'Hey Mr Writer,
It's been two weeks now. Are we going to get the next update or not? I'm dying to see Dev being rescued. That is if you're planning to save him. *wink*'

Tanmay didn't waste even a single second to open and read the message. Though, once he did that, he wished he hadn't opened it. For that was one thing to which he didn't have any answers at this moment. But he had to reply. More than the friend which Riya had become, it was that reader in her who deserved an answer.

Why didn't he update?

As he pondered over it, he actually found two different answers to that. For the first couple of days, he didn't think about the story at all. Assignments and project kept him busy and diverted his attention. That was what he kept saying to himself during those two days. But deep down in his heart, he knew that the real reason was something different. He had just updated a day before and so, he wanted to buy some time. It wasn't as if he didn't know what would happen next. The scene was etched at the back of his mind. And yet, he delayed writing it purposefully. The thought behind it was simple - increase the reader's curiosity. Judging by her message today, he knew it worked.

Satisfied by the first answer, he moved over to the next one. It was the answer which invoked another question in his mind, the question which scared him a lot. When he had finally sat down to write the update last week, unfortunately, no words came out. He could see the characters, feel their emotions, watch the whole scene unfold in his mind. And yet, he was unable to put it in words. That thought suddenly scared him a lot.

Why can't I write?

On the other side, Riya waited patiently to read the excuse he'd be giving. The moment she had sent that message, she saw those two ticks turn blue. It may have been past midnight, but her favorite writer was online and there was nothing unusual about it. After all, it wasn't the first night that they'd be chatting that late. And so, it didn't surprise her at all that he saw the message instantly. But what was really odd was the fact that he hadn't replied even after fifteen minutes of reading it.

Her heart and her mind started working in overdrive trying to draw the speculations of his actions. Maybe he's typing an update right now. She knew that won't be the case. He never liked to type that late. There were bound to be errors, a lot of them, typing in that half-asleep state, and he was someone who'd always like to avoid them. It was something else. Maybe he fell asleep? That was very much unlike him too. Whenever they talked at the night, he never failed to wish her goodnight. And then there was the fact that his profile still showed an online sign. It scared her a bit.

'Hey, all okay?'

And once again those two ticks turned blue instantly. Why won't they? He was staring right at the screen for the whole time, at that message she sent earlier. And now this. They had just been friends for a couple of months, yet, their bond had grown strong enough for them to tell just from the messages, or the lack of it in this case if there was something wrong.

'Nothing much.'

He tried to avoid the topic because he knew that if it went on, sooner or later he'd have to tell her how he couldn't write. And he didn't wish for the conversation to go down that line. He wasn't sure how much he could hold back if it did. But then, he was sure she'd know it anyway.

'Stop beating around the bush Tanmay. Now tell me what's wrong.'

This time, he gave up his resistance.

'I don't know Riya, I just can't seem to write. It's as if those words have forgotten my address. Or maybe the other way around. But the fact is, I'm unable to write. And whatever I do, I don't seem to be satisfied with it.'

This time, it was Riya's turn to go silent. What can one really say to an artist who feels he has lost his art? And the fact that she was relatively new to this world didn't help either. This whole reader writer thing, it wasn't hers from the start. That was always Natasha's. She was just holding the fort till its warrior returned.

The thought of Natasha brought back a distant memory. Once, while in the library, Natasha had casually told her about this thing called writer's block.

"Writer's block is one of those worst things which can happen to a writer. It's like they're just not satisfied with whatever they write. Those day-to-day things, which were their elixir once, fail to lit up even a tiny spark. It's like the words are lost to them. It's a strange feeling, but definitely not a good one."

Yes, that was her answer.

'Maybe this is what they call a writer's block...'

She deliberately left the end hanging. If that really was the case, she didn't wish to imply it so straightforward, and if it wasn't, she didn't want him jumping to those conclusions.

She's right, he did jump to a conclusion.

He had read about it over the Internet, saw many writers on wattpad say that they were going through that phase and so won't be able to update their stories. Since the time he started writing, he had never felt it before. I guess that's my turn now. The thought made him even more upset than what he already was.

'It's not as if that's happening for the first time, right? There have been times in the past when you've stopped writing. I'm sure it's just a temporary thing. Don't worry, we'll find a way out.'

While Riya's message was comforting, it still didn't fail to prick his emotions.

Yes, there had been times in the past such as these, two occasions to be exact. But he knew that on both those occasions, he had his own personal reasons to stop writing.

The first time, he stopped because the readers didn't value his words. It needed a miracle for him to start writing again and that was when a magician had performed on his stage. MissMagician. It had been over two months since she left without a word, yet, the thought of her never failed to leave him nostalgic. That one month which she was around was one of the best phases of his life. He had got so involved in her that her absence had shattered him right to the core.

That was the second occasion when he stopped writing. The very reason for his smile had become the culprit for his tears. He had promised himself that he won't ever get so involved in anyone in this world of wattpad. Sadly, or rather luckily, it didn't take him long to break that promise.

Riya broke into the locked room of his heart and set his words free again. He wasn't sure if she filled up the void left by MissMagician, or if anyone could do that, but he was glad to have her in his life.

Barring those two occasions, he couldn't remember a phase where he wasn't able to write. That's what scared him the most this time. There was no reason.

'I know you're awake Tanmay. Come on, talk to me.'

He too wanted to talk to her, he knew he needed her the most now than ever, and yet, he didn't wish to drag the conversation any further. He just wasn't ready to accept that he had gone into a writer's block. No, not yet.

'My eyes have started to drop now. We'll talk over this tomorrow.
Good night Riya.'

Riya got the hint to stop this conversation. Though she would have liked him to discuss his feelings more so that they could work out a solution if possible, she respected his privacy. She may be the most talkative person around but she understood the value of silence.

He deserved his moment of silence.

'Good night Mr Writer.'

***

11th July 2017

"Accepting a problem is not only the first but also the hardest step of solving it."

***

Let's talk about the writer's block today. As Tanmay showed us, there are two types of it.

Natural and Artificial.

Take the artificial one first.

Here, the writer deliberately holds back the updates to perk up reader's curiosity. During this phase, whenever their heart asks them why they aren't writing, they try to convince it that it's because of a writer's block.

Not only do they lie to themselves but also create that block in their mind.

As a reader, what do you feel about that?

And now to the natural one.

I don't think there's much to talk about it. Everyone knows what it is. If you're a writer, there's a high chance you've experienced it and if you're a reader, then there's a high chance you've heard a writer say it.

I guess it just happens. It might be our mood or the happenings around us, anything can trigger it. Just like love, we never know when it happens.
It just happens.

As a reader, what are your thoughts on the natural one?

To tell you the truth, I've gone through both of those. And believe me, when it's the natural one, you really need a miracle to get back.

So, has Tanmay really got into a writer's block?

If yes, then what would be the miracle to drag him out?

Stay tuned to find out...