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The writer's block | Asha Christensen | TEDxKids@SMU

  • 0:30 - 0:31
    I pick up the pencil,
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    but I ask myself, "Why?"
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    I have no story to tell,
    no pain, no reason to write.
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    Staring at the blank page,
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    a thought (snaps her fingers)
    wanders before me.
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    I see a spark.
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    Reaching out to grab it, my hands
    stretched out as far as I can, and -
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    - nothing!
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    It's all lost: all thought, all purpose.
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    So I stare at the paper again -
    for hours it seems!
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    As I look up at the clock shining 1 p.m.,
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    I was ready to take a break.
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    Standing up, fist clenched,
    shoulders broadened -
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    until I had realized I'd started at 12:59.
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    And that hunched me back over
    while releasing a sigh.
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    So I continue to stare,
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    waiting for that booklet
    of notebook paper to work its magic,
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    to stare back at me, and blink.
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    That is what fuels me:
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    a sense of accomplishment
    that I couldn't receive from the clock.
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    As the time slips away,
    I realize I'm not alone,
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    lost and abandoned in this blank page.
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    So when you find yourself,
    and you're reaching for that sparkle,
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    ready to grab it, but pull back;
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    when you have emotion
    [that] builds up inside,
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    but [you] can't seem to find
    the words to release it,
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    and to release you,
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    I am trapped, my feet glued to the floor,
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    a cluttered closet
    of insignificant thoughts,
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    searching for the one to set me free,
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    to fill up the emptiness
    of that blank page.
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    But this time, this time,
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    when I look back at that page,
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    I see words.
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    So when you battle
    with that first blank page,
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    those words you can't seem to find,
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    just pick up that pencil,
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    as I did mine.
  • 2:32 - 2:34
    (Applause)
Title:
The writer's block | Asha Christensen | TEDxKids@SMU
Description:

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Asha's name means 'hope' and she is full of it. Her first TED experience was from the center front row of the first ever TEDxKids @SMU when she was nine. She heckled Rives and made a friend - he was the first spoken word poet she'd ever met. When her school announced a slam poetry competition, she was inspired. She watched a bunch of TED talks and wrote a poem about a writer's block.
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Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TEDxTalks
Duration:
02:42

  • reeves

    Perhaps, this is why students use various tools and services that write for them. They see no point it wasting their time on some essays that won't even be read by their teachers! Especially, if they are Science major or simply, not Humanities. "Why should I waste the time I could for studying what is important for me - on writing something no one cares about?", they might think. and they use writing services like those mentioned in this irate article: https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/10/write-my-essay-please/264036/ , that https://www.writemyessayfast.org/ or something. Of course, students use it, as professors won't assess the quality of the argument, how well the topic was researched (and what sources were used). And those who write use Grammarly or other apps, so there is no point in assessing the grammar and the structure - it is polished.

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