Book Review-Shreyasi Majumdar

Pain in the Neck? Could be TMS



Book Review: Healing Back Pain-The Mind-Body Connection

Author: Dr John E Sarno, MD

Publisher: Warner Books

First Edition: February 1991

Price: USD 13.99 (INR 674)

Number of Pages: 193


In this detailed sequel to his first book Mind Over Back Pain first published in 1984, Dr J Sarno explains the concept of Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS) as the major cause of back and neck pain. He demonstrates how patients with common back ailments can identify the emotional roots of the pain and heal themselves permanently without exercise, surgery or drugs.


Although contemporary medical science would fiercely oppose any theory that has to do with a psychological relation to bodily anomalies, “Healing Back Pain” might make the rigid medical community think twice about the conventional causes and cures of back ailments.

Introduction:

TMS has to do with the manifestation of emotional and psychological conditions in the soft tissue surrounding the spine and consequently emerging as the major cause for pain in the neck, shoulder, back, buttocks and limbs. Although the painful yet benign syndrome is brought on mainly by stress, the cause can be a wide range of latent emotional issues.

Dr Sarno suggests that the acceptance and treatment of TMS as a legitimate syndrome TMS may be deemed a “holistic” approach because unlike conventional medicine, TMS is treated not by addressing the symptoms, but by identifying them and then treating the underlying cause rooted in emotional and psychological factors. Having faced negative attention from his contemporaries himself, he backs up his claim with many testimonials at the end of the book, from TMS affected patients that he successfully cured.

The Four W’s:

Who -TMS is a cradle-to-grave disorder affecting people of all ages. However on a general note, people between 30-60 years of age have been found to be the most affected. Since this age group is also the “maximum stress” group with most responsibility, stress is accepted as the most common cause of TMS.

Where - As the name suggests, the most affected soft tissue in TMS are muscle (myo) and also peripheral nerves. In some cases, there can be accompanying pain in tendons or ligaments, which tends to disappear once the back pain is treated.

What - TMS usually occurs as a sudden acute attack with an excruciating pain most commonly affecting the lower back and buttocks. However many people also report a gradual beginning to the pain, which is usually localized in the neck and shoulders to later move further down the back.

When - Acute or slow, the timing of the pain can only be determined by the patients’ psychological state at the time, with a physical incident acting merely as a trigger. He explains a delayed onset reaction wherein a person sails through tough stressful times without a hiccup, but develops TMS later due to the accumulated anxiety.

Psychology and Physiology

In an attempt to stress his point about TMS being a psychological phenomenon rather than a structural aberration in the spine or muscle deficiency, Sarno does tend to get rather repetitive. But he gets the point across.

Repressed unacceptable emotions which give rise to tension and physical or emotional stress are two of the major causes of TMS. Differentiating between the conscious and unconscious mind and keeping a safe distance from psychiatric jargon, Sarno reflects on how various psychological factors such as low self-esteem, narcissism, fear, anxiety, anger and unnatural repression of natural traits will at some point or the other cause the body to retaliate and defend itself-consequently manifesting as back pain.

As for the physiology of TMS, the basics are already pointed out in the first chapter. Although the explanation is a bit heavy with a lot of medical terms, in a nutshell, the physiology of TMS can be said to be represented by certain emotional states that cause mild oxygen deprivation of the abovementioned soft tissues. This dearth of oxygen is the primary cause for the pain, sensory abnormalities and muscle control deficits.

Talk to your brain

The treatment of TMS is as non-linear as the concept itself with the focus being on understanding the nature of the disorder and training oneself to act on it and change the brain’s behavior. Simply being aware of the potential psychological causes of the pain and telling one’s brain that one is not helpless and intimidated can actually cause the pain to go away. Such is the power of volition.

Sarno also urges patients to get over fears of the pain relapses, to resume all kinds of normal physical activity including the more rigorous ones as well as discontinue all physical treatment or therapy. However he is very careful to mention in various instances throughout, that the book is not meant for self diagnosis but is merely an introduction to a newly discovered syndrome. He clearly states that TMS should be diagnosed and treated only after a thorough medical exam of the back has been conducted yielding no conclusive evidence of spinal aberrations.

As an important part of the treatment, Sarno asks patients to review daily reminders of what TMS actually is and list out possible causes for the syndrome.

Overall, I would say the book is a bold venture into a realm which is still not considered “solid” medicine owing to its subtle nature. However Dr Sarno’s reputation as a professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU School of Medicine, and attending physician at the Howard A Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU Medical Centre, his many years of research into the syndrome and the large number of patients who have benefited from his work, certainly adds credibility to the book.

If you are suffering from any of the symptoms mentioned, if you are brave enough to try something out-of-the-box, if you have an open mind and if you wish to heal yourself naturally, this book may serve as a potentially explorable avenue for a safe alternative remedy to back pain.

-------------Shreyasi Majumdar

"Bookworm"

I grew up in a house where most of its inhabitants liked to read. I still remember those quiet, sunny afternoons in Santacruz (My first home) when I was first introduced to books. My dad, aunt and granddad used to be away at work, managing the family pre-press business, mum used to spend all her time putting in efforts to raise a decent human being and my grandmum used to take care of all the household chores. I used to attend morning school and as such would have the rest of the day to myself to do as I pleased. There were no other kids my age in the building where I lived, and my mother was my sole playmate and companion. As it happened, I developed an active imagination, created very real parallel worlds of my own and had a truckload of imaginary fairytale friends. Life was good.

What I particularly remember about that house in the afternoons, is my grandmother retiring to her room post lunch and settling down with a book from her big collection. She used to love English mysteries and suspense thrillers and would occasionally devour Bengali literature as well. My mother of course was further gone as a bibliophile. For as long as I can remember, the love of books has been ingrained into my mother’s very blood. And as is normal with most parents, she wanted to inculcate the reading habit in her one and only offspring as well.

She introduced me to all kinds of wonderful books which fuelled my already active imagination. Robinson Crusoe, Jules Verne’s Books, Little Women etc to brilliant imaginary worlds like OZ, wonderland and beautifully narrated fairytales as well as immortal fictional (but real to me) characters like Enid Blyton’s magic faraway tree and its inhabitants like moon face, Dame Washalot and watzisname. My love for magical creatures and worlds grew manifold since those very days and to my surprise continue to grow even after I have supoposedly grown up to become a “responsible” adult.

My mother of course soon realized my bias towards certain kinds of books dealing with ancient civilizations, alien abductions, conspiracy theories, paranormal phenomena, spirituality, children’s books with bright illustrations and certain Victorian classics (Pride and Prejudice types). She goaded me to read about many more varied topics, but I think somewhere she knew that my fascinations would lead me on a path I had already started paving for myself. However she continued to move me to read in her own unique way and one such effort I remember vividly. It’s when she made me the Bookworm.


It was a rotund two dimensional cardboard backed paper worm, a wriggly cute little fellow splotched with light and dark green patches, replete with spectacles which magnified his already big eyes, a big patch of white woolen hair on his round head and a big red two-toothed smile. She had spent a few days cutting out the shape, gluing, colouring etc and the end product was an absolutely brilliant bookmark. In fact it was one of my most prized possessions. My mother had taken care to give it a protective plastic coating too which made it last longer than my other things usually do (oops) and I remember treasuring the image of its woollen hair and encouraging face, sticking out of my books every now and then. I used to love to go back to a book just to get a glimpse of the Bookworm. That’s what I used to call him and I admit I wasn’t very original with the name. But somehow his name suited him just fine.


I don’t really remember when or where Bookworm disappeared from my radar, but I still remember him every time I open a book. I have had many many bookmarks since Bookworm, but none as original and encouraging as him. I guess its one of those pieces of the past (that I so often refer to) that make a solid mark on you when you are young and continue to remain important when you get older. He was alive, like all my other fairytale creatures and I think he spoke to me too. Read on Twinky, he said. Read on.

10 Basic Ways to Cure Writer's Block

I was talking to Kartik today and regaling him with how I have been enjoying myself lately with “Dreamweaver” and posting entry after entry every day. I convinced him of my new found happiness and he in turn congratulated me on finding inspiration in sickness. I of course turned up my nose at this and told him off vehemently. “I don’t need to be inspired to write,” I said. “WRITER’S BLOCK IS A CRAPPY EXCUSE FOR PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO LOOK AROUND AND THINK!”

Kartik in his infinitely calm manner said “Great!” and left it at that. Serves me right. So much for my arrogance! Of course I am totally wrong. Writer’s block is a legitimate illness afflicting all pens at some point of time or the other. It has affected me too in the past and now I choose to write it off as lack of creativity or interest on my part. A writer should ideally be in control of the situation and never let THE BLOCK get to him. He should be able to search and dig, observe, think and create, no matter what the obstacle. Unfortunately, this requires a lot of training and it takes ages for most writers to come to terms with their own immense potentials.

A lot has been written about Writer’s Block and the many ways to get over it. I have devised my own set of rules which seem to work fine for me. So here goes:

1) Switch topics. If you are having problems with a particular piece, stop writing it. Go on to something completely different. Something radical. Something new. Something you never thought you would write about. If you’re writing about the shrinking middle class-stop and start writing about some childhood experience that left a mark on you. Your work doesn’t have to be publication quality. It just has to be something different.

2) Take a Break! Yes! Stop writing completely. Give your mind a rest and go recharge yourself. Go out to a delicious Mexican lunch, or invite a friend to tea. Sit in your balcony and watch the leaves rustling in the breeze. Empty your mind of all pseudo-creative thoughts and simply soak in your peaceful surroundings. And watch the ideas rush back when you sit down to write an hour or two later.

3) Read. Read a lot. With or without Writer’s Block. Read and devour as much material as you can get. If you’re facing a block while writing about landscaping, read about gardening. If its sports you’re having a problem with, pick up the nearest sports magazine-be it swimming or polo or golf. Alternately read something completely different. If you’re writing a short story and can’t seem to proceed with the storyline, read a fairytale. If you’re stuck in the middle of a feature article on mystery writing, read a travel book. The bottom line is READ.

4) Write Nonsense. Writing anything and everything that comes to your head, works wonders; not necessarily for instantly curing the block, but it does help a writer to vent when writing becomes such a frustration. Jumbled words, phrases, disorderly sentences or just any nonsense that comes waltzing into your mind-put it down on paper. Who knows? You could glance through the jumble later only to find a new storyline emerging. Whatever it is, it will help you to put down on paper what you have in your head.

5) Call your mother. This is an extreme but drastic measure that ALWAYS helps me. Mother’s usually are storehouses of possible story ideas and talking to one’s mother when one is frustrated (with anything) invariably helps. If not with the block directly but definitely with offloading ones woes. If you cannot call your mother for whatever reason, call your dad or anyone else who is close to you and cares enough to provide moral support as well as inputs useful to your work. This may sound a little desperate, but you’d be amazed at how often this works. And they’re people close to you, so how does it hurt to let go of your pride and turn to them for some aid?

6) Eat healthy and exercise. A healthy body is absolutely vital for a creative mind and a dull, lifeless physical form will not only impede a flow of ideas, but also stop them eventually. The key is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, with a balanced nutritious diet, plenty of water, good amount of exercise in the fresh air and introspection at the end of the day. Try it on an experimental basis and watch the positive change in your writing in a month’s time. Good food and exercise-bound to make a difference to Writer’s Block!

7) Meditate. Having a healthy body is all very well, but emotional and psychological stresses and tensions and a consequent dearth of mental peace, are sure to worsen your episodes of Writer’s Block. The answer-MEDITATE. Meditation and quiet seclusion at the beginning and end of everyday and harmonising body, mind and soul, is bound to open up your thought processes to new ideas. And whoosh! Writer’s Block is a thing of the past!

8) Get a Hobby. Writing all day and night can tire the mind. It is in the nature of the human mind to be stimulated by different things so do just that. When you have written for a good many hours in the day, stop and engage yourself in another hobby of your liking. Bake a cake, play your guitar, clean and organize your home or just listen to some music. They can have a therapeutic effect on your brain and prepare you for another chunk of block-free writing time.

9) Get an idol. Having a hero and idolizing someone for his/her brilliant contributions to his/her area of work, is not only healthy, it is very much required. Read about your favourite writing from the many writers famed in antiquity as well as the present and try to emulate him/her. Start thinking like him/her and begin to search for leads like he/she would. Put up his/her posters/pictures on your desk or on the wall near your workplace, so that his/her achievements are never out of sight. But of course, develop your own writing style. He/she may be your idol, but you are unique.

10) Research online. Read about the various nitty gritties of the topic on hand on the internet. Go online and research whatever material you can find related to what you want to write about and read the distantly related articles written about them too. You never know where an idea may spring out from and hit you square in the eye! And the best part is the internet has limitless information about everything. As such you’ll never run out of things to read about!

Writer’s Block sounds scary for aspiring as well as seasoned writers and true enough many writers go months without being able to get over it. Some have even abandoned their careers on account of the block. But in most circumstances it is rather benign and shouldn’t worry you too much. If you want to write, do just that-write fearlessly. Trust in your own creativity and ingenuity and soon, Writer’s Block will just be a harmless concept you once read about ... somewhere.

---------Shreyasi M.

2 States – The Common Love Story Retold Uncommonly

People have told me that Chetan Bhagat has outdone himself in his new book “2 States-The Story of my Marriage”. I wouldn’t know about that. This is his first book I read. But I do know that he has done an absolutely outstanding job in dissecting the psyche of the modern day Indian middle class family and brilliantly narrating in fiction the very real issues that people go through when inter caste/creed/religious/state marriages take place. Relationships are built. Lives are turned upside down. Humongous efforts are made to bring about even a semblance of acceptance. Relationships are broken. Sometimes they stay broken and sometimes (thankfully) things get sorted out and in the end love triumphs, as Bhagat’s characters in 2 States witnessed.

The book very cleverly begins with the protagonist of the story – a Punjabi boy called Krish Malhotra, in a shrink’s office, doing a class Devdas act, trying desperately to come to terms with the apparent loss of the love of his life- a Tamilian Brahmin girl called Ananya Swaminathan. It then goes into flashback mode, where the love story begins “where all love stories begin”- with Krish and Ananya meeting for the very first time at the mess counter of the IIMA, where they both are fellow student-each with ambitions of their own and the ambitions driven by their own reasons.

Krish, who shares a horribly impaired relationship with his father, also has to deal with an overprotective overzealous mother, who wants him to marry the first Punjabi girl that comes his way, strapped with a fleet of cars, house and money as dowry. The Malhotra family is as dysfunctional as any family can get, with Mr and Mrs Malhotra on non-speaking terms, Mr Malhotra with a fiery temper and unhindered rage and Mrs Malhotra’s large numbers of interfering relatives.

The vivacious and bold Ananya on the other hand, comes from a typical conventional, well educated and education hungry Tamilian Brahmin family in Chennai, completely contrasting to her rebellious, outgoing, personality. Born to a quiet, reserved father, she is closest to him, while she and her mother share a frustrating albeit interesting relationship. She also has a bookworm of a sibling, whose only aim in life seems to be to become more of a bookworm and possibly graduate from the top ranking institutions in the country.

Amidst tumultuous family issues, irate professors, truckloads of study material and raging hormones, the two meet, fall in love over many conversations, study periods, chicken and lots of chai. As they graduate and accept their respective placements, their relationship progresses to one of complete commitment but corresponding non-acceptance from the respective families.

Bhagat then plunges into knitting and weaving his way through their respective lives and the various attempts they both make to please the other’s family. After lots of emotional upheavals and a breakup, he wonderfully gives the story a turn that I definitely wasn’t expecting. Suffice it to say, the novel ends in a happy Tamil-Punjabi marriage-a freakish North meets South scenario, which brings a warm feeling to the heart and a smile to the face.

As an author, Chetan Bhagat has taken risks with some language that may not go well with the oldies, but then the book is aimed at the youth of India anyways. And they relate to him. He has fast become a youth icon and his attempts to bring about a change in the narrow mindset among our people, his entreating to young Indians to marry outside their caste to promote the feeling of Indian-ness and not be bound to one’s own caste, promises some very positive change in the county. Based on his own life, Bhagat has been fairly brave by not restraining himself in his assertions about the sexual romps of youth and his sarcasms about the Punjabi and Tamil communities, as well as his own parents, in-laws and Citibank (hahaha). But this is the very reason for the original story which has a genuine, honest touch to it. That is something every reader appreciates.

To sum it up, I can safely say that once I picked up the book, I could not put it down and read it at one go. I now hope to read his previous works -Five Point Someone, One night@the call centre and 3 mistakes of my life-all of which made him a bestselling writer.

Carry on Chetan! Your faithful audience awaits.

------Shreyasi M.

10 Reasons NOT to become a writer

Yes you read correctly. The word “NOT” is too clear to go unnoticed. Scanning random articles on the internet, on ‘writing’, I came across lots of pieces wherein I was being goaded into ‘101’ ways to write effectively or being told about its top ‘25’ benefits and sometimes also being reminded about the ‘few’ essentials to keep in mind if I was to build a profitable writing career for myself. While all of that was very good advice( I also love sharing my own experiences with “how-to” articles like these), I think first and foremost, an aspiring write MUST answer the most fundamental question – “WHY DO I WANT TO WRITE?”

I thought of and listed below a few reasons why many budding writers take up writing in the first place and if you answer ‘yes’ to any of these, then either re-think your answers, choose not to answer the questions, lie to yourself or re-visit the whole writing business idea. I’m not exaggerating.

1) I LOVE Shakespeare and want to be like him someday: Heady goal! And good to know that you aim high, but if becoming a splitting image of the famous bard is the ONLY reason driving you to take up writing as a career, think again! It takes a LOT of natural talent to be like William S and also, he lived in a time when there was only the pen (although that has trials of its own)! No TV’s no radios, not as much competition as one would have to face these days (not undermining his capabilities in any way…I’m a BIG Shakespeare fan myself). But you have to be realistic. Morphing into a modern day Shakespeare is possible, but very difficult and you have got to have a reason stronger than that.

2) I want to be famous: A stylized version of the abovementioned point with many more connotations and possibilities. And a high probability of the same end result. There is a famous spiritual concept which essentially says that one must not be attached to the fruit of one’s actions, but only perform the action (to the best of his abilities). All aspiring writers should make this the mantra of their lives. And this applies to basically everything in life. Whatever you do, if you do it just for the sake of attaining fame, you probably won’t get famous at all and even if you do, it won’t last and even if it does last, there will be a part of you which will always know that you didn’t do justice to your work.

3) I want to get rich: A subset of point number 2. And equally disastrous. I would be wrong in saying that writers don’t get rich. Dan Brown and JK Rowling among others would raise their legendary eyebrows if they heard me make an absurd statement like that. It is a known fact that lots of novelists, short story writers, biographers and even freelance writers have made plenty of money, thanks to lots of efforts, time, luck, more time and a lot more effort. But I doubt they started out with that aim in mind. I firmly believe they began writing because of sheer love for the art. If you want to make money, get a high paying IT job, become an investment banker, go to a French culinary school and become a world famous chef, but do not get into writing solely because you want to get rich. For most writers, writing is a time consuming, low paying (at least in the initial years) and sometimes heart breaking affair. So think again.

4) I used to write in school: Yeah? So? If you really think that having written a few poems in school and a handful of funny short stories in college are enough to make you a published writer overnight, I’m sorry to burst your little bubble. It doesn’t work. Writing is a skill that has to be honed and sharpened each and every day. It doesn’t just “come” to you overnight. It takes a LOT of hard work, a LOT of time, MANY rejection letters and a good many years of patience and undying faith in your abilities and aspirations. To those who go through these trials by fire, and still emerge victorious with a stronger determination, I wish you all the luck! You are on your way to becoming successful writers.

5) I’m fed up of my day job: Woah! That sounds like something that 90% of the world’s working population is saying at this very moment. If everyone with a boring job quit their work to retreat into the solitude of their homes to become writers, not only would the world become a much quieter place, but at the same time, there’d be chaos on every level of the global economy! Most people who currently hold a day job, but WANT to write, are usually advised to continue writing on the side and I must say, that is VERY sound advice. To such budding writers, I would say, “Get a foothold in the business, get your bearings and when you feel financially stable and emotionally independent, quit your job and take up writing full time-but until then have a steady source of income to feed your dreams of becoming a writer.” To the rest of you guys who want to write because you hate your jobs, I’d say, “Don’t do it! You’re making the biggest mistake of your life.”

6) I want to make my family proud: Neil Armstrong’s family was proud! But he wasn’t a writer; he just helped mankind take the metaphorical giant leap. My family’s proud of me and I’ve never even set foot in a rocket ship-neither am I another Chetan Bhagat (yet). If you want to make your family and friends proud of you, then do fantastically well at something you’re really good at or alternatively something that you are passionate about. Don’t use writing as an excuse to sort your life at every turn. Do what you want to do. And the pride will emerge unhindered.

7) I like to express myself this way: This is one of the most common reasons people want to spend their time writing. And I agree, it’s one of the best ways to let one self go. There are few mediums of expression that work as well as writing does. However, I staunchly believe that this alone is not a reason to turn to writing as a career. It may be a good reason for some people, but on an average a freelance writer has to spend hours researching markets and stories, structuring, editing etc. For the daily grind in a freelancer’s life, there is usually little space for expression. However, with creative writing it does help, but to reach a stage where creative writing is profitable for you and where you are known well enough, it takes time. So if you want to write simply for expression, do it as a hobby. If you want to turn it into a full-fledged career option, rethink, revise and review the strategy.

8) I want to see my name in print: Lots of people don’t really want to get famous, but they harbor a dominant fascination to see their names in print-either under an article in a newspaper, a filler in a magazine or on the back portion of a hard cover novel with one of those pictures of the author in a philosophical pose, finger on the chin and a faraway look in the eyes. Lovely thought. Very romantic idea. But not the right way to go about doing it. Wanting to see your name in black and white may be the motivation and the drive you need to keep working at it and churning out material in bundles. But very often in such a case, where ambition alone fuels work, the quality of the work suffers. And once the trained eye of your audience (or editor as may be the case) begins to see the difference, you literally fall in popularity and may find it very difficult to pick yourself up again. My advice would be to write as well as you can. And again, the name in print will follow.

9) I have a luxurious ‘work from home’ dream: Ah! The age old desire for the perfect job. Flexible work hours, wake up when you want to and sleep whenever you wish, go to work in your pajamas, be your own boss, have a beautiful study with a mahogany/oak desk, a little green lamp on the side, surrounded by carved wooden cabinets stuffed with books, glass window overlooking a lake...watching the swans while you type. It’s amazing how Hollywood movies imprint themselves on our minds and weave their ways into our dreams. The scenario I painted for you is the average dream of just about every second writer you’ll ever hope to come across. It’s the Universal Dream of writers worldwide (I dream of the oak desk too!) However it takes significant accomplishment to get the desk and even more efforts to get a room big enough to hold the humongous quantities of books. Don’t even get me started on the amount of work you’ll have to put in to get the swans! There are hundreds of thousands of writers worldwide and each one has to put in his fair share of struggles and strife to earn a comfortable living. You will too, in all probability, so keep your goals realistic.

10) I love books and I love to read: That’s wonderful! Devour as much as you can get. But I have to tell you, that just loving the smell of a new hard cover book, or the rustic look of an antique one, loving to read or being fascinated with libraries and book collections, are indeed pre-requisites to becoming a good writer, but not reason enough to decide to be one in the first place. Every writer must read. He/she must incorporate as much of reading into his/her lifestyle as the writing. But if you drop everything to write, just because you visit your local library every two seconds, you may find out along the way that you’re either not good at writing or you just don’t like it as much as reading books. So if you love to read, do so by all means. Just don’t let that motivate you into switching to a full-time writing career. It may do you more harm than good.


I know that by now, I must have deflated your enthusiasm for the writing arena almost completely and my sincerest apologies if I did. That was not the intention. My aim in sharing these thoughts with you was to enable you to get a clearer picture of what YOU want from a writing career. For me it boils down to just one simple truth. I LOVE TO WRITE. And that’s why I’m doing it. And NOTHING compares with the satisfaction I feel after I’ve completed a well rounded article, poem or story.

I firmly believe that if one is passionate about something, one should go after it as if one’s life depended on it. If writing is your passion, if your head is exploding with ideas, if you see alphabets doing little jigs in front of your eyes, if you dream at night about things that you immediately turn into possible storylines, then by all means go ahead and write!

If you want to become a writer simply because you LOVE to write and have even a smidgen of faith in your capabilities, go for it! I wish you luck!

----Shreyasi M.

Generating Article Ideas- 20 Strategies that Work!

Ever faced a block while looking for new things to write about? Ever wondered whether this is the oft-heard of writer’s block or something even more malicious? Ever felt as if this was the end of your brilliant present or future career as an article writer? Have no fear and certainly don’t fret! Although not exactly classified as a writer’s block, this particular situation can get even more frustrating than the former since the words are just aching to spurt out onto paper. At some point of time or the other, ALL article writers face a wall trying to locate and generate new ideas for their articles. Submission deadlines make the situation all the more worse. However there are ways and means to keep producing beautifully worded pieces of art, even when the creativity streak is running thin. Here are some of the strategies that work well for most people:-

1) Research- This is the first course of action any article write turns to, whenever in need for new ideas. In fact thorough and intense research is the pillar of any writer’s career. And I think it’s safe to say that it’s the most productive way to get a new title for your story. Years ago, research would probably entail scouring through truckloads of books and interviewing people. In today’s day and age, apart from books, magazines and interviews, research can involve a whole gamut of avenues-a major chunk of which is contributed by the internet- a wonder of modern times. The amount of information available in cyber world is immense to say the least. Simply scouring through Wikipedia and the various cross links that it provides, can be enough to help you come up with new ideas for your articles. Apart from this, ezines, article directories and content sites can provide enough food for thought to last you till your next dry spell. If you’re still dissatisfied and hungry for more, search for random topics on any functional search engine such as Google, Ask Jeeves and Dogpile. To check out what the rest of the world is searching for, websites like Yahoo Buzz!, Google Zeitgeist, Google Trends, MSN Search Insider and Dogpile Search Spy are wonderfully addictive. To find out what other people have to say, sign up on Yahoo Groups or Google Groups or alternately search blogs on Technorati, Craigslist and the like. Other websites such as Digg, Reddit, Fark, Slashdot and Metafilter, are information packed services that allow users to share, post and comment on links on various news items and random information sources- a definite ‘must try’ for someone looking for ideas.

2) Google alerts- As a journalist myself, I could not be stronger in my recommendation of this tool as a brilliant source of new article ideas. I can safely say that leads for around 70% of the business articles I have written so far, have originated from Google alerts. If you’re looking for information on a particular topic, sign up for Google alerts for that topic at a frequency of your choice (daily, weekly etc). Also, News Now is a great website for a collection of up to date news information, so add the webpage in your favourites list and go through it whenever you have a spare moment.

3) Maintain a journal- Journaling can be a fascinating way to scoop out new ideas from events that have already happened in your past. Make note of incidences, observations and feelings on a daily or weekly basis in your journal, and when you feel your head going blank as far as ideas are concerned, go through what you’ve noted in your journal. You’ll be surprised at what you find. You’ll probably be even more surprised with the voluminous stories that emerge simply from your own personal life experiences.

4) Observe- If you have decided to write-either as a hobby or as a full time source of living, you will have to learn to hone your observation powers to the point where they are absolutely razor sharp. Nothing should escape your field of vision. Even the slightest details-even ones which may be in the background-are worthy of you attention. These could be about a situation, a person’s physical description, what you may think he/she is like, some sign you saw on a store board-it could be just about anything that strikes you as noteworthy. Keep a notebook with you to document your observations wherever you go(wherever it’s possible to carry a pocket sized notebook with you) and turn to these observations when you’re at your desk hunting for article ideas. The number of stories which will emerge in your mind as a result of the observations will never cease to amaze you and you will be thankful for that little notebook which has proved more than handy to many writers in the past.

5) Absorb and regurgitate- Similar to point number 4, with a change in only the slightest aspect. Often you will not have the note book handy with you. For these moments, make sure you are able to absorb your surrounding environment or the situation of interest like a sponge. Pay close attention to details when someone is speaking to you. Listen to every word he/she is telling you especially if he/she is knowledgeable about the topic of interest. If you are at a zoo and wish to write something about a pangolin, make sure you read and absorb everything written/described in the pangolin enclosure. When you get back to the handy notebook, regurgitate what you have absorbed. Always make sure that at the end of the day, your handy notebook has everything written down in black and white. No matter how strong your observation and absorption prowess, it is dangerous for a writer to only trust his/her memory and instinct.

6) Go for a walk- One of the most common cures for the writer’s block-taking a break. Writers-especially freelancers are often racing against time-working round the clock to meet submission deadlines. Frequently a writer’s mind is crowded with the assignments on hand and the situation only worsens when he runs out of writing ideas. The best temporary way to deal with this is to drop your writing for an hour or two, go take a walk out in the sun (or in the rain-whichever suits you better) and let your mind wander. Once you get back, more often than not, the short rest and recreation period will have jolted your mind back into churning out the good ideas.

7) Eat healthy and exercise- More of a generic panacea for most troubles, this is a suggestion I would make for all your writing issues. Having a healthy body and mind, not only eases your writing, helps you create new ideas and increases your energy levels to cope with the chaos, but also contributes significantly to improve your writing over time. Try it. It works.

8) Don’t hesitate to talk- As a writer; you must never hesitate to talk to family, friends or even strangers as the situation demands. If you do have a fear of asking questions, get over it! Writing entails frequent question-answer and quizzing sessions-but more often than not, turning to one’s own family and friends for their opinions, can help generate ideas like you wouldn’t believe. Never undermine the importance of any small question or opinion. You never know which viewpoint would give you your next prize-worthy article idea.

9) Re-visit your archives- Your archive of previously written articles (published and unpublished) can prove to be a goldmine of information for new ones. Always keep a copy of everything you’ve written in the past and scan through your file of past articles every now and then to brainstorm for new ideas.

10) Re-read unproductive queries- Apart from maintaining a history of all your previous articles also ensure that you maintain a separate record of all the query letters you’ve sent to various publications, which were returned unaccepted. There is always a thing or two to be learnt from failures and definitely new storylines to be unearthed from returned queries.

11) Keep track of historical milestones- History has a great lot to teach and definitely a lot more to contribute for the future. Maintaining a diary or record of all historical milestones-local, national, personal or otherwise, will inevitably prove useful someday when you’re at your desk, scratching your head in frustration trying to search for things to write about.

12) Maintain a ‘cuttings’ file- Once you have finished reading your newspapers, magazines and old books, cut out articles, teasers and anything else which strikes you as interesting. File them away in a folder under different sub-sections according to genre. When you go through the file in the future, you are bound to see something that catches your eye and gets your brain whirring again.

13) Post regular surveys- Use your blog, web page or web site to post surveys, polls and questionnaires for your guest visitors-to get an inkling about their opinions. Having diverse viewpoints helps one maintain an openness of mind which is essential to good writing. Additionally, inputs from different people provide a definite pool of ideas for new articles and stories.

14) Localize a national trend and vice versa- It could be fashion, it could be political or it could be a plain and simple employment scenario. Whatever it is, if its happening on a national level, you could draw some parallels with the local situation (could be a town, district, or your backyard gully). Alternately a localised incident or trend could be magnified and explored on a nationalistic level, thereby giving it wider exposure. You can take it further and rope in the international scenario too if you are really into it. All in all, keep your eyes open to happenings local, national and international, your mind open to ideas and your creativity on full steam.

15) Social networking sites- Social networking is the buzzword these days and what better method of churning out new ideas than flowing with the huge cyber population and interacting with it? If you don’t have an account on social networking sites such as Orkut, Facebook or Hi5, then my strong advice to you would be to go ahead and get one. Possibly on as many such sites as possible. If you wish to interact on a more professional level, with people from various fields and occupations, LinkedIn is the way to go. In a nutshell, social networking allows you to come face to face with a large populace and numerous thoughts and minds-thereby giving you access to more new ideas for your article or other writing activities.

16) Online bookstores- The internet is bursting at the seams with details and websites of publishers, writers and book sellers. The next time you’re online attempting to search for article ideas, hunt for online bookstores (eg. Amazon) and look at their bestselling lists. You can also look for websites of actual bookstores and check the bestselling lists there. Alternately visit these bookstores and scour through their top published works. Also look for publisher’s online and go through what they have to provide and watch the ideas surface as you reach for your pen (or keyboard).

17) Classic Classifieds- Advertisements and classifieds in newspapers, magazines or even specific journals, can be a treasure trove for new article ideas. Imagine looking through the JOBS section in a newspaper and coming across an advertisement looking for a marine mammal research specialist. You could think of ten topics on the spot including different types of marine mammals, the kind of research marine mammal experts conduct, marine mammal locations worldwide and in your vicinity, endangered species, conservation activities-the list could go on and on.

18) Miscellaneous sources– A wide range of other miscellaneous sources for new article ideas include bumper stickers, church catalogues, press releases and greeting cards to name a few. To cite an example, I once passed a car, that had a bumper sticker which read, “This car is magic-Just watch the petrol disappear” I immediately got to thinking about petrol as a sparse natural resource and managed to pen down an article on the subject once I got back to my desk. Greeting cards-which attend to nearly every emotion, celebration and event these days, can also prove to be exemplary sources for new ideas. Keeping track of regular church catalogues and subscribing to some sort of PR wire for regular press release news alerts also increase your chances substantially of coming up with new things to write about.

19) Wordtracker- Keyword Wordtracker is an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) genre free tool which allows you to locate and access the top 100 searches related to the keyword you use in the tool. The best part about this tool is that you not only get access to an array of search results related to your topic of interest, but also see if anyone else (and how many people) is searching for the same thing and structure/direct your article according to the traffic your keyword receives. Wordtracker is a rather user friendly tool. You simply have to visit freekeywords.tracker.com , enter your desired keyword and click on the ‘Hit Me’ tab.

20) Mind mapping- Wikipedia defines a ‘mind map’ as “a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea.” According to Wiki, mind maps are most useful when it comes to generating, visualizing, structuring and classifying ideas, among other things. As such, it would be prudent to say that mind mapping and brainstorming over a central key subject, can provide many branches of thought and ideas, which could very well culminate in a well rounded article.


All the above-mentioned points are strategies that work either individually or in permutations for different writers. Ultimately it all boils down to what suits YOU and what gets YOUR creative juices flowing unhindered. I would suggest that struggling article writers begin by trying out all the above-mentioned methods and then figure out patterns and combinations unique to their own system of working. Who knows? You may also develop a new strategy along the way. No matter what the situation, do not give up on yourself and your writing. Remember-There is ALWAYS something waiting to be discovered; there is ALWAYS something to write about. What matters is how well you search, how much you find and how strongly you believe. Happy writing!

---------Shreyasi Majumdar