Introduction. "The Birth of Words" - Writer's undergo frustrating periods where no idea sounds good enough, plots won't stay together, and characters refuse to play their roles. That blank slate, whether paper or computer screen, stares blankly back as dust settles and time passes. Sometimes, not being able to write is an almost physical pain. This piece, and the short, un-titled poem that follows it, documents some of this pain and frustration. This is not so much a story as it is a purging. I cringe when I read through it, but it broke a long period when I couldn't write and became the impetus I needed at the time to start writing again. The moral of the story is that the only cure for not writing is to write.