Month: September 2012

Six Sentence Sunday – Between World Revisited

On By Stephanie IngramIn Six Sentence Sunday, Uncategorized, Writing8 Comments

Oh, Six Sentence Sunday, we meet again. How I’ve missed you so.

Don’t know the rules to play our little game? Click HERE and prepare to be dazzled. There are many brilliant authors waiting for you to sample their six.

As for mine? Oh, it’s a tough one. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t like anything I’ve written. I realize that sounds a tad depressing but it’s kind of a good thing. When I look back and re-read, I come across a million things I’d like to change. I’m seeing mistakes that I’ve made that I’m itching to fix. Perhaps what I’m trying to tell myself is that it’s time to sit down and do a little rewriting? Make those stories shiny and new?

Perhaps.

Let’s begin with The Between World, shall we? It is my first (and at this point only) self-published novel and is essentially the story of a woman lost in life who suffers a terrible car accident, which for all intents and purposes, should have killed her. Her handsome rescuer, it turns out, is not from this world and for reasons, which even I can’t explain as the author, she gets all needy and clingy from the start. Whew! High maintenance this one. Not only, Yalen, will you have to save her boring life as saleswoman but then she’s going to refuse to hit the road when she’s well enough to do so. (ha!) How is that for gratitude when you’ve just broken the rules of your world to save this crazy girl in the first place?

Yalen needs to forcibly send her back to the earthly world where her injuries force her to move back home with her dad and face the small town that she tried to leave behind. She also must confront former best friend / love interest Neil that Dad makes it clear that he still desperately wants her to hook up with. Good grief, Dad, worry about your own life, would ya? Nina doesn’t remember Yalen but she knows there was someone… she’s left with strange longings she can’t quite explain. Settling for a mere mortal just isn’t good enough anymore. And geez Louise, Neil is engaged anyway.

Yalen ruffles the feathers of his superiors and because he works for a sadistic bunch, they send him back to earth to seek and destroy. Now he’s forced to kill the crazy woman that he wasted all that time saving. How is that for a thankless job? Nina senses something the moment he sets foot in the bookstore where she works. She wants him bad because he makes her tingly but she’s also terrified of him. I guess rightly so since he’s planning to kill her and all. All in a day’s work. Just in case Yalen decides to chicken out, Charlie is keeping a watchful eye. We’ll find out later that Charlie was in on the whole conspiracy.

And just in case you didn’t guess it, Yalen does indeed have second thoughts when he sees this hot chick. He’s falling in love with her. Gosh darn it, leave it to love to get in the way of killing a girl and moving on with life, right? Good thing Yalen also catches a whiff of the conspiracy going on here so he’ll at least dig a little deeper before following through on orders anyway. He lures Nina into the woods and then tells her that her mother didn’t actually commit suicide. Now, I don’t know about you but if I had to move forward after my mother’s suicide when I was only 17, I might not appreciate some stranger showing up at my door years later to tell me that it was all a joke and I might not to be feeling so romantic when the psycho tries to kiss me out here in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know. Maybe that’s just me?

I guess I shouldn’t give away the whole story. After all, now that you’re enticed into reading it (?), you’re going to want to find out for yourself how this crazy mess resolves itself. Trust me, it gets weird. But there are good things as well and I hope that since I’ve distanced myself a bit that I can focus on pulling out the parts I like and creating a better story.

You with me?

Good… Now here are my six for the day. I’ve stolen these from the end of chapter two after the accident and after Yalen and Nina’s initial meeting. Happy Reading!
***

They were pictures, frozen in time of events either past or yet to come. Were they real or imagined? She continued to watch until it occurred to her the one thing that all of the images had in common: not one of them included her. The revelation left her feeling unsettled and she managed to turn her attention to a darkness that existed just beyond the slideshow. Her mind went quiet and she relaxed. Only Yalen’s face lingered in her memory.

What’s Up?

