Got Writer’s Block? I Think Not

A fellow writer the other day complained of having writer’s block, and she was waiting for some “divine inspiration.” I once complained of the same condition.

But I’ve since learned that there is no such thing. A writer is a writer — always. There is always inspiration somewhere near and there is always something to be said. It may not be what you want to say at the moment, but something is there.

So you’ve been working on one page, chapter or poem for a week now and still feel like it’s going nowhere. It may not be time for it to move forward. Don’t try to force it. Move on to writing something else, even it’s just a journal entry or a grocery list.

I’ve learned that all of us have something within us just waiting to come out. But sometimes it’ll only come out when it’s ready.

Happy writing!

— S. Monette

Twisted Thursday: Jaded, Part 9 (By Saria Monette)

Editor’s note: Due to technical difficulties, the 9th installment of Jaded had to be posted later in the day than usual. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you enjoy it just the same.  

Exhausted from several painful, futile attempts to lift her body on her own, Jade pressed the red button at her bedside.
“How may I help you, Ms. Jones?” a slightly muffled female voice called back through the small speaker.

“I need help getting to the bathroom,” Jade said, agony and exhaustion in her voice, her bladder filled five times over.

“OK. Your nurse will be right down.” 

In less than a minute, a plump, copper-skinned, middle-aged nurse floated into Jade’s room like the morning sunshine on a cloud of cheer.

“I hear you need to visit the lil’ girls room, Ms. Jones,” the nurse said in her overly pleasant Southern drawl. “Let’s see if we can’t just ease you right on up outta this bed.”

Jade grimaced from the pain as the nurse scooped her arms under Jade’s back and sat her upright in one motion.

“Now, see if you can swing your legs out for me, baby, and put your feet on the floor,” the nurse said. Jade embraced the challenge, determined not to be overtaken by the pain. She rotated her body around slowly.

“There you go … that’s it,” the nurse encouraged, never removing her hand from Jade’s back. “Alright, easy now. Try to stand up for me.”

Jade straightened herself steadily.

“Alright, you not feelin’ dizzy, are ya?” the nurse asked.

Jade shook her head, in too much pain to speak. 

“OK. Let’s walk then,” the nurse told Jade, guiding her toward the bathroom. “Just put your arm ’round my neck for support, hun.”

Jade’s steps were short and calculated, making the 10-foot trek to the bathroom seem more like 10 miles. But the cheery nurse didn’t mind. She hummed some old spiritual, every step of the way, which Jade found thoroughly aggravating.

Jade made it to the bathroom, finally, and reassured the nurse she’d be fine alone inside. She scooted over to the toilet and eased herself down over the bowl. Thank God for relief, Jade sighed. She lifted herself back up and scooted to the sink. As she washed her hands she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. The sight frightened her: her face bruised, her eyes nearly swollen shut from all the crying. She tried to manipulate her hair into place with her fingers. That’s as good as it gets, I guess, Jade reasoned. Maybe I’ll call Elise later … see if she can brings some things from my house so I can pull myself together. Jade continued her mental conversation as she leaned to splash water on her face. I wish I could call Melvin but I’m sure he hates me. I may never be able to patch things up. Oh, God in heaven, how did I get myself into this crap!! 

Jade wiped her face with a stack of paper towels and let out a smothered sigh. She wanted to fall on the floor and sob but she couldn’t. Her body was in just too much pain and it seemed she’d used all of her tears the night before.

“You alright in there?” the nurse called from the other side of the door.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Jade lied. “I’ll be out in a sec.” 

After a short while, Jade pulled down on the door handle but realized she was too weak to push it open. The nurse propped the door open and the two began the slow journey back to Jade’s bed.

Just as the nurse got Jade situated in the bed, a soft knock came from the other side of the room door.

“That must be Elise,” Jade’s thought aloud.

“You up for company, miss lady?” the nurse asked.

“Yeah …” Jade answered, breathing heavily from trying to find the most comfortable — or the least painful — position in the bed. 

“Come on in,” the nurse yelled toward the door, then walked to the faded pastel curtains to let the bright noon sun pour in.

The nurse turned to see the startled expression on Jade’s face.

“Melvin …” Jade said in a partial whisper. For the first time the sight of him made her shudder in fear.

“Uhh … you gon’ be OK, sweetie? Should I leave you two alone?” The nurse asked Jade, as if to say: “I can stay and call for back up if you need me to, girl.”

“I think I’m OK. I am a little hungry though,” Jade told her, as if to say: “I don’t even want to see any food, really, but just come back in a few minutes to check on me.”

The nurse nodded in understanding and left the room.

“Jade …” Melvin said finally, after a few moments of silent stares. He was trying to fight back tears. 

“Melvin,” Jade interrupted. “I’m so sorry for hurting you. There are no words to express just how sorry I am for the pain I’ve caused. I know that can never begin to take the pain away and I’ll understand if you never forgive me. Just know that I’m truly sorry, and I’ll be torturing myself for this for the rest of my life.”

