother is telling Caroline this folktale. It definitely feels very nostalgic, like when my grandparents would tell me stories when I went over to visit them as a kid! My only critique of your storybook so far is that I don't know if the first story is really all that reassuring? I think the story is really well-written, and it works all the way up until where the queen drugs the king! I think if my partner drugged me and then kidnapped me, I wouldn't wake up and suddenly want to take them back. I'd probably be more sure than ever that our relationship wasn't right. I think if you maybe altered the way that the queen wins the king back, then the story would be more reassuring and make a little bit more sense.
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS STORYBOOK
ReplyDeleteHello, Meghan
As you may have noticed, I am greatly enjoying your storybook. The design is perfect, the introduction is amazing (so believable and also heartwarming!), and the story is fantastic. We stan a strong and clever queen. I also really like the name Eleanor. Basically, I'm a big fan of everything you're doing.
Questions: When you say the Queen's house, do you mean the peasant's home where she grew up? How did the Queen get him there? Did she carry him herself? Because that would be totally badass.
Maybe you could elaborate a little bit on the moment the King realizes that his wife loves him and that he made a mistake.
I also think you could add a sentence about Caroline reflecting about her fiance. This could be as simple as "Caroline thought about it as her grandmother left the room."
Great job so far. Best storybook I've yet to read.
Hi Megan!
ReplyDeleteI really love the creativity that you're using in your storybook! I couldn't have thought this up in a million years. You did a great job telling the story and it read seamlessly. I especially liked that you were able to change the source story to give it a clear moral for the bride-to-be. Also, adding a physical item to go along with each story is a great touch. Something that didn't make sense to me was the ultimatum in the later half of the story. What exactly is that ultimatum? I also thought that the story ended a bit abruptly. It's the end of a chapter in the book, but you could still tie it up nicely (unless that is the feeling you intended to give the reader)! Another note is for your website. You could add some more wedding-like backgrounds and whatnot to give your website more character, like floral backgrounds or something similar. Great story!
Hey, Meghan!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really fantastic idea for providing a structure for a frame tale! I personally love frame tales -- they let you tell a variety of stories while still maintaining an element of plot coherence for the reader. Flavoring a series of romantic stories as "wedding advice" is great; you've got so many great stories to choose from and you've selected a good one as your first entry.
I also really like the way that you weave in and out of story and "sub-story". Leaving in the narration at the end of the retelling of "The Peasant's Clever Daughter" is a neat way of wrapping things up and bringing them back to the wedding scene. In this manner, you give a moral of the story and then tie it in nicely to your structure.
I'm excited to see what comes next -- your cliffhanger with the knock on the door left me wondering who's about to drop by!
Hi Meghan!
ReplyDeleteI am now back! I was so excited to read this story of yours after the dreaded cliffhanger. I want to point out some of your creativity that I really appreciate. The title of this chapter is "SOmething Old", which really goes along with what Grandma gives. I wonder if she will get "Something New" next. Also, the page is beautiful with the flowers. The story you told was so good! I am glad for once people appreciate women for their intelligence and cleverness than just beauty! One thing I was a little confused on was why did the king wake up and realize that he was wrong. Why did the queen wrap the king in the quilt and carry him home? Other than that and some small grammatical problems, I think this story is a real winner! You can also add some dialogue to make the story flow better, but what you have here is very good already. I can't wait to see what twists are up next!
Hi Meghan!
ReplyDeleteI actually had stumbled onto this page a couple weeks ago and was delighted to see that you had added the second part to the story. I really can say that I loved the second part just as much as the first. I always used to read books and go by a chapter a night. It would always make me extremely excited to read the next chapter because I wanted to know what was going to happen. Your storybook is exactly like that - so great job! I also found it really cool how you weaved a story within a story, which can often be hard to do. This reminded me of the Princess Bride movie, if you haven't seen it you should definitely check it out. I really am wondering if you are planning on adding a third story to this? Maybe go more into the wedding and how everything all pans out. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it and also really liked the design of your storybook. It weaves into the story and the pictures you added along with the background really helped with the tone. Continue to do what you are doing, as you are doing an absolutely fantastic job.
