Wonderful, Wacky, Webster!

On By Stephanie IngramIn Family and Fun1 Comment

Last Tuesday evening, we did sort of a crazy thing. We brought home a puppy. Mind you, this didn’t come out of the blue, at least not entirely. We’d been going back and forth about getting a dog for several months and we even had an assortment of the essentials such as the crate and toys. Even though we kept talking about it, however, I’m not sure we ever really took ourselves seriously. Or maybe it was just that we kept thinking that yes, we’re getting a dog, but it won’t be until some day far, far away from now.

We found Webster via an ad on craigslist. He was the last in his litter of German Shepherd / Black Lab mixed puppies and we certainly thought he was cute in the photo. We arranged to meet him and after a brief and awkward exchange in a Get Go parking lot, we agreed to take him.

The timing could have been better. By the time we stopped to pick up food and some odds and ends, it was well past the kids’ bedtime and getting home meant rushing to get them into pajamas, brush teeth, and plop them in bed. (Sounds easier than it is, trust me.) Add a terrified 9 week-old puppy to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for nighttime stress. He didn’t know us and we didn’t know him so we were all frazzled.

By the time Hubby and I were ready for bed, the puppy made it clear that he wasn’t going to settle down too easily. He cried, and cried, and cried some more. No sleep for us. This didn’t make facing Wednesday easy and after a repeat performance on Wednesday night, we were pretty much ready to throw in the towel on Thursday. Add to this, the discovery that our beloved new little furball was covered in fleas and a tick and although he seemed fairly good about going potty outside, he still had his accidents.

Thursday night, however, something clicked. Instead of trying to “ignore” the whining and crying in the crate at bedtime, Hubby firmly told him to be quiet – and he did. The puppy was quiet! We slept! Friday felt like a brand new start to life! A trip to the vet that afternoon sorted out the flea problem and gave him a clean bill of health otherwise. We finally gave him a name on Saturday morning. (Took us long enough, I know.) His name is Webster. Yes, as in dictionary.

Now that Webester has been a part of our family for nearly a week, we’re starting to get to know one another. Since he was born on the 18th of April, this makes him an Aries, like me, so I keep looking for traits that we may have in common. Will he be adventurous and full of energy and enthusiasm? I hope so! Will he be quick-tempered and impatient? Hmmm…  It’s hard to imagine. Right now he is busy doing battle with the lawn furniture.

Whatever adventures or disasters await, I’m certain with Webster in our lives, there will never be a dull day.

Do you have pets? Care to share any humorous, or heart-warming pet stories? Have advice for settling in with our new puppy? I’m all ears and wagging tail to hear it. 🙂

 

Six Sentence Sunday

On By Stephanie IngramIn Six Sentence Sunday, Writing4 Comments

How could I not participate in a fun activity like Six Sentence Sunday? Third week and I’m back for more. My first two weeks I focused on my current WIP titled Ghosts Don’t Wear Silk Stockings and I’ve decided to go with another six from that same manuscript today.

Brianna is caught in quite the dilemma. The man of her dreams has asked her to marry him and she would give anything just to say yes and embrace her happily ever after. Greer, her ghost friend, on the other hand has warned her that Dan is evil and she needs to break up with him NOW. What to do?

This part is one of my favorites and I hope you like it as much as I do…

***

She didn’t want to admit it but Greer had a point. Something about Dan’s reluctance to invite her to his house rubbed her the wrong way. The hotel was a sweet gesture but it couldn’t go on forever. Then what? If she married him, would she gain entry into the forbidden zone or would she still be kept at arm’s reach? There were a lot of questions that begged answers before she could commit to a guy like Dan, even a drop-dead gorgeous, melt in your mouth guy like Dan.

***

 

 

I Am Not That Writer

On By Stephanie IngramIn Writing1 Comment

This is the last post that I will share from my older blog. Originally posted in February but just as true today, this is probably one of my favorites. Happy Friday!

***

 I would love to be the type of writer that meticulously plots and creates outlines before sitting down to write a single chapter. I would love to be the type of writer that fleshes out interesting characters with the aid of character sheets or questionnaires, knowing even the smallest detail like what my MC’s favorite food is. I know there are people in this world that don’t feel comfortable writing a single word until they know everything – beginning, middle, and end.

I am not that writer.

I would love to be the type of writer that can sit down and craft a compelling story without the aid of an outline or character sheets, the type of writer that pulls ideas seemingly from mid-air. I would love to be the type of writer that can start with a basic idea when I sit down to write chapter one and never finish typing until I get to ‘the end’.

I am not that writer.

I would love to be the type of writer that follows a specific writing schedule, adding a set 2,000 words to my work-in-process every morning until finally it is complete or typing away furiously for an hour or two per day until I tear myself away and attend to other tasks.

But guess what? I’m not that writer either.

So this probably the point of the blog post in which you’re asking, “Okay, Steph, are you sure that you’re even a writer?”

I wonder the same thing from time to time but since the voices in my head always bring me back to tell their stories whether I want to or not, I guess the answer is yes. Like it or not, I’m in this thing.

So, what kind of writer am I? I don’t plan and yet I can’t seem to get from start to finish without a plan. It makes you wonder how I ever manage to do anything at all, doesn’t it? Which came first – the chicken or the egg? The story or the plot? I guess when it comes to my own writing style, I am a strange hybrid of both.