On By Stephanie IngramIn Writing1 Comment

The sky, of course.

And besides that, it might be a good time to give you an idea of what to expect from me in the days ahead. I’m participating in two challenges, one new and one old, and I’m pretty excited about both of these.

First of all, in October I’m trying a blog challenge courtesy of Jane Ann McLachlan. I’ve never participated in a challenge to write blog posts before but I’ll do pretty much anything for a little inspiration when it comes to writing. Jane’s challenge interested me right away because I’d already been in a nostalgic mood and thinking about putting that to use in my blog. Her challenge will help to focus that nostalgia for me.

Jane’s challenge presents us with this theme:

“Write a memory or reflection for each of the first 25 years of life. It can be a personal memoir from your life, a reflection on turning a certain age, a recollection of someone else at that age, a poem or a photo, on the ages 1 to 25.”

The challenge?

To write at least 25 of these posts in the month of October. (Eeeks!) Admittedly, this is going to be a tough one for me.

From what I gather, flexibility and creativity in this theme are welcome so it won’t have to be just be a boring rendition of, “this one time at band camp…”

I’ve not found an official linky list or sign-up sheet for this challenge but if you click on the link I attached above, you’ll find all the details that you need to participate if you so desire.

Once we make our way through October, it’s November! November! November! Don’t know why I’m excited about November? Have you been living under a rock? November is National Novel Writing Month, aka Nanowrimo. You can find the details and sign-up on the official site HERE.

(Add me as a buddy while you’re at it. My user name is StephIngram.)

The challenge?

50,000 words in the month of November!

I know a lot of fellow writers who plot and plan, fill out outlines and character sheets, and have a pretty good idea of what they want to write before they sit down on November 1st and let the words start flowing but me? Nah. I embrace the challenge wholeheartedly. I look at Nanowrimo as my time to PLAY! When I sit down on November 1st, at first I might have a scene in my head or the seed of an idea starting to take root but I won’t know who my characters are and I won’t know what sort of mischief they plan to get up to over the course of the next thirty days. I realize some writers consider this reason for heart palpitations and cold sweats but to me, it’s pure bliss.

I just want to write and create and not care about whether the end result is actually reader-worthy. (As a matter of fact, history proves that it won’t be.) But that’s kind of the point, right? The rest of the year my inner editor gets to tell me that what I’m writing isn’t good enough or try to push me into a direction that I feel like I should take, rather than want to take. During November, it’s goodbye editor and hello fun.

And let’s face it, the Nanowrimo forums and community offer new friendships, encouragement, and inspiration for the entire month. Writing 50,000 words in a single month in and of itself isn’t really anything special or exciting but doing it alongside a multitude of other like-minded people is what gives it that special sparkle. (Don’t believe me? Try it! I dare you…)

To make it even sweeter, this isn’t just any old year for me doing Nanowrimo. This is an anniversary of sorts. This is my 5th year!! I first discovered and participated in Nanowrimo in 2008. I didn’t know what to expect that year and I didn’t expect to write 50,000 words but I surprised myself and I did it. By the end of it, I was hooked and I went on to win in 2009, 2010, and 2011. This year will be no exception.

So, what does this mean to you? Well, in essence, it means that once you’ve suffered through a month of reminiscing with me about my first twenty-five years of life, I’m going to drag you straight into the madness that is Nanowrimo. Consider yourself warned.

So… Are you with me or against me? What challenges will you embrace over the coming months?

Tuesday Photos – Fall at Morraine State Park

On By Stephanie IngramIn PhotosLeave a comment

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m dangerous with a camera in my hands. Plant me in the midst of a pretty day during my favorite season and you’ve got a recipe for a photo extravaganza! I’ve always had a fascination with taking pictures of people and places and in the past, I’ve shared some of those here on my blog. Today, I’m planning to share a couple of my favorites from Morraine State Park.

