A broken pen and a lack of inspiration (5)

I believe the answer is:

apnea

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'lack of inspiration' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both states of affairs as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'a broken pen and a' is the wordplay.
'broken' is an anagram indicator.
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'pen' anagrammed gives 'pne'.
'a'+'pne'+'a'='APNEA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for apnea that I've seen before include "stopping breathing in US" , "that'll make you catch your breath?" , "Cessation of breathing during sleep (US spelling)" , "Loss of breath" .)

I've seen this clue in The Hindu.

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