Gemotions

The sunlight sliced across Daniel's messy apartment, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. He was supposed to be proofreading, a task he usually enjoyed. But today, the words blurred. His eyes felt heavy. He leaned back in his chair, stretching, but the effort left him feeling drained.

He got a notification on his phone. It was the news. The scandal. His favorite author… caught. Plagiarizing. Daniel, already feeling… weighed down, felt the sensation increase exponentially. He'd poured over the writer's work. The style. The structure. He had tried to learn from it, to emulate it.

His own writing, his passion, suddenly felt… pointless. He stared at his manuscript. The words seemed to mock him. The thought of picking up his pen felt like a betrayal of his own, now tainted, inspiration. He closed the document and let the news wash over him.