A Year of Short Stories

Writer's Block is a Devil Spawn

Prompt- Write a story about a writer with a very unusual method for overcoming writer's block.

In my defense, it said "very unusual". I just wrote about the first thing that came to mind.

Zena sat on her heels in her office chair. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, and words manifested on the screen. She stuck her tongue out in concentration. Strands of her hair, piled in a messy bun atop her head, hung in front of her face. She impatiently swept them behind her ears. Her hands returned to her work immediately after.

Zena hummed and tilted her head back and forth.

Which word to use? Did this sentence make sense? Oo! What if Ned went to the apothecary shop before going on his journey?

Her fingers sprang into action again with a new purpose. She sat normally in the seat. She wrote about Ned and his short adventure in the apothecary. He mainly needed ingredients to make some healing potions and a few other ingredients to coat his sword in a potion of poison. Now he was ready to start his adventure in the big, wide world! Zena giggled and settled into her chair more. She poised her fingers to write and stared at the screen. She swallowed and blinked.

Well, shit.

Writer's block hit like a freight train. There was nothing left. Her creative juices were completely tapped out.

Zena huffed and shook her head. No. She wouldn't take this as a sign to stop. She wanted to write soooo much more! She tapped a foot on the ground and bit her bottom lip. Readjusting the glasses on her face, the young author sighed.

Nothing.

Well, this was a bust.

Standing up, Zena laced her fingers together. She swung her arms above her head and leaned back. Stretching out, she cracked her neck and shook it all out into a normal position once more. She looked at her computer screen. She narrowed her eyes, willing something to manifest.

Nope, still nothing.

Zena dropped back into the seat with a groan of despair. She held her head in her hands. This was entirely frustrating. She just wanted to finish this chapter! She huffed and stood up. She couldn't admit defeat here. It was time for her backup plan: Regain Creative Juices!

Trotting out to the living room, she went for the open area. Planting her feet firmly, Zena wiggled and jumped up and down on the ground in small hops.

"Jiggle jiggle jiggle!" she chanted. Rocking her head back and forth while jumping, Zena attempted to regain her creative juices. She jumped for only a minute and returned to her computer right after. She smiled and sat down, confident in her method. She positioned her fingers over the appropriate keys and took a breath. Ned needed to run into a challenge or creature that he had to face. She figured that out from her jumps at least. She smiled and faced the screen again.

Oh, gosh darn it! Still nothing!

Zena let out a squeal of frustration and flopped back in her chair. "Ugh! Words, come already!!! I want to wriiiiite!!!" She crossed her arms across her chest and frowned. This just wouldn't do. She stood back up again and marched out to the living room. This time, she headed for the couch. Plopping down, she swung her legs up and over the back of the couch, and she swiveled so her head hung off the seat of the couch. Situating herself a bit more, Zena relaxed, hanging upside down. Blood rushed to her head. She could feel her heart pounding in her head and chest, but she remained still.

She stayed there for about two minutes, just hanging around and getting blood pumped into her brain. Ned should face a creature. It was WAY more badass! But what kind of creature? There were so many to choose from and create! She huffed and tapped her feet against the back of the couch. Perhaps a smaller opponent would be good to start with. After all, Ned isn't that powerful; he's only just beginning his journey. Zena chewed and bit at her bottom lip. Something perhaps like a wolf? No, no, no! That wasn't scary enough. Hmmmm, a bear perhaps? It was large enough, yet still a fearsome opponent, especially with those claws!

Zena grinned and righted herself. Finally! Some inspiration! She raced back to her laptop and plopped into her chair.

"Alright, brain, don't fail me now!" Cracking her fingers, she mentally prepared. With a scoot closed and a sip of water, she was ready. Zena grinned and readied her fingers. All she had to do was type the journey in between the beginning of the journey to the point when Ned finds the bear. Her fingers froze and wouldn't type anything. Locking down, her brain joined her fingers.

Zena groaned and dropped her head into her hands. Alright. Time for more drastic measures. Begrudgingly, she rose and headed to the kitchen this time. She dragged a tequila bottle down from a shelf and pulled out a shot glass. Drastic times called for drastic measures. She poured a shot and downed it. Her nose only wrinkled a little. She shook her head, took a breather, and drank a quick shot of water. Swishing the water in her mouth, she lined up the second shot. She stared it down before downing it. She shook her head and grimaced. God, they did NOT get any better as they went down. She huffed and drank two more shots of water as a chaser. Normally, she'd rather have a carbonated drink or pop, but she didn't have those liberties at the moment. She poured a third and final shot. If this didn't work, she was done for the night. She held up the liquor and sighed. Down the hatch it went and back to the keyboard she headed. She sat down and leaned close to her desk. This was it. She just had to wait for that sweet poison to hit. Already, she could feel the buzz in the back of her brain. Cracking her fingers, Zena flexed them and smirked. "Alright, here we go!"