(Author's Note: written for The_Weekend_Write-in weekly challenge "vital".)

June sat at her desk, her chin resting on one clenched fist, staring blankly at the empty screen. A coffee cup, its contents now cold and scummy, sat on her left. Three pens lay precisely aligned in a neat row on her right beside a blank notepad.

It was vitally important she complete this week's challenge. Another missed deadline and she could kiss her club membership good bye. Ned had given her the hard word last week when she'd missed that week's challenge, his face set in sorrowful "this-hurts-me-more-than-it-hurts-you" lines.

"It's not just that you're letting the rest of the club down by failing to participate," he'd said. "But more importantly, June, you're letting yourself down. These challenges are critical, a vital part of your writing journey. They're not just for fun and entertainment, you know."

"S-sorry," she'd stuttered. "I'll do better next week, I promise."

"I hope so," said Ned, giving her a stern look. "This is your last chance."

June stared at the word of the week one more time, hoping desperately that it might have morphed into something more interesting, something she could spin into a witty little tale, a sweet (if short) romance, or a heart stopping moment of terror.

But no, it was the same word as the last time she'd checked.

How could anyone write a story about that? She grumbled. And how did they pick these words anyway? She'd looked it up in her Thesaurus, just in case it had a different meaning from the one she knew about, but no, it hadn't. She muttered under her breath.

She bet Bob wasn't working himself into a state. He always had his entry up first, what a sycophant. Now there was a good word! Why couldn't they have chosen that one?

Maybe she could sneak a look at what Bob had written, just to get a hint...

No! What was she thinking? She brought herself up sharply. She wasn't a cheat.

She might have writer's block and possibly no imagination, but she wasn't a plagiarist. (Another good word!)

She rubbed her eyes and polished her glasses. Absently, she took a sip of cold coffee. Ugh. She pushed back her chair.
A fresh coffee. That's what she needed. And maybe a chocolate biscuit to go with it.

A short walk and a fresh coffee.

That would get the vital juices flowing.