The sunlight came streaming in through the thickly paned window and simultaneously the alarm bell rang. I woke up and smiled lazily, which is very rare since I am not a morning person. The reason which had me so pumped up early in the morning was that I knew today was ‘The Day’. My eyes were shining with glee, as I opened up Us Magazine’s official website and searched for what I was looking for. Yes! Another published article.
I am sure many of you can relate to this ecstatic feeling when you come up with a fascinating piece and it’s a part of a well read magazine. There’s more to just another article being published. It’s the fruitful result of observing your surroundings and researching. Capturing millions of hearts and changing lives in a positive manner is the ultimate desire of an aspiring writer. When you read your name beneath the title, the feeling is indescribable and all you can think about is your parents’ reaction and their immense joy. Sounds familiar?
So, let’s get back to the story. All my sleepiness had vanished and I pushed the soft quilt away, in order to get out of bed. I couldn’t help but squeal with delight and for the first time in days, I felt enthusiastic about going to college. See how doing something you love can spark up the dimmest of days? That feeling stayed with me for a long period of time and I smiled even through the most serious conversations. Smiled sunnily even though Karachi’s scorching heat and those wearisome extra classes made it hard to do so. To others, having a small article published may not be a great deal, but I’m sure some passionate writers would agree with me. Touching people’s hearts with the magic of words is what we dream of.
After six days, the euphoria finally settled down and the desire to write something new sunk in. I sat on my favourite rocking chair, grabbed a pencil and a notebook, and let my creative juices flow across my mind. I already had some ideas written down, so I chose one. I was all set to start, but my mind went blank and there was ... nothing.
I fumbled with the pencil for a few moments and then annoyed, I let it drop. I tried to shrug off all the pessimistic germs and reminded myself what writing was to me, but to no avail. I threw my cushion vigorously on the floor and snapped at my sister when she called me for dinner. How was the poor child supposed to know what I was experiencing the writer’s block. It’s ironic how a person can come up with the most inventive ideas, and after a day or two, the same person feels despondent. I am sure many of you can associate yourselves with what I was going through.
Honestly, ideas about articles don’t just come up when you are procrastinating and waiting for the PERFECT topic to pop up in your head. With no other choice left, I took some advice from an intellectual relative of mine about what I should do. After a bit of therapy, I learned that relaxing one’s mind and letting go off that urge to start writing immediately helps a lot.
My favourite technique is to have some coffee, while reading a novel, be it in Urdu or English. Furthermore, meditative exercises like yoga or just simply walking through a park and exploring can do the trick. Yes, you won’t feel the magic work instantly and will still have that feeling of not having a single creative bone in your body. But, gradually, it will fade away and you’ll be able to come up with something interesting enough to wow everyone back. I tried most of these means and the result is what you are reading at the moment!
