An evening with Ms. Mousumi Kalita Sachdeva
Introduction
On Friday, June 14, we had an interesting webinar by Ms Mousumi Sachdeva. In this insightful session, Ms. Sachdeva delved into the profound impact narratives can have on society. She shared useful techniques for creating compelling and authentic narratives, the role of emotion in writing, and how words can inspire change and foster connections across cultures.
About Ms. Mousumi Kalita Sachdeva