Hey Meghan!
ReplyDeleteI love how creative your story was. Also, the way you created an overarching story and then inserted additional stories within it was really interesting. Each section was pretty well written and kept me captivated. There were a few grammatical errors but nothing too major.
As far as your site goes, I love the background images you chose. They were pretty and nice to look at as I read. I couldn't find a link to your Comment Wall but I might have missed it. Also, the titles were really cute and I loved the way they connected the bridal theme with the stories and the gifts given.
Finally, I haven't read the original stories you retold but you did it in a way that was clear and made sense, I was never confused nor did I feel like I needed to read the original to understand fully. The changes you made were flawless so I never would have guessed they weren't part of the originals and they fit in with the over arching story as well. I am eager to read the next stories and will be checking back.
Elyse
Hey Meghan, I’m loving your storybook so far! You’ve chosen a relatively simple theme and have done a great job finding stories and modifying them to suit the overall story you’re creating. I’ve read both of the stories you’ve chosen so far, but I love the way you’ve rewritten them, especially with putting an emphasis on how the female protagonist has the choice in the end. I don’t see any issues with your writing or grammar; the only thing I’m going to suggest is that when the secondary character is telling the story, you use italics to indicate that the story is being told. For example, in your first story, it jumps straight from the story to the grandmother talking. I think using italics will help the reader identify between what you’re retelling and what your original work is. I assume you’re following the “old, new, borrowed, blue” wives’ tale, and I can’t wait to see what your next stories are!
ReplyDeleteMadison
Hi Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI just love these stories! I am back just in time for "Something New". Just reading this, I like the interjections between Caroline and Isabella as Izzy is telling the story. It really brings to life the story telling feature. Cinder Lad! What a good name! I am already trying to figure out the ending. Awe, I love his personality so much, very persevering with charm. I am sure he will capture her heart. The end left me with questions that were answered immediately. I liked how the stories are all different but there is a simple lesson to be learned at the end. Also, I would read through it again. It seems like there were some words missing at some times! I wonder what Michael was doing during all of these. You could possibly add like a small part that flashes to Michael and let the readers know how he is handling up. Your story is already great, so not necessary. I cannot wait to read the next chapter.
Hey Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI'm back! I was excited when your story popped up in the generated. I was eager to see what would happen next. In your Something Borrowed story, I loved how you kept things close to the original. Sometimes, a good story doesn't need any help. It was an interesting tale already. I like how honesty paid off and the poor, mistreated girl won in the end. I have to imagine it would be hard to have a husband no one else could see but at least he's rich!
As far as your story goes, it was well written overall, I just noticed a few grammar errors that could be fixed pretty quickly by a read through. For instance, you wrote "there one" when I think you meant 'there once'. Other than that it looks great. It fit really nicely with the rest of the stories so far. The background reminded me of perhaps a wooden sled or the wooden floor of a lodge. It tied in nicely with the theme.
Great job so far! I will return,
Elyse
Hi again Meghan,
ReplyDeleteAs I said in my previous comment, I think your storybook concept is highly entertaining and enjoyable. It's such a sweet and cute idea. Your overall design is strong. The color scheme works well with the romantic theme of the storybook and the images you include just add to that. Your different pages all complement each other really well while still being unique to the story they hold. I love all of the images you chose, however on the Something Borrowed page, I find your story is kind of hard to read. A possible solution to this would be to enlarge the text, or if you didn't want to do that maybe you could pick a new background.
I am glad you gave Princess Caroline a choice in Something New. I know the old folk tales usually don't consider women's rights to choose their own suitors so I appreciate this change.
Hi Meghan!
