Guest post by Ree Augustine Writing Without Inkby Ree Augustine I thought I became a writer, When I was forty, Sitting at my kitchen table one morning, With a pen in my hand. But over the years, A memory has never left me. It happened on an ordinary day, As I was walking home from a friend’s house. I was fourteen. It was dark. I was alone. I stopped at the end of a dead-end street. Ahead of me was a field that stretched forever, blending into the bottom of the sky. Broken pieces of corn husks shot up from its dirt. A slight breeze blew translucent clouds over a full moon. It was so quiet, It seemed I was the only person in the world. The air around me, Hugged me. My body turned silent. Standing right there, Wonder filled me. What was out there in that long-legged field? How far did that sky reach? What would happen if I just stepped onto that field, Turned my back on what I knew, And followed the field wherever it went? It was on that day, I became a writer. A writer, Without a pen. What does writing without a pen look like? It looks like a story, That has not been told. When a baseball pitcher prepares to throw a ball, He wonders. Will the ball make it over the plate? Will there be a hit? Will he strike the batter out? When a worker plans their vacation, They wonder. Will there be hills to climb? Will the countryside be green? Will who they meet be friendly? When an artist stands in a meadow, They wonder. Will the tall grasses make a good painting? Will there be enough colors? Will the painting hang in someone’s home? When a student raises their hand in class, They wonder. Will I be the only one to speak? Will my words come out right? Will I shine? When a girl likes a boy, She wonders. Will the boy think she is pretty? Will he like her? Will they hold hands? And just as there is realistic fiction, In one’s own personal story, There is fantastic fiction, In one’s wide imagination. Imagining as you drive down a wooded road, There are fairies hiding in the trees. Imagining the foxes beyond your house, Are having conversations. Imagining the town next to yours, Is housing for ghosts. While people may never voice these thoughts, They are there, In everyone’s minds. It is these thoughts, That connect us. That make us the same. We are all wonderers, We are all writers, Just some without ink.
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Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a five-time RPLA-winning author and the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing. She is an editor, speaker, and coach. She is the author of The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers, the children’s books Grumbler, Joyride, Pling’s Party, and Sixth Sunday, the editor of the How I Met My Other anthology series, and the creator of the Focus Journal line of journals. She was also honored with the President’s Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2020. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. |
Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a five-time RPLA-winning author and the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing. She is an editor, speaker, and coach. She is the author of The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers, the children’s books Grumbler, Joyride, Pling’s Party, and Sixth Sunday, the editor of the How I Met My Other anthology series, and the creator of the Focus Journal line of journals. She was also honored with the President’s Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2020. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. |
.Tonya Spitler is a personal assistant who loves working with authors and publishers. An avid reader since the age of four, she loves to read all things that have a Happily Ever After. Currently, she is working on her own novels, encouraging authors on their road to success, and wrangling her three teens. Visit www.anovelchoicellc.com to find out more. |
Previously an elementary teacher, Arielle Haughee (Hoy) is a five-time RPLA-winning author and the owner of Orange Blossom Publishing. She is an editor, speaker, and coach. She is the author of The Complete Revision Workbook for Writers, the children’s books Grumbler, Joyride, Pling’s Party, and Sixth Sunday, the editor of the How I Met My Other anthology series, and the creator of the Focus Journal line of journals. She was also honored with the President’s Award from the Florida Writers Association in 2020. She has a serious reading addiction, fantasy romance her absolute favorite, and loves nothing more than good conversation paired with a good wine. She is surrounded by males at home—a husband, two sons, and an energetic dog—and tries to integrate as much purple and flowers in the house as possible. |
Tonya Spitler is the author of the Focus Journal The Caregiver's Journal for Avoiding Burnout. She is also a contributing author to the upcoming anthology Along the Shore: Strategies for Living with Grief edited by Cheryl Lynn West. When she isn't writing or reading, Tonya is homeschooling her three tween/teen children. Tonya is a recent transplant to the central Texas area and enjoys exploring her new home with her family. Currently, you can find Tonya at her website www.anovelchoicellc.com or on Instagram @anovelchoicellc or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/anovelchoice/. |
Dawn Bourdeau Milstrey is the author and illustrator of The Stone Angel Society, an illustrated middle grade ghost novel (Orange Blossom Publishing, September 2022). First in a series, the book is a collection of spooky short stories with just the right amount of ghosts for young readers. Dawn has been illustrating picture books since 2008 and loves helping other authors bring their words to life with her art. When she isn’t writing and illustrating, Dawn enjoys painting large scale landscapes and teaching art and illustration at the local college. Dawn lives in a small town in rural New Jersey where she and her husband raised their three amazing daughters. The family shares their home with two cocker spaniels, a pair of birds, several fish...and a few ghosts! To see more of Dawn’s work, visit her website dawnmilstrey.com, follow her on Instagram @dawnmilstrey or connect with her on LinkedIn! |
Jessica L. Beck is a Human Resources Professional who writes about human resources, working parents, lifestyle and health. She lives in FL with her son and husband. https://jessicalbeckwriting.my.canva.site/ |
Stephania Thompson is an award-winning author, poet, and freelance writer. She published her first full length novel, Woven (Orange Blossom Publishing) in 2022, and is hard at work on book number two. When not writing, working, or running after kids, she enjoys hiking with her doodle pup and a good audiobook. Learn more about Stephania and connect with her online www.stephaniathompson.com |
Arielle Haughee is the owner and founder of Orange Blossom Publishing.
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