Writer's Block

300-word story: The sudden arrival of writer's block interrupts an author's productivity. 

Rich was finally tackling his life's goal of writing a novel. For the first few months it went swimmingly, with hundreds of words added to the manuscript each day. Sadly, as is often the case with aspiring authors, writer's block appeared out of nowhere and instantly put an end to his productivity.

Surprised by the unwelcome visitor, Rich stared at the large object that completely covered his desk. The block seemed to be made from concrete and was far too heavy to move by hand. Understandably frustrated, he did what any British person does when confronted with a problem: he went to make a cup of tea.

Returning with a steaming mug in hand, Rich was disappointed to find the block still obstructing his keyboard. Taking a closer look, he discovered that it wasn't entirely composed of concrete after all; a thin line across one of its corners looked more like sand. How the corner remained attached was beyond him, but he took a pair of scissors and ran the blade along the grains until a triangle of concrete fell to the carpet.

Inspecting the remainder of the block, Rich spotted multiple sections consisting of various weaker materials. Committed to removing the creative barrier, he spent the rest of the week chipping off wooden splinters, cracking pockets of chalk, and even unravelling a large knot of twine at the very centre. In the process, the concrete crumbled away piece by piece until eventually the desk was clear.

Having moved the larger chunks outdoors and started sweeping up the mountains of dust, something caught his eye. It was a shimmering pearl that must have been hidden somewhere within the block. Admiring its perfect beauty, Rich placed it in his pocket, sat down at the desk, and resumed typing with newfound inspiration.

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Copyright © 2020 Rich Sutherland
​Image: Magda Ehlers

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