Writer’s Block: The fight back

Writer’s Block: The fight back

As a writer
Have you ever wanted to ignite
the creative fire within?
Only to discover
a pile of damp wood
and one sodden match.
Nothing sparks.

You wish for every word
that pours into your mind
to be pure gold.
Creating images that readers
can feel in their soul,
and remember forever.

Instead you have broken sentences
and the space between the words
is more interesting.
You would get more stimulation
by watching a jug of milk turn sour.
But you don’t want to write about that.  

So you dig in.
You raise your voice to the rafters,
you scream out your indignation,
and you command the muse
to return your soul to you.
Otherwise you will resurrect
all the warriors of the ages
and set them to one task:

Grabbing your muse in a choke hold,
dragging it to your side,
and handcuffing it to your keyboard,
so that it can never play this trick again.
Because no one takes your writing
away from you. 

And you fetch some dry wood,
you buy a lighter,
and you reignite your passion,
one tortured sentence at a time.
Because even if you write rubbish,
rubbish can be edited.

You must write for your very life,
and broken sentences can be mended
more easily than the broken heart
of a writer in a desert devoid of hope.
The place blocked writers go to shrivel,
and start writing memes
for something to do.  

The words will come back
because your heart demands it,
and your keyboard is waiting to be useful,
and you do not give up the essence
of your soul for anything or anyone.
You are a writer,
and you will write.
The voice of your soul must be heard.

Because someone out there
needs to hear what only your heart
can say.

Deb Hawken - 2025