First, I sit down and I write. I don’t know my characters and I have little to no idea of the plot. Basically, I have a scene in my head and by some strange compulsion, I won’t rest until I get it on paper. Sometimes I get so excited by my idea that I can’t stop writing and before I know it, I’ve racked up as many as 10,000 words over the course of a few days.

And then all of a sudden, I screech to a grinding halt…. My characters fall flat, DOA. The plot? It no longer makes sense. I could keep going but what’s the point? I forgot where I’m going and I know that I’ll have to go back and scratch probably 90% of what I’m writing. Nevertheless, like the fool that I am, I persevere and I’m rewarded by moments in the story that surprise even me but getting those moments is slow and arduous and I have to sift through a lot of doo doo to get them.

Then it’s time to take a huge step backward. I close the document and pick up pen and paper and yep, you guessed it. I start outlining! I do rough character sketches. I brainstorm possibilities and figure out a proper beginning, middle, and end. I make decisions about what I’ve written that I can use and what I can’t use. I fill out index cards for scenes. I take meticulous notes.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just start with the brainstorming and outline you ask me? Yes! It most certainly would but remember, I’m not that writer. As much as I would love to save myself all the time and effort by planning before I write, I can’t get a real feel for my story until I actually sit down and start writing it. But then, if I sit down and write, I can’t just keep going until I reach the end either. I get as far as I can until no more words come out.

Crazy and bizarre? Absolutely. But that’s just my style.

What’s your style?

Stephanie Ingram: Blogging with Style

On By Stephanie IngramIn Uncategorized1 Comment

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the academy… errr, I mean, Mae Clair, for honoring me with this Stylish Blogger Award! What an unexpected surprise.

Now, how cool is that? I have been asked to share the last time that I dressed up, which admittedly has made me chuckle a bit. After all, I am a stay-at-home mom of three kids and it’s the middle of summer. As I graciously accept this award, I am sitting in the midst of kid chaos in a living room covered completely in toys – Trio blocks, cars, trucks, garages… you name it, it’s probably on my floor. We’re lucky that I took the time to shower this morning, let alone put much thought into what I should wear for the occasion.

I’m struggling to remember the last time I put thought into getting dressed up. After all, even when I do get dressed up, it’s still usually more about comfort than style. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll never find me at Walmart in pajamas, or even sweat pants for that matter. It’s more a case of favoring my jeans and t-shirts over anything else. I’m also completely a bare foot kind of girl. Keep the heels and hand over the flip flops.

Probably the last time I dressed up was for my cousin’s wedding two years ago. Eeks! Has it really been that long? Wow, maybe it’s time to get a babysitter and plan a fancy evening out with the hubby? At any rate, for the wedding I wore a satin black sleeveless dress with white polka dots. It’s one of my favorites so I’ve kept it in the closet hoping for another chance to wear it. I paired the dress with very simple, straight-to-the-point black shoes with low heels.

Now on to more important things. It’s my turn to nominate others for this prestigious Blogging with Style Award. Can I have a drum roll, please? Without further ado, I offer you…

Congratulations, guys! Can’t wait to read your posts…

Those Who Walk Unseen

On By Stephanie IngramIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Here is another one originally posted by me on blogger waaayy back in January of this year. (Why does that feel like a lifetime ago?) I didn’t realize how much I like this post until I recently re-read it. Maybe it’s just that I like thinking about all those unanswered questions? Even though I wrote this post in January, I’m still working on that second novel. Gosh darn it, why is it taking so long? I should have that thing published and in your hands by now, surely! 😉

***

Last week I wrote an entry about life existing in other parts of the universe. This is an exciting possibility. But what if we didn’t even have to leave the planet in order to find other forms of life beyond those that we’re already so familiar with finding from day-to-day? What if gates to “other worlds” really existed right in our own backyard?

Science fiction likes this idea. “Portals” take characters from one world to the next in an instant. It’s a convenient way to get around the physical limitations of building a spacecraft that will enable us to travel the universe within the astronaut’s lifetime.

I’ve always had a fascination with the “unseen” and the possibilities that could exist. Have you ever seen a ghost? Some claim they have. Is it so improbable that the energy that makes up our existence could not echo even long after our earthly form has turned to dust? Do ghosts have the capability for rational thought and control over their own actions? Maybe. Maybe not. Why are some of us more sensitive to this energy than others? And anyway, what really happens when we die?

So let’s assume we don’t want to accept that ‘ghosts’ are some remnant of human life. What if, instead, we choose to believe that there is essentially a world of beings that can walk in our world unseen? Maybe they keep trying to contact us but for whatever reason, our minds are closed to their existence and we continue to look the other way?

Surely, there will be a few of us that come into contact with these beings even if later we question our sanity. Maybe some of us believe that our lives were touched by the intervention of a guardian angel that watches over us? I like to think that we are all interconnected in ways that we can’t begin to understand and there is a lot to our world that remains unseen. The rest of you probably just think I’m a little loony. That’s okay, too.

However, if you’ve read my book, you already know this is a premise that I love to explore. Yalen comes from a world that exists in tangent with our own but that we aren’t the least bit aware of … except for those rare exceptions. I had a lot of fun thinking about new possibilities for guardian angels. My next book will have some fun with demons.

What do you think about the concept of life existing unseen amongst our own?