WSET.com - ABC13Writer's Block Blog by Emmett Strode

Writer's Block Blog by Emmett Strode

Writers block can be a terrible thing. You can't think of a thing to write when it is your turn to fill a modest amount of space in a blog.

True, it has been quite some time since I've written a blog. A lot of stuff has presented itself as possible blog-fodder. I have rejected it.

I trade telephone calls and email with interesting and semi-interesting people every day. Most have stories they want us to tell. Some have stories they would rather we not tell. Nothing I've heard or read while sitting at the WSET Assignment Desk recently is crying out to be material for a blog.

I suppose I could retell the story of the Roman admiral during the First Punic War (or maybe it was the Second Punic War.) The brand-spanking new Roman navy was sailing to Carthage to teach the Carthaginians a lesson. The ancient Romans worshiped household gods and had a strong belief in Fortune. They believed the gods would communicate your fate to you through the use of auguries and signs. They would paw through the entrails of sacrificial animals and watch for signs in the heavens and in nature to give them a clue as to what to expect in their futures. So, anyway. The Roman navy is heading for Carthage. The admiral had a bunch of Sacred Chickens on his ship to aid him in foretelling the future. The Sacred Chickens were dropping clues that the Romans shouldn't proceed with the attack on Carthage. As far as the admiral was concerned this was the wrong answer. He threw the Sacred Chickens overboard. The Romans went on to kick the chicken crap out of the Carthaginians. I have no idea if that story is true but it was told by an instructor in an ancient history course I took many, many years ago. If there is a moral to the tale it may be this: toss the Sacred Chickens overboard and get on with your life. You just might accomplish something noteworthy.

Now, if I could just get rid of this writer's block I could come up with a blog.