“What was it, Jade? What did I do?”

“Nothing, Melvin. You’re perfect. I’m just the biggest idiot of life.”

“Perfect, huh? I wanna hate you … but I can’t stop loving you. You have any idea how that feels?” Melvin said as he crept closer to Jade’s bed, his tears flowing freely now. “I was up all night trying to figure out how I could kill you ’cause that’s the only way I can see myself without you.”

Jade’s fear escalated with Melvin’s every step. She didn’t think he was capable of causing harm, but she had never heard him speak of it either. “Melvin, please …” Jade begged. Could he really kill me? He just might kill me.

“Tell me something, Jade. How long were you gonna play this little game before you realized someone could get hurt, huh?” 

“Melvin, baby, just calm down and I’ll tell you everything, from beginning to end.”

“I’m calm, Jade, and I don’t need you to tell me how it went down,” Melvin seethed. He’d made it all the way to Jade’s bedside. “Your little boyfriend filled me in quite nicely when he brought his bright ass to my house last night.”

Jade had no response, but her eyes seemed to have replenished themselves and the tears poured down her face. 

” Are you hurtin’? Is it painful, Jade?” Melvin began to ramble as he hovered over his fiance. “You wanna know what pain really is, Jade?”

Melvin reached for the object in his pocket. Jade let out a harrowing scream.

Twisted Thursday Presents: Jaded, Part 5 (By Saria Monette)

 

Jade opened her eyes to a blur of unfamiliar surroundings and bright fluorescent lights above her head. Her breathing was swift and heavy and she had a throbbing pain all over. She nearly panicked before Melvin, Elise and Richard came into focus at her bedside.

“What’s going on?” Jade asked through tears. “Where am I?”

“Baby, you’re in the hospital,” Melvin answered, wishing he could cradle Jade in his arms and gently rock her pain away. “You were in a car accident. We got here as soon as we could.”

“But you were just holding me. We were just at the house crying together on the floor. You were just telling me everything would be okay.” Jade’s panic returned in full force, infused with confusion.

“You were heavily sedated and must have been having a bad dream. You’ve been kicking, fighting and crying in your sleep for the past 20 minutes,” Elise said, brushing Jade’s hair back with her hand.

“How bad was it? The accident?” Jade questioned.

“You’ll be fine … you just fractured a rib and broke your left arm,” Melvin answered.

“The car, on the other hand, is probably on it’s way to Audi heaven,” Elise said, hoping a little humor would ease Jade’s pain even slightly.

“Oh, my God, what did I do? Anybody else hurt?”

“No, they said it looked like maybe a hit and run. But Jade, the paramedics said you kept screaming something about a rape and someone coming after you. Did somebody hurt you, baby? Please, tell me if someone hurt you,” Melvin urged as he rubbed Jade’s shoulder.

Things slowly began to come to Jade’s memory. I was trying to get to Melvin. Rico hurt me and I was trying to get to Melvin. I never made it to Melvin.

Jade broke into a loud sob that crescendoed into a frantic scream and caused Melvin, Elise and Richard to jump. The three quickly regained their composure, but stood confused — all except Elise. She was the only one who knew where Jade had been, and had an idea of what may have happened to her. I told her to leave him alone. Now look what he’s done, Elise thought. The pain she felt for her friend was slowly morphing into rage.

Melvin tried to calm Jade — alternating between kissing her forehead, rubbing her shoulders, rubbing her head, squeezing her hand. What in the world could have happened that was so traumatic? The mystery was frustrating him.

After Jade’s screams faded into a silent cry, Melvin quizzed again, “Baby girl, you’ve gotta tell me what happened. Were you raped?”

“Yes … I …” Jade began, still crying uncontrollably. “Baby, it hurts so much … I’m so sorry …”

“Sorry for what? It’s not your fault,” a tearful Melvin said, the anger building with each passing second. “Do you know the person who did this to you, Jade?”

Jade wept louder. She didn’t know what was hurting her more – her bruised and broken body, Rico’s betrayal, or seeing the pain on her fiance’s face. It was all too much to handle. How can I tell him I was raped by someone I know; someone I thought loved me?

Elise paced back and forth across the room – from the door to the window. She’d made Richard sit down; his futile attempts at comforting her just made her that much more frustrated and uncomfortable. You’ve gotta tell him. Just tell him, Jade, Elise thought, attempting to mentally persuade her friend.

“Jade, please tell me. Just tell me who did this to you! Tell me! Was it Rico?” Melvin pushed, unaware he was now yelling.

A passing nurse heard the commotion and barged into Jade’s room.

“What seems to be the problem here?” the nurse asked, walking over to Jade’s side.

No one answered. Elise continued to pace and bite her bottom lip. Melvin wiped his tears with the palms of both hands before standing eerily still at the foot of the bed and staring at Jade.

