The Truth Of The Author's Inspiration | Teen Ink

The Truth Of The Author's Inspiration

January 19, 2012
By TouchOfARose SILVER, Winter Garden, Florida
TouchOfARose SILVER, Winter Garden, Florida
7 articles 1 photo 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We all have ability. The difference is how we use it." -Stevie Wonder


I clutched the steaming cup of coffee as I poured over the glowing computer screen. Glancing down at my wristwatch, my eyes widened. Twelve fourteen already? It seemed that time flew when I absorbed the latest literary piece, feeding my imagination's voracious appetite. The hands of the little timepiece ticked their way to four in the morning as I returned my attention to the glowing words before me.

My mind slowed to a sluggish crawl as the night transformed to morning, the sun's tentative, peeking beams bringing with them the sounds of my parents waking. I hurriedly shut down the computer, practically fleeing down the hallway to escape my parent's disapproval of my sleeping—or lack thereof—schedule. The smell of freshly-brewed coffee wafted down to my room while I tried to appear as if just awakening. With the scent came my mother, her tired face peering into my bedroom.

“Time to wake up. You've got thirty minutes till school.” She slowly closed my door to give me some privacy while I got ready.

I peeled myself off the warm sheets, groaning as my head pounded in the beginnings of a headache. Why was it that my lumpy, old mattress became so much more comfortable when I had to get up? Sighing in frustration, I regretted my poor choice last night. Knowing that school loomed ever closer by the hour, I still wasted time by indulging myself with late-night reading.

I dressed as quickly as I could, flying through my morning routines. I stopped in front of the mirror, marveling at my rats-nest of hair.

School couldn't have been more vexing. What should have been seven hours of learning seemed to be a week of exhausting, drawling colloquy on the most trivial of things. I shuffled down the hallways, feeling like a mindless, hollow being just going through the motions of the day.

I was beyond relief when school let out and I collapsed on the couch sprawling the far wall of the living room. I rested my eyes for a moment, enjoying the cool material of the couch against my skin. I teared myself away from the couch, knowing that my research from last night wasn't done. My eyes fixed upon the mesmerizing words once again, and I drowned in my intake of inspiration. I gasped aloud, knowing that it had happened, finally. I had been waiting for this moment of abatement for months, suffering in my inability to produce even a single sentence that whispered of my creativity and ingenuity. It was a stressful, aggravating condition, that came and went seemingly at it's own pleasure only to make the protagonist deteriorate under the strain and lack of originality and imagination. It was the bane of all creators of beautiful pieces of literature everywhere: Writer's Block. Just those words tasted sour coming out of my mouth.

At last, I put my discomfort aside and rested my hands atop my keyboard, feeling around in my mind for the right phrase I wanted to kick off this latest article. I felt it then, a little nudge in my conscious. I grasped it, reveling in it's simplicity, yet knowing it was perfect for it's usage.


The author's comments:
I HATE getting writer's block, and I just wanted to express a little something about it...

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This article has 9 comments.


on May. 17 2012 at 5:32 pm
Hibiscus SILVER, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
9 articles 1 photo 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
"None of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

I love your use of imagery. Great topic also! :D This is a very nice, satiric piece. 

on Apr. 30 2012 at 12:48 pm
FluteFreak SILVER, Auburn, Indiana
8 articles 0 photos 43 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Insanity just adds a little spice to life!" -Me

This is an awesome piece. You have great word choice and I can identify with it easily. Well done!

ShadowRealms said...
on Apr. 28 2012 at 5:41 pm
Simply amazing. You managed to string a issue for all writers into a story. Wonderfully written and I have no complaints. I loved how you described the immediate surge of inspiration. Beautiful.

on Apr. 24 2012 at 3:56 pm
WSwilliams GOLD, Toronto, Ontario, Other
12 articles 3 photos 95 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you keep writing, you will pick up structure. You will pick up form

- Richard Matheson

This is a great story for writers with writers with writer's block. Great job!

on Apr. 23 2012 at 5:44 pm
Tink1350 BRONZE, Medford, New York
4 articles 0 photos 104 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Worries are like weights and weights keep you down, so let go of your worries and fly,"

Great jOb! I can really connect woh theis piece. N criticism. And I read late too a regret it! And don't u love when u just get that inspiration! Lol great job.

on Apr. 23 2012 at 4:39 pm
Allicat001 SILVER, Waukesha, Wisconsin
6 articles 0 photos 170 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Love is not someone you can live with, love is someone you can't live without."

"Always stand up for what's right even if that means you're standing alone."

Nice job, you described the feelings that come with writer's block well.

on Apr. 22 2012 at 9:16 pm
IAmWhoIWantToBe PLATINUM, Manila, Other
41 articles 0 photos 650 comments

Favorite Quote:
‎"I’m learning how to drown out the constant noise that is such an inseparable part of my life. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world: I run my world." - Beyoncé

Actually, I didn't thought it'd be about writer's block when I first saw the title. But then, although it was kinda confusing, I see where you're coming.

I think this is pretty much a good article. I especially like the last paragraph where you describe phrases as if they are things you can touch and grab. The only thing is your use of apostrophes. I don't think you used it right in the last part.

it's --> it is
its --> possessive

so I think it should be:
its simplicity
and its usage

I don't think there's anything else I could say.

on Mar. 9 2012 at 3:21 pm
TouchOfARose SILVER, Winter Garden, Florida
7 articles 1 photo 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
"We all have ability. The difference is how we use it." -Stevie Wonder

Thank you so much! You're right, 'poured' wasn't supposed to be there. Looking back on it now, I realize I meant to put 'skimmed'. However, true to this anecdote, I wrote this at 1 a.m., and didn't really check over it. Thanks for catching that! And yes, the sly, underlying meaning was that this was a cycle that writers go through. I really appreciate this. (:

ChrisV. BRONZE said...
on Mar. 7 2012 at 12:49 pm
ChrisV. BRONZE, Hull, Massachusetts
4 articles 0 photos 2 comments

I like this, it's a nice take on the Writer's Block topic. I have read far too many pieces thatseem stale and borrowed from, but yours managed to avoid this. The only thing I noticed was that it seemed to me in the first sentence 'poured' should be 'peered' but I'm not exactly sure about this.

The thing I liked most about your piece here is that it seemed to me to be a circle story, not in and of itself, but rather implicitly. That this was something that had also happened before and would happen again; probably my favorite kind of piece. where you can tell a story of the past and the future in one part. I'm not sure if you meant for this but its part of what I picked out, haha. Great job with this.