Writer's Block

I do a lot of essays for the blog - just thoughts that I've had that I want to share, or things on my mind that I feel I have to share. A friend challenged me to write a short story. It occurs to me, upon considerable thought, that I have not actually written anything good of that nature since I was in my twenties. It's all novels, essays, and the occasional poem if I really can't help myself. And so I sat down to write, and realized that I haven't written any short stories in years because I haven't thought up any new idea to write about. The novels are like obssessions that I have to act upon, the essays are a mission, and the poems are a compulsion. What are short stories made of?


Of course, I know all the tricks of the trade, all the things you do to break free of The Block and get something on the page. The one that always used to work for me was FreeWriting. I could write three pages of whatever pops into my head and then turn that into a story. But would it be a good story?

Let's find out...