“She is under lots of stress as it is right now,” the pale, petite nurse continued as she straightened Jade’s bed covers. “She doesn’t need the yelling. It must stop or I will have to ask you all to leave.”

“Has she had a rape kit done?” a calmer Melvin asked the nurse.

“Not that I’m aware of, sir. She has to give her consent before an exam can be performed.”

“Tell her you want them to perform a rape exam, Jade,” Melvin said, his voice deep and cold.

“No, Melvin, I don’t want to go through that.” Jade’s voice cracked as she tried to force herself to stop crying.

“So, you know who did this and you’re protecting him? Please, tell me that is not what you’re doing, Jade. Tell me you just …”

Elise couldn’t take the charade anymore and before she knew it she was yelling, too. “Just tell him, Jade. Tell him the bastard is crazy. Tell him it was Rico who hurt you! Tell him it was Rico who was after you! Can’t you see how much he’s hurting, Jade? Just tell him …”

The nurse tried to talk over Elise to allay the situation. Unsuccessful, she gave up and dismissed herself from the room.

Jade was stunned by Elise’s outburst. How could she?

“Will somebody please tell me who Rico is? Please!” Melvin yelled. “Just tell me who he is and why would he hurt …” Melvin, suddenly overcome by his emotions, couldn’t finish his sentence. He flopped down onto the end of the bed and let the tears flow freely down his cheeks. Silence fell upon the room, interrupted only by the occasional sniffle.

***

 

The receptionist looked up from the book she was reading behind the desk in the emergency room lobby. A tall man who appeared homeless stood before her. He looked like he’d been walking for miles. His clothes were tattered and soaked with sweat.

“Can I help you?” the receptionist asked, seemingly disgusted and slightly annoyed.

“I’m looking for a patient. She was brought in a few hours ago. She was in a car accident.”

“We don’t usually do visitation at this hour. You family?”

“Yes … she’s my sister,” the man replied after a short pause.

“What’s your sister’s name, sir?”
“Jade … Jade Marie Jones.”

 

The receptionist keyed the name into her computer.

“Says she’s still in emergency. They haven’t put her into a permanent room yet. Let me call and find out exactly where she is,” the receptionist told the man.

She picked up the phone and dialed three digits. The man was growing anxious. Before long the receptionist had the information she needed. She jotted the room number down on a sticky note and handed it to the man.

“Just go down the hall to the left and follow the signs to …” The man didn’t wait for her to finish giving him directions.

***

 

Elise sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair, staring out the room window. Richard had fallen asleep in the chair in the far corner. Jade still lay in shock, and Melvin had finally calmed himself enough to speak again.

“Ok, I’m gonna ask one more time, and somebody better tell me, who the hell is Rico?”

Before the words could roll completely off his tongue the door to Jade’s room swung open.

Melvin sprang into a stand. Elise froze with her mouth gaping, and Jade shuddered in fear, wishing the bed would swallow her.

The man standing in the doorway spoke.

“I am … I’m Rico.”

Writer to Writer

There’s one question I get asked all the time: What steps should I take to become a published writer?

Well here are a few tips:

1. Write, write and write some more. You should make it a habit to write down something every single day. It doesn’t matter if it’s a journal entry, a blog, or a post on a social networking site, just make sure you write. I usually set goals for myself like 5oo words or more per day. 

2. Read. There are several books out there to help you on your writing journey. There are two, specifically, that I highly recommend. Chief among them is the “Writers Market” for the current year. It’s a large directory of publications to research for submission. I also recommend a book called “Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer” by Moira Anderson Allen. This book gives a host of great tips, including guides on how to write a query letter (which should accompany your articles or book manuscripts). Also, it’s a good idea to read articles, books, etc., in your field of interest. For example, if you want to be a fiction novelist, read as many fiction books as possible. Want to write magazine articles about women’s health issues? Read magazines geared toward women’s health and fitness. And so forth …

3. Submit. Pitch articles or essays to magazines, local newspapers, etc. This will help get your name out there. Be sure to research each media outlet’s criteria. For instance, your wouldn’t want to submit a fashion article to Sports Illustrated. Also, familiarize yourself with the publication’s style, e.g., AP Style, Chicago Manual, MLA, etc. This will increase your chances of publication. Make sure you edit your work thoroughly before sending it off. Submitting an article chock-full of mistakes is guaranteed to be tossed in the trash without further review.

4. Don’t be afraid of rejection. In the publishing industry, you must have thick skin and remember above all, it’s a business. Rejection letters don’t necessarily mean you’re a bad writer, so keep at it. Sometimes a publication will return your work with comments attached. These can be very helpful, in case there is something you need to improve.

Any questions? Post it as a comment below and I’ll be glad to answer it for you.

 

Peace, blessings and happy writing, 

S.Monette