Every year we make it a family tradition to enjoy a picnic there with my parents at the beginning of October. These photos are a few of my favorites from last year’s adventure. (Perhaps I’ll soon have some new faves to share from this year?)

As a matter of fact, I am starting with one of my favorite photos of all. I love this one so much that it’s been my desktop wallpaper since I downloaded it. I smile every time I look at it…

Don’t you love those brilliant colors? When you look at a photo like this, how can you not fall in love with autumn in Pennsylvania?

Same place, slightly different, but just as beautiful…

Take my hand and walk with me?

Do you see the moon?

Thanks for taking a walk with me on this beautiful fall day. I hope you enjoyed looking at my photos as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing them. 🙂

Six Sentence Sunday – I Have No Sympathy

On By Stephanie IngramIn Six Sentence Sunday, Writing4 Comments

It’s that time again … If you’ve taken the time to click on my blog then there is likely only one reason you’re here. You want to see my six.

Lucky for you, I’ve got six.

My current work-in-progress has hit a brick wall for the moment and still stands without a title. However, when I left you last Sunday, I did so with a promise that I’d return with an introduction to the third player in Nathanial and Sarah’s strange love triangle. Sarah may not remember much from her past but there are two mysterious men that have shown up in her life, both claiming to have a history with her. The second man we meet is Max and as you’ll see from the brief interaction pasted below, Max is holding a grudge…

***

“All I remember are bits and pieces of my childhood. There is an entire chunk of my life that was torn away from me and I don’t even know why.”

“Why? I will tell you why!” he shouted at her, “Because you are a selfish fool that risked us all for your own gratification! That’s why. I have no sympathy for you.”

***

Ouch, Max! Is this really the way to win a girl’s heart? Hmmm… we shall see. If nothing else, Max will certainly shake things up a bit for her.

Thanks for checking out my six. Now hop on over to the official website HERE and check out some of the other great participants in the Six Sentence Sunday fun.

Until we meet again…

Who is the Tooth Fairy Anyway?

On By Stephanie IngramIn Family and Fun3 Comments

My son lost his first tooth during an afternoon at school on Tuesday. This may not sound exciting, but to us it was a monumental occasion – one that we’d been waiting for a long time. Since he’s the oldest, he gets to lead the way for all the growing up firsts … first fistfuls of mushy baby food, first words, first steps, first to start school, and now first lost tooth. The Tooth Fairy finally gets to make a stop at our house.

With any new experience comes a lot of questions. I expect those. What really intrigues me are the answers that the kids come up with. For example, what will the Tooth Fairy bring me when I leave my tooth under the pillow? Opinions vary. My oldest said $10. (!) My second oldest stated rather matter-of-fact that the Tooth Fairy always brings gold. Apparently he dresses all in green as well. I believe he’s got the Tooth Fairy mixed up with a Leprechaun. (Too bad because the gold would be nice.) Maybe the Tooth Fairy brings toys? Ummm… probably not.

Once we established that the Tooth Fairy probably wouldn’t fill our pockets with riches and leave presents under the bed… that left us to answer the question, so who is this Tooth Fairy anyway? I caught my two oldest locked in the middle of a heated debate over whether the Tooth Fairy was actually a boy or a girl. My immediate reaction, of course, was to settle the argument – the Tooth Fairy is a girl, just like all fairies. (Right?)

The kid persisted in his assertion that the Tooth Fairy is a boy and after I thought about it, I decided … Well, why the hell not? Who am I to reinforce gender stereotypes to my five-year old when fairies don’t even exist? We live in a world where we can be anything we want and I want to impress upon my kids imagination and creativity more than falling into predetermined roles. So then, why the heck can’t a boy have wings and collect teeth? It’s no more absurd than thinking a girl does it.

I guess I’m not a huge expert on the fairy world anyway. After all, there must be girl and boy fairies, right? Or else, how do we end up with baby fairies? But let’s save that conversation for a different day …. far, far, far from now.