Not so long ago I decided that my readers might like to see a more or less regular blog entry from me here on the Imperfectly Ordinary website, so I set about deciding what to write about…  Maybe I should have put that into uppercase and added ponderous gong sound effects.  What resulted was perhaps the worst case of WRITER’S BLOCK I can remember having to suffer through.  The way I got through it is a good story in itself, and so I’ll share it.

Back during my high school days anyone who bothered to take a careful look would have discovered that I was a walking swirl of self contradictions, not the least of which was a compulsion to work hard to avoid betraying any hint of enthusiasm at anything my peers  might consider evidence of being smart.  I was afraid of the consequences…if you have read A Gift of Dreams you’ll recognize what I’m talking about and you will recognize the formidable Miss Montgomery, my senior year English teacher.

At some point during the year…I can’t remember just when…Miss Montgomery blessed each of us college-bound seniors the opportunity to  demonstrate our understanding of the notion of English Poetry by composing our very own sonnet.  I could not have explained why, just then, but I was scared of succeeding and being singled out. But…as you can easily imagine…I was even more scared of the wrath of my teacher. After a guilt-ridden week of procrastination, I created a solution I could live with. I wrote an elaborately correct  sonnet explaining in logical detail why I was unable to write a sonnet, ending it in near-perfect iambic pentameter with the line …for a sonnet I do not know how to write. Miss Montgomery was not amused, but I got off the hook with a “B” and a tight-lipped, penetrating stare from my teacher.

Fast forward to now, to my very own website, and to the assignment I have given myself of sharing the day to day adventures of being a writer with my readers by revealing some hard earned wisdom.  There are times when the best way past an obstacle is straight through it, head-on.

I hope the story earns me more than a tight-lipped stare from you.