ReplyDeleteI love this. I like the premise of using folk tales to help a bride with cold feet. I like how everything ties together so nicely, the four items (old, new, borrowed, blue) each with a story that it relates to and a lesson from each story. Beautifully done. I like your use of art to kind of illustrate the items each person gives the bride. I like the varying backgrounds to give each story a different feel. However, the background you used for the something old story makes it very difficult to read some of the text. Sometimes the formatting when your editing doesn't match the formatting after it's published, and I would suggest using the "View Published Site" button ( accessed by the drop-down arrow on the publish button) to make sure that the published site looks how you want it to. I hope this helps!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey Meghan
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your work and I love how you presented the something old, something new, and something borrowed. I enjoyed the experience of the bride in your stories and I truly enjoyed everything that you have written.
Hi again Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI am back again for this next story. I just love these so much. I like how each character has a unique personality, and I can personally relate to Lauren. I feel like I am that kind of friend for my friends, one who is quirky and goofy but very helpful too. One thing about your story I really enjoy is the interjection between Caroline and Lauren. I like the simplicity and indirectness of the story. I thought the lesson would be that Caro and Michael were unique for each like the couple in the story with the girl only being able to see the girl. Your lesson was way better; it talked about characteristics that relationships must have. I love how your picture is always something unique and relating to the story and the gift given.
I wonder what your inspiration was for the design of the storybook. Is the wedding a rustic theme? Can't wait to find out how it ends! Good job!
Hey Meghan!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time getting to look at your storybook website. You did a great job laying it all out! From the colors, to the pictures, to the natural progression of the stories, it looks great.
I will say when I first began reading through the stories, I was a bit confused. However, as I kept reading, it all became more clear.
You did a great job of writing a story about a real-life event. As painful as it is to admit, people do get cold feet before a wedding and things can get nuts. You also did a really good job of keeping me engaged through each story. While the endings were not always shocking, there were enough twists and turns along the way to keep me guessing! I’m looking forward to seeing how the end of your storybook turns out. Best of luck the rest of the way!
JD
HI Meghan! I really like your idea for your portfolio. The titles you have are all fitting together in a good theme. I'm pretty sure your last title will be something blue! I think that's some kind of wedding saying, but I have never been married so I'm not super sure! Thematically everything on your page is very well connected. I would say that this is one of the best pages I have seen in terms of it all flowing together. I really liked your something new story! The way that you seamlessly tell the story as well as have the friends talk back in forth between it is some high-level writing. The way that Izzy gave the advice was sooo good. I think that not only was that a good take on the story, but it also gave me hope that maybe someday I will find love. Overall great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI want to start off by saying that I loved the story within your "Something Borrowed" storybook. I liked the message of the story. Many of the girls wanted to marry him for his wealth, incapable of seeing him as he was, but more drawn to his wealth. There is something to be said about love, and seeing someone, truly seeing someone in this story. I also like how one of the main takeaways that you pointed out was honesty and believing in yourself.
In your author's note, you do a great job of referencing and linking to the original story in which you based your narrative upon. I appreciate the background you gave about the Mi'kmaq people. I think you give an adequate background of the original story, as well as how you changed it. It was a really good story, and you did an excellent job with your author's note.
Hey Meghan,
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I have seen your storybook and I am just so impressed. First off, I love the theme, the colors, the layout, and the titles. What a perfect way to hint at what the story is going to be about. To be honest I was a little confused as to what was going on at first, but the more I read, the more it came clear to me.
I think your story was so well written, especially because this could be a real life event. Unfortunately, people do get cold feet before they get married. You did a really good job of keeping me engaged the whole time throughout your story. The author's note looks really good in each chapter. I think incorporating part of the traditional story along with your own interpretation make for a really great story. Can’t wait to read the finished product! Good luck with the rest of the semester.
