It was way past midnight. But still, my cousin Zainab was displaying no signs whatsoever of putting down her phone and going to sleep.

She had come over for a few days during the winter holidays and I had offered to share my room with her. But now, I was starting to think it wasn’t a really good idea. At last, I couldn’t bear it any longer.

“What exactly are you watching that is so interesting it can’t wait until morning?” I boiled over.

“See for yourself. Here… isn’t it the cutest thing you ever saw?” she said and handed me the phone.

“Whoa! What is this thing?” I asked.

“It’s a Labubu doll. This vlogger has a whole collection of them. They are so adorable,” she said.

“I believe the right word is ‘ugly!’” I retorted.

“Oh, come on! They’re cute. Besides, it’s the latest trend. Celebs are crazy for these! I have already ordered one online,” she said.

“Seriously? Are people buying these scarecrows? Why did you waste your money on such a thing? It is not even good-looking, let alone ‘cute’!” I was literally surprised.

“You know what? Just go to sleep and lecture me in the morning,” she replied and dropped the conversation, leaving me pondering the absurdity of internet trends.

Two days later, I contacted my friend Najia. The phone call lasted for one hour. I asked her what she had been doing lately.

“Nothing much. I had a lot of schoolwork to catch up with and had to make it up to my enraged mother,” she replied.

“Why? What happened? Did you break her favourite vase or something?” I inquired.

“No, that wasn’t the case. I had actually tried the viral trend of smearing your hand with sanitiser and setting it alight, thinking it wouldn’t burn. But the flame caught the sleeve of my shirt and, before I could throw water on it, it had burnt the skin of my forearm. And now my mother’s really angry about it. She said I was mad to even think of doing such a dangerous thing,” she explained.

“Okay, let me process this… you deliberately set your hand on fire under the influence of a dumb trend!” I almost screamed.

“Yeah… but it looked so thrilling… anyway, let’s talk about something else,” she said in an annoyed tone. So, we talked about random stuff for a while before ending the call.

To all those reading this right now, can you actually believe it? With such stupid trends, we can’t say where the world is heading. And this is not it. The other day, I went to attend Maria’s birthday party. The room was decorated so grandly that it seemed ridiculous. Just then, I saw Maria. She was wearing a white T-shirt with stains of mud on it.

“Did you fall into a puddle or something?” I asked.

“Seriously, man. This is the latest fashion. These mud stains are fake!” Maria answered, looking as though I had asked something completely dumb.

I know most readers would be thinking, “It’s not true!” If you don’t believe me, satisfy your doubts and Google it yourself.

Another day, my friend Sarah was showing me her art journal. One of her sketches was of a ballerina with a cup of coffee for a head. She told me it’s “Ballerina Cappuccino”, an AI-generated viral photo by Brainrot.

“Doesn’t this look weird?” I asked.

“I believe it looks rather pretty,” she said.

“Like the Labubu dolls?” I asked again.

“You know about those?” she inquired.

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “A cousin of mine is crazy for them.”

“Well, you know, I Googled the reason people are obsessed with such trends, and it said that they just don’t want to be left out. It’s called FOMO — Fear of Missing Out,” she explained.

So, long story short, people everywhere are following and keeping up with the latest (dumb) trends just because other people are doing the same and no one wants to look strange. Like Naila, who spent her pocket money on a luxury mini purse in which only an earbud can fit, saying to me, “What do you know about fashion!”

Or maybe Sana, who showed up at the school fair wearing her jacket backwards, telling me, “It’s the latest fad.”

I think I’m glad I’ve got common sense. I can tell what is stupid or logical, dangerous or harmless. I’m happy that I didn’t burn my hand doing that trick or make myself look cringe by wearing a “trendy” outfit. I’m content being ignorant of these dumb yet viral trends. I think I’ve got JOMO — Joy of Missing Out.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 14th, 2025

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The strong waves of ideas have been flooding my mind. But, as I write this, they have just vanished.

I stared at the screen. My head drooped.

I have been waiting for this moment all day. A moment when I could finally write. A moment with no stress, no homework or any chore to do.

I sat with my laptop on, my fingers waiting for my brain to give them a signal to write. But there was nothing. My mind went blank. The words that had enveloped my mind ceased to exist. I waited for some kind of inspiration. But nothing happened.

Most of us face something similar, at least once in a while. Thinking about writing all day, but when you make time to actually sit and write, the mind feels like a void — wordless. This feeling can be quite frustrating, sucking in all the energy. However, this should not be translated into feelings of inadequacy; try to bring out words that are hidden somewhere in your consciousness. They appear to be missing, yet they exist. How do you find your way to these?

You sit down to write, but your mind suddenly goes blank. Writer’s block is real. Here are ways to push past it

Stop trying to write formally

Do not write “perfectly” or bookishly. Do not write with all the grammar rules. Just write. Write all that you have to convey. Rather than focusing all your energy on writing grammatically correct sentences, checking all grammar rules and punctuation, direct all your energy into putting your words on paper. Get all your thoughts on paper, no matter how irrelevant or nonsensical they sound.

Grammar, punctuation and writing rules are certainly important, but they can create a hindrance when you are trying to write. So, just write. It will be your first draft. For anything to be fixed later, it has to exist first.

When you have answered all the questions and met all the requirements or written whatever you wanted to, open a new document. You can read your draft, choose the content, cut down irrelevant sentences and add them into a new document. All the proper lexicons can be inserted and substituted. And now you will see something that resembles an academic paper. Even if you are not aiming for academic writing, having a draft significantly helps.

Switch to traditional pen and paper

Typing creates distractions. The blinking cursor is aggravating. Red squiggles. Different tabs competing for attention. One moment you are writing, another moment you switch to the internet and end up scrolling through websites. How about removing the computer from the equation?

Put pen to paper. Find any extra notebook and scribble in it. Try to doodle in the margins. Doodling will help you relax and focus on the task. Drawing lines, or perhaps a picture of a cat, or anything of your choice, will remove any stress of writing. If you feel stumped for words, write the first word that comes to mind. Forget the spellings. Forget the structure. Forget the content. Just write. Let your thoughts flow in.

Ignore the word limit

What happens when you read about the word count given? It’s either, “Oh no, how am I supposed to write so much on this topic?” or, “How can I stay within the set word limit? It’s too little!”

Either way, it looms as dread over the mind, constantly reminding it to hit the numbers. Persistently checking those numbers at the bottom of the screen hinders the flow of writing. Follow your rhythm rather than letting some word counter dictate your mind.

Direct all your energy into writing. It is your voice, something to share your perspective with the world. So scribble and type all that you have always wanted to. Don’t bury your mind under the building burden of the word count. It can be balanced afterwards; after all, that’s what editing is for.

Open the doors of change

Some kids find it interesting to completely change their writing style; though it is not easy, small changes boost creativity and open that window of imagination that has been withheld.

Similarly, make an active effort to expose yourself to different surroundings. Your environment is a major influencer. If you are habitual of writing while sitting at a table, try shifting to the bed, or go outside and write in your garden. Perhaps try writing on the kitchen counter or during a car ride, just focus on bringing a change to your environment. A new environment will remove the brain’s association with the previous one and the current writer’s block.

Stroll outside

What is writing — a mental game, or is your body involved? You think with your brain and write with your hands, so your body is an active contributor to your piece of writing.

When you are stuck in a loop of wordlessness, typing and deleting, stop sighing into the void and instead get up. Stretch. Move. Exercise a bit. Sweat it out. You don’t need to run a marathon. Just pace around your room. Take a stroll outside. Jump. Or simply step out into the sun.

How will such physical activity help you? Try it and find out yourself. Here, exercise is not meant for fitness; rather, it is about forming a rhythm. Your movement will develop momentum. At times, your best writing kicks off not at the keyboard, but at the end of a silent stroll.

So, if you feel frozen, try unfurling.

Whether you are writing for yourself or for academia, do not let the practice of writing slip away from you. Even when you feel like you cannot write, just write one line. Do not give up. Do not wait for the “perfect” writing mood, create it. If inspiration does not arrive, create your own.

Even when it feels pointless to sit and write, as you know your mind is devoid of words, just sit down. Take a deep breath. Open that journal of yours. Write. Write clumsily. Write like it does not matter. But do not ever stop writing. Because stopping feels worse than continuing.

Remember, writing isn’t about making sense every time; it’s about staying with the page, letting the mess spill, letting the hand move, trusting that somewhere in this ramble, something true is hiding.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 14th, 2025

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A night without screens

This is regarding the story “A night without screens” by Hurain Mohy Ud Din Maan (YW, January 10).

The story was no doubt amazing, yet very deep in its message. I think most readers can relate to it, as these days we are together yet apart, all absorbed in phones and screens. The blackout created the perfect opportunity to show how small, unexpected moments can reconnect people.

The writer highlighted shared memories and simple interactions as ways to bond.

There is no doubt that the story serves as a gentle reminder of how stepping away from screens can create real, lasting connections with the people around us.

Areeba Shah,
Peshawar

II

The story “A night without screens” by Hurain Mohy Ud Din Maan highlighted the importance of spending time without digital devices around us.

In the quiet, dark night, a family rediscovered a forgotten light: their own voices, shared memories and simple laughter that built a warmth no heater could provide.

The story gave a timeless lesson that our best moments are powered by attention, not electricity.

Taj Mahmood,
Sukkur

A wimpy day

This concerns the story “A wimpy day” by Fatimah Khurrum (YW, January 10).

We have read stories based on the imagination of Harry Potter; however, this one was different in every way. It was fun, imaginative and thoroughly entertaining, especially for readers who enjoy reading the Wimpy Kid series.

I request YW to publish more stories like this one.

Rayan Ahmed,
Quetta

II

The story “A wimpy day” by Fatimah Khurrum was pure adventure. The way the real world blended with the cartoon one was super entertaining.

The moment when the main character, Dylan, suddenly found himself inside Greg Heffley’s world, meeting characters he had only read about, was fun.

Hiba Noor,
Sahiwal

Mini craft stick lamp

This concerns the Wonder Craft section, “Mini craft stick lamp” by The Crafter (YW, January 3). I loved the mini lamp very much and found the step-by-step directions easy to understand.

I love this section a lot, as it inspires youngsters to create and be imaginative.

Syeda Aima Ali,
Faisalabad

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 14th, 2025

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