At the corner of writer’s block & sleep deprivation

The clock reads 10:08 p.m., I’m inching closer to my 9:00 a.m. deadline and a menacing cursor blinks on a blank page before me, threatening me with every pulse:

You have nothing. You have nothing. You have nothing.

Though I’m not hungry, I make a trip to the fridge for the umpteenth time. I scan it meticulously, opening every drawer and checking every shelf, as if the words I’m looking for are in there somewhere.

There’s nothing.

I go back to my post empty handed, my left eye twitching and my head heavier than a rock. “I can do this,” I tell myself, trying to feign optimism for my own sanity.

Must. Start. Writing.

In an attempt to eliminate distraction, I silence my cell phone, close my web browser and prohibit myself from any future trips to the fridge.

I navigate back to the blank page, determined to begin writing, but when I see the cursor right where I left it, pulsing at its lackadaisical pace, I imagine it giving me the finger one blink at a time.

Forget it. I slam my laptop shut, set my alarm for 4:00 a.m. and decide to call it a night. Too defeated for my bedtime routine, I walk over to get the lights.

Just as I’m about to hit the switch, I spot my notepad on the bookshelf from the corner of my eye. I hesitate for a second, pick it up, flip to a blank page and grab the first pencil I can find.

I begin to write.