On Writer's Block And The Perfect Cup Of Tea | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

On Writer's Block And The Perfect Cup Of Tea

An odd analogy, some bad puns, and a useful lesson.

16
On Writer's Block And The Perfect Cup Of Tea
Nipuni Gomes

"Writer's block is when your imaginary friends stop talking to you."

I have lost count of how many times I have heard that phrase. I imagine that this quote, of unknown origin, resonates with thousands of struggling writers around the world as we stare at a blank page, not having a single good idea to go with the overwhelming urge to write. The urge eventually fades as we reluctantly put away our writing utensils.

Another night gone to waste.

I was around thirteen years old when I became enchanted by Enid Blyton's Malory Towers and The Naughtiest Girl series, as well as supernatural-themed fiction books such as Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus sequence. I had yet to find, however, a book set in a British boarding school, with equally strong male and female main characters, that involved the supernatural without ever stepping out of the world we know as real into an alternate reality.

So, I thought, why not write one myself?

At first it was easy. I wrote and wrote and wrote, making my poor sister listen to each new paragraph I had composed and bounce around ideas with me, gathering information about English boarding schools, writing lengthy character descriptions, researching demonology until I had vivid, regular nightmares, and pouring my brain out whenever I could get my hands on a little free time and a piece of paper.

This lasted for about a year and a half.

Slowly, the frequency with which I wrote decreased. In a mix of idea flow stagnation and my no longer making time to write, the large pink notebook I once gazed at every night closed not to be opened again in a near future.

I seldom have a perfect cup of tea. Then again, what even is a perfect cup of tea? For me, it is strong black tea and a considerable amount of white sugar simmered for several minutes in whole milk. This tastes wonderful to me, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea (pardon the pun; we'll get to my terrible sense of humor some other day).

If I want the perfect cup of tea, I will make it myself instead of expecting somebody else to follow my instructions to the T (another bad pun; it is a mystery to me how I come up with these things). I seldom have time to make the perfect cup of tea and, if I have the time, I don't have the resources. Granted, I could get creative and use my frying pan to simmer milk and tea leaves on my residence hall's stove, so it's not like I don't have the resources. However, given all this, I simply do not care enough about the perfect cup of tea to go the extra mile to make it while I am in my college dorm.

I refuse to believe that I do not write as frequently as I want to because I do not care enough about my writing. In fact, it's because I care too much about my writing that I do not allow myself to write every single thought that pops into my head just for the sake of writing something, just like I will hardly ever settle for a cup of tea made in a way different from my 'perfect' method.

Do I care too much about tea, then?

Some say that the best way to overcome writer's block is to just write. I picked up my writing again shortly before my sophomore year of college. The large pink notebook with the original draft of my novel still sits on my dorm bookshelf, but I have hardly opened it since the day I finished transcribing its contents to an electronic document, which I hardly even open either. The writing that looked so good to me several years ago is now deemed utterly useless by my twenty-year old English major self. If I sit down to write nowadays, I will not write unless I have something good to write, as opposed to my old method of just writing whatever came to mind.

Maybe that is the problem.

Though I have deemed my early teenage years' style of writing useless, those ideas are what I thrive on today to continue writing that story. I tell myself that, if I just sit down and write, even if I don't feel like I'm writing anything 'good,' I might be able to come back to what I wrote later and modify it, or at least use the idea to write something better. I shouldn't boycott tea just because I cannot make it perfectly on a stove like I do at home; I have found that, although it takes a little more time to make it in the microwave, my perfect cup of tea tastes exactly the same when I do attempt to make it that way.

Sometimes, if I'm not careful, the milk will boil over and ruin the whole thing, or the tea leaves will not have been steeped long enough, or I will burn my tongue in an attempt to taste my creation. Sometimes, the things I write make no sense, have no continuity, or just look terrible after a good night's sleep.

Sometimes, I get it right.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

178845
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

6030
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

451676
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

22825
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments