An old illustration of a woman in victorian era sitting at a desk with her head in her hand holding a pen

Why Your Pen Always Dies Mid-Sentence (And How to Keep Writing)

You’re on a roll—your thoughts are crisp, your hand’s gliding—and then: click. The pen goes silent. In that instant, you’re less “writer” and more “skeletal scribe” staring at a blank void. Welcome to the tragic comedy of the mid-sentence pen death.


The Annoyance

That split-second panic when the ink stops: you’re halfway through a shopping list, a love letter, or that world-changing treatise—and suddenly your pen feels as useless as a bone in water. Every unfinished word becomes a monument to frustration.


The Absurd Diagnosis

We hereby name this affliction “Scripto Mortalis Imprinta.”

Symptoms include:

  1. A trembling hand hovering over paper in disbelief
  2. Frantic scribbles as you shake or tap the pen like a maraca
  3. Muttering “Not now…” to inanimate objects


A Low-Key Cure

Before you declare pen bankruptcy, try these skeletal remedies:

  1. The Shake & Revive Ritual
  2. Hold the pen cap-down and give it a firm flick—sometimes gravity will coax out the last ink droplet.
  3. Ink-Well Decoy
  4. Keep a small ink-reservoir paper clip tucked in your notebook; when the pen falters, dip and scribble until you snag a new line.
  5. Backup Scribe Protocol
  6. Always carry a backup pen (or a stubby pencil). When ink fails, pencil in your masterpiece and revisit it later.


The Witty Insight

Maybe the real lesson isn’t about ink or parchment at all, but about impermanence. Words—and pens—dry up. What matters is that you keep writing, even if sometimes it’s in pencil, in draft form, or on the back of a receipt.


Conclusion

In the grand ledger of life’s little betrayals, a dead pen is but an inkless footnote. Yet these microtragedies sharpen our resolve, remind us that creativity often flows in fits and starts, and prove that sometimes the best cure is a pinch of absurdist humor. Next time your pen goes “click,” tip your hat to fleeting perfection—and carry on writing.

Sick of life’s tiny curses?

Talking to the Attending is the perfect remedy.

Summon the Attending
Dose yourself.