Hey there Meghan!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed how your storybook has this connecting thread of the wedding in the modern day. I think it really provides a common theme of love and a familiar setting and situation for the reader to connect with. I also love how the chapter titles tie in with “Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” tying in to your wedding theme. The only thing I could really think to change is some of the formatting- with the bulk of the text being italic, it can be a little hard to continue to focus on the words in the story. I think you have a really creative concept, and I can’t wait to see what the “Something Blue” is, as well as what happens with Lauren and Michael’s wedding! I also really enjoy your author’s notes; I feel like they’re very informative and I’ve enjoyed reading about myths I was not previously familiar with.
Hi Meghan!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you and your storybook! It is excellent! I was pulled into reading a story because of your storybook page title. The intro was very entertaining and I was curious about where it was going so I went further and read your Something Old story. You wrote a story within a story and I have to say I am impressed! When the grandmother was telling Caroline the story about the King and Queen I almost forgot the story was not about them. It was about Caro! I loved how you came up with interesting ways to make the peasant daughter clever. Then how her grandmother used her story to helped remind Caro of why she was getting married in the first place. Also, since this week is about paragraphs I took notice on how well you sectioned off your story into paragraphs. Your story reads so well already, but I am sure the paragraphs helped also. Awesome writing!! I am headed back now to finish reading your other stories!
Hi Meghan! I'm from the Indian Epics Class. I really loved the concept of your storybook, how you created a pages from Something Old, Something New, etc. It really works with your theme and connects each story to the larger theme. Most of my suggestions are based on aesthetics and not content-which is good because that is the easiest! Your story texts are spaced out and bold. This is not a huge problem because the whole text is bold but the two together can kind of distract the reader and make it hard to focus on the story since your story is not super short. I have two recommendations. One would be to combine sentences into paragraphs. The second is to leave the spaces, but keep sentences kind of similar (one setting, one idea) together and put even larger spaces between the separating ideas. This lets the readers know this is a new thought but also can keep the subtle nature your original spacing provides.
ReplyDeleteHi Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I've had the opportunity to read any of your stories before. I love how each of your stories follows a specific part of the popular wedding quote. You did such a great job incorporating each story into each specific part of the saying. I also really love the background and look of your site. It definitely gives the reader a good idea of the content they will be able to find on your site and the themes and topics of your stories.
I love how much dialogue you included in your stories. You did such a great job of giving the reader a subtle peak inside of the character's brains and allowing them to see how they are feeling and what they are thinking.
Great job this semester!
Hey Meghan, I am currently in the Indian Epics class so I have missed out on a lot of possibly great stories from your class, but now that I have had the opportunity to read some of your classes storybooks and portfolios, I am so excited to give some feedback because I loved this one! The title was definitely something that intrigued me because you utilize wedding quotes and base your story off of them in a way that I think a lot of people would find interesting. Also, your structuring and format was nicely created because sometimes I find myself getting lost in the setup of the stories, but I think yours allowed me to flow through it, while taking in the entire story and understanding what you were trying to portray! Great job!
ReplyDeletehey Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed your stories and I admire how well you have taken each of those steps of preparing for a marriage and created a story from each of them. I also have enjoyed getting to learn your characters through these lessons that are taught through the stories. I also felt like I was there with the bride the entire time. It was almost like I could put myself into the shoes of the bride and could only just imagine how happy the day would be. I am very glad to see these stories come to life in this amazing way. You definitely have a talent for storytelling keep up the good work.
Hey Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI was so eager to come back and finish reading your project. All of it was so captivating and well written. I love your suitor test stories, especially since in them, we see the strength of the women testing their suitors. In this last story, I enjoyed the fact that the princess chose the test and also chose who passed. The fact that it was her friend and not one of the powerful strangers was very sweet. I also loved the way you tied the stories being told to the overarching story, both with what was going on and with the items everyone gave Caroline. Even though the parts about the bride and her entourage were brief, you made me care for them all and want to know more about them. I am glad it also had a happy ending and that Caroline was able to say 'I do' to her groom.
You did such a great job! This was my favorite project of the semester.
-Elyse