Page 34 - October 2022

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Writer’s Block

Jennifer Schmidt, EH2

On the desk sits my writer’s block. turned that mental block into a battle with

An awkward piece of wood to chop. a physical nemesis. Upon finishing, I felt a
Please ideas, pour out of me. lot better because writer’s block had become
A short story, essay, or some poetry. something fun.

Before I write anything, the blank page
A blank page frightens beyond all reason! stares me down for a while. Those first few
Where is my passion, emotion, or season? words start to form a message infused with
Grasping at any kind of inspiration. conviction. My hope when I write is to help and
Drat these splinters and perspiration! inspire the reader. Many writers I’ve met feel

the same way. They want their words to matter
Maybe my characters can sail a boat? and make a difference. Some people don’t enjoy
Or fight crocodiles down in a moat. the writing process and get stuck when they’re
I can feel the water, murk, and muck. writing a speech. It’s a necessary task that can

Then all at once my ax gets stuck! be scary. There are ways to conquer writer’s
block that make the process easier, such as:
This callous block has stopped me cold.
Laughing and taunting as I grow old. Start with an overarching theme—Maybe you

With my back almost broken, and hands rubbed didn’t like learning to play the piano as a child.
raw. Your theme could be childhood piano lessons,
I trade in my ax for a power chain saw! piano teaching methods, or learning a difficult

task. Write down as many words related to
Ideas are flying, there’s lots of wood chips!
what you didn’t like about playing the piano
Sculpting my creation with clever quips.
and the feelings around that experience that
Finally, design and hard work have done the trick.
you can. Doing this exercise will help develop
No longer a block, just a mere toothpick.
interesting tidbits for your audience. Once you
find a theme that smoothly generates ideas,
Recently, I read my poem Writer’s Block at you’ll discover your passion. It will be easier
a poetry themed New Horizons Toastmasters to talk about the subject and not get stuck.

meeting. Originally, this poem was submitted
for a writing assignment because I couldn’t Break it down into smaller pieces—Just like
think of a topic and had a horrible case of Halloween candy comes in the fun size so
writer’s block. Instead of staying blocked, I children (and let’s face it, adults too) don’t get

34 ONE COMMUNITY