聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Here I sit in front of my PC with writer鈥檚 block, wondering what to write about.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I鈥檓 void of ideas and topics, at least for now. So I thought, why not write about writer鈥檚 block. Scribes that are writing short stories or fiction novels would have experienced this mind-numbing phenomenon, or perhaps when you鈥檙e taking a test and it says describe in your own words the definition of the word 鈥榮upercalifragilistic.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I searched in Merriam Webster Dictionary for the definition of the word block, as it pertains to writer鈥檚 block. Not a builder鈥檚 block as in a square or rectangular piece of concrete, or a carpenter鈥檚 block as in a large piece of solid wood. Nor a road block as in a police check-stop, or a mechanic鈥檚 reference to an engine block. No writer鈥檚 block among those.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Then there is the block and tackle used for hoisting heavy loads, which doesn鈥檛 catch the meaning either, nor does the description of a city block.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I figured I鈥檇 better look at an intellectual definition. The first thing that leapt at me was the description of wooden blocks used to print books. Getting closer I thought, but that鈥檚 not it either. One must write the book first, but that can be difficult if suffering from writer鈥檚 block. But after the book is published, it may be sold at an auction, which means that it is put on the block. An auctioneer is not a blockhead, although some of them might be. Blockhead describes a person with his or her mind temporarily on hold or permanently shut down. Close, but not a definition of writer鈥檚 block either.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the bygone days, a scribe might have ended up insulting the royal family, consequently facing a beheading, meaning the writer鈥檚 head was on the block. Again, not the true definition of writer鈥檚 block.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I surmised that writer鈥檚 block description might fall under Merriam Webster鈥檚 description of block as an obstacle. The first part of obstacle description, does not define what kind of obstacle it is that creates writer鈥檚 block.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Reading on I found the definition, it was under psychological block. The definition of writer鈥檚 block includes 鈥渢he interruption or cessation especially of a train of thought by competing thoughts or psychological suppression, a mental block, an emotional block.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Wow! Scary. That conjures up in my mind a scenario of two cars racing side by side down a road, trying unsuccessfully to beat the train at the crossing. They don鈥檛 see the train as the red warning lights aren鈥檛 working. Everything comes to a crashing halt; cars, train and all. Just like my mind: crash, bang, blocked.聽
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In an effort to cure my writer鈥檚 block, I have decided to share with you some stories from Norway, told to me many years ago by my brother and my dad.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 My twin brother was a sheriff in Geilo, Norway, and he told many funny policing stories, this is one of them.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A young man was arrested after a bar brawl that ended up in the streets, where he had knocked the other two brawlers unconscious. The next morning after he had sobered up, the young man was taken into the courtroom and placed in front of the judge. The judge peered over his glasses at the prisoner and asked:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲here do you live?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Prisoner: 鈥淗ere and there.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽Judge: 鈥淲here do you work?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Prisoner: 鈥淗ere and there.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Judge: 鈥淲hat kind of work do you do?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Prisoner: 鈥淎 little of this and a little of that.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The judge asked the bailiffs to escort the prisoner back to the holding cell. The young man turned and looked at the judge, asking:
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淲ait! When do I get out?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Judge: 鈥淪ooner or later.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 My dad was active in the Norwegian underground during The Second World War. Gasoline was rationed in Norway during the war, so public buses were for the most part pulled by horses. The buses were also overloaded most of the time.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An old man with a long grey beard and a back that was bent from arthritis entered the bus, but found that there were no seats available for him. A couple of young men that were standing in the middle aisle, helped the old man to get up on the top of the bus. There were a few crates secured topside as well as a coffin.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The old man sat on one of the crates for a while, but then he got cold. He lifted the lid, and slid into the empty coffin to stay warm. He laid down in it and pulled the lid back in place to keep the wind out.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A few stops later, a couple of German soldiers also entered the bus, and with no seats available they also clambered up on to the top of the bus, and sat down on the crates.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Germans were chatting about the war, and how the Norwegian resistance was creating havoc for the Germans, with danger lurking around every corner, and how they had to stay alert to stay alive. They would much prefer to be home in Germany with their wives and families.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The old man was going to get off at the main depot, but being inside the dark coffin, he didn鈥檛 know where the bus was. He slid the coffin lid to the side, sat up bug-eyed with his grey beard flowing in the breeze, looked at the German soldiers and said, 鈥渁re we there yet?鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The two Germans got spooked and jumped off the bus, scared spitless!聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽
