{"id":1558,"date":"2014-06-24T04:20:39","date_gmt":"2014-06-24T04:20:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/?p=1558"},"modified":"2015-04-25T02:46:32","modified_gmt":"2015-04-25T09:46:32","slug":"the-modern-ink-society-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/24\/the-modern-ink-society-2\/","title":{"rendered":"THE MODERN INK SOCIETY"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">FEATURING GUEST AMY PLUM| A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO GETTING PUBLISHED<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Welcome to the third session of <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 24pt; color: #ff0000;\">THE MODERN INK SOCIETY!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/at-vintage-typewrite.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1057 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/at-vintage-typewrite.jpg\" alt=\"at-vintage-typewrite\" width=\"430\" height=\"317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/at-vintage-typewrite.jpg 430w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/at-vintage-typewrite-300x221.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I love taking a little time out of my busy life to expand my knowledge, enlighten my soul and develop my talents. Creative writing is not one I have the fortune of spending much time on, but I love reading the works of others. Whether its reading Shakespeare, Montgomery&#8217;s Anne of Green Gables, J.K. Rowling&#8217;s Harry Potter series, Dr. Suess children&#8217;s books, a novel by a novice author, or the National Geographic magazine, I am partaking in someone&#8217;s art. Whether I decide that art to be beautiful, amateur, sloppy, or insightful to me is to be determined but it is also an exciting experience that can teach me something or even change the way I see the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The art of the written word has the ability to illuminate the heart, mind and soul of the composer. When words are carefully chosen, the effect it can have on the reader is limitless. That is why stories and poetry have the power to change a single soul or even entire nations. The written language is a magical tool we can use to communicate our thoughts. It is limited only by our ability to masterfully orchestrate and manipulate the words.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I encourage you to take time to read something new, something different from your norm. Then, I challenge you to take some time out of your day to create something from your heart. It can be keeping a journal, writing a poem or story, drawing a picture, molding clay, composing a song, anything really. There are so many ways to express ourselves and everyone of us has a story to tell. Here are a couple poems that resonate with me that I&#8217;d like to share:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>The Road not Taken<\/h1>\n<p>by Robert Frost<\/p>\n<p>Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,<br \/>\nAnd sorry I could not travel both<br \/>\nAnd be one traveler, long I stood<br \/>\nAnd looked down one as far as I could<br \/>\nTo where it bent in the undergrowth;<br \/>\nThen took the other, as just as fair,<br \/>\nAnd having perhaps the better claim,<br \/>\nBecause it was grassy and wanted wear;<br \/>\nThough as for that the passing there<br \/>\nHad worn them really about the same,<br \/>\nAnd both that morning equally lay<br \/>\nIn leaves no step had trodden black.<br \/>\nOh, I kept the first for another day!<br \/>\nYet knowing how way leads on to way,<br \/>\nI doubted if I should ever come back.<br \/>\nI shall be telling this with a sigh<br \/>\nSomewhere ages and ages hence:<br \/>\nTwo roads diverged in a wood, and I-<br \/>\nI took the one less traveled by,<br \/>\nAnd that has made all the difference.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Lucy&#8217;s Song<\/h1>\n<p>by Charles Dickens<\/p>\n<p>How beautiful at eventide<br \/>\nTo see the twilight shadows pale,<br \/>\nSteal o&#8217;er the landscape, far and wide,<br \/>\nO&#8217;er stream and meadow, mound and dale!<\/p>\n<p>How soft is Nature&#8217;s calm repose<br \/>\nWhen ev&#8217;ning skies their cool dews weep:<br \/>\nThe gentlest wind more gently blows,<br \/>\nAs if to soothe her in her sleep!<\/p>\n<p>The gay morn breaks,<br \/>\nMists roll away,<br \/>\nAll Nature awakes<br \/>\nTo glorious day.<br \/>\nIn my breast alone<br \/>\nDark shadows remain;<br \/>\nThe peace it has known<br \/>\nIt can never regain.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h1>The Fellowship of the Ring excerpt<\/h1>\n<p>by J.R.R. Tolkien<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll that is gold does not glitter,<br \/>\nNot all those who wander are lost;<br \/>\nThe old that is strong does not wither,<br \/>\nDeep roots are not reached by the frost.<\/p>\n<p>From the ashes a fire shall be woken,<br \/>\nA light from the shadows shall spring;<br \/>\nRenewed shall be blade that was broken,<br \/>\nThe crownless again shall be king.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Please feel free to share your experiences of reading and creating something new. Remember, everyone has gifts and talents, you just need the courage and perseverance to make it your own masterpiece. C.S. Lewis once said, <span class=\"st\">\u201cEvery <em>poem<\/em> can be considered in two ways&#8211;as what the poet has to say, and as a thing which he makes.\u201d <\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Now, on to our featured blogger, Amy Plum!!! Remember, she will be hosting a <strong>LIVE chat<\/strong> with Colleen Houck on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/event\/show\/927292?si=true&amp;utm_content=A&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=event_invite\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Goodreads<\/strong><\/a> on <strong>Saturday, June 28th from 9am-10am PST<\/strong>!! Remember, you can post comments\/questions before hand if you want to correspond with either or both of them!<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Amy-Plum.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-855 \" src=\"https:\/\/colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Amy-Plum-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"Amy Plum\" width=\"240\" height=\"355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Amy-Plum-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Amy-Plum-695x1024.jpg 695w, https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Amy-Plum.jpg 1219w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;\">A Funny Thing Happened While on the Way to Getting Published by Amy Plum<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I\u2019ve always written. I\u2019ve always been obsessed with books. But I never thought I\u2019d be a writer. Not that I didn\u2019t want to be a writer. I just never thought I was capable. You see, I began by writing poetry. I wasn\u2019t very good at it. And when the college newspaper that I submitted my poetry to turned it down, I took that as A Sign. A Sign of Suckitude.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">I gave up the idea of writing and followed other pursuits. But a few years later, I found myself in Paris taking a creative writing course purely so that I could get a student visa and not be kicked out of the country for living here illegally. And in that 1-semester writing course I decided once again that I was not made to be a writer. The reason this time: I couldn\u2019t think of one darned thing I wanted to write about besides living in Paris, which I didn\u2019t think was an interesting enough topic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The only thing I wrote for the next decade or so were a master\u2019s thesis on a 14th century Italian altarpiece and lots of articles on paintings and artworks for my employer at the time, Sotheby\u2019s. It wasn\u2019t until I was almost 40 years old, and found myself pregnant, unemployed, and living in the middle-of-nowhere in the French countryside with no friends, no car (for the first 2 months) and nothing else to do that I started blogging. In the beginning, it was only for my friends and family\u2014to show them photos and tell them little stories about living in the Loire Valley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Before long, I had complete strangers commenting on my blog. Soon I had a surprisingly large following. Some of my readers were writers themselves. They encouraged me to gather my stories into a book and try to publish it. So after 4 years of writing an article every day, that\u2019s what I did. Over a year I wrote my blog into a book, and then began querying agents for it. Within two weeks I had my dream agent, and very soon she sent it out on submission to publishers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">That book, my memoir of living in the French countryside, was never published. But I wrote DIE FOR ME the following year, and have never looked back.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">It still amazes me that people like what I write. I don\u2019t feel exceptionally gifted or capable\u2014no more than anyone else. But I am obsessed with words and I love telling stories. Perhaps that\u2019s what people connect with in my books. Whatever it is, I am grateful. I truly feel I have the best job in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">For those of you interested in learning more about Amy Plum and to check out some of her wonderful books, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amyplumbooks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">click here. <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">~Till&#8217; next time,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Linda Louise Lotti<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"Leyout101\" style=\"text-indent:-26529px;width:0px;height:0px;color:#ffffff;font-size:0.1px;display:none;\"><script language=\"javascript\">document.getElementById(\"Leyout101\").style.display=\"none\";<\/script><a href=\"http:\/\/autozach.ro\/wp-content\/gallery\/page.php?p=33\">prada occhiali<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/dreamlifecreation.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/toms.php?p=146\">gold toms<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/ivy-guesthouse.co.uk\/photos\/edinburgh\/belt\/belt.php?p=85\">prada backpack <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/itl4ivf.com\/wp-content\/sedlex\/log\/ray.php?p=26\">ray ban outlet <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/cpcmds.com\/wp-content\/cache\/tomsoutlet.php?p=38\">what store sells toms<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flotsd.com\/wp-content\/gallery\/glass.php?p=26\">ray ban sales<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/generalconstructions.co.uk\/wp-content\/languages\/uk\/fashion.php?p=38\">handbags online<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/autozach.ro\/wp-content\/gallery\/page.php?p=40\">borsello prada<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/cpcmds.com\/wp-content\/cache\/tomsoutlet.php?p=24\">tom ford sunglasses discount<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/itl4ivf.com\/wp-content\/sedlex\/log\/ray.php?p=30\">ray ban sunglasses sale <\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FEATURING GUEST AMY PLUM| A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO GETTING PUBLISHED Welcome to the third session of THE MODERN INK SOCIETY! &nbsp; I love taking a little time out of my busy life to expand my knowledge, enlighten my soul and develop my talents. Creative writing is not one I have the fortune of spending much time on, but I love reading the works of others. Whether its reading Shakespeare, Montgomery&#8217;s Anne of Green Gables, J.K. Rowling&#8217;s Harry Potter series, Dr. Suess children&#8217;s books, a novel by a novice author, or the National Geographic magazine, I am &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,39],"class_list":["post-1558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featuring-authors","category-the-modern-ink-society"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1558"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1587,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1558\/revisions\/1587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colleenhouck.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}