Empty Spot

When I was a little girl sometimes at the dinner table I would say I was full and could not eat any more. My Granddaddy would call me over to him poke me in the tummy and say “I feel an empty spot” and send me back to my seat for another few bites of food. While most of the time this was just a game we would play, other times it was difficult to eat another bite. I would just sit in my seat at the table staring at my foe, this plate of food, and it starred back at me. There was nothing I could do I had no appetite left, but I had to try to eat more.

Last week, my writing felt a little like that. I would sit down stare at my computer and it would stare back, I would tell myself to give it another try and…nothing. My brain was empty. I kept poking my brain telling myself to think, think, think but nothing would happen, except for pure frustration and huge disappointment. Perhaps I was experiencing what some writers call “writers block” or a “dry spell”. I am really not sure. All I know is that at some point even with sincere effort, nothing you do will put you where you or someone else wants you to be.

After an hour of poking your brain you just have to stop, throw up your hands and say “I give!” No amount of negative brow beating will make you feel hungry or creative. You have tried your best and nothing has happened so move on. I am hoping that this week my writing goes more smoothly. I am not anticipating any problems and since my Granddaddy is gone, I have no one to give me a poke and say “I feel a creative spot”. I am on my own to figure out whether or not my brain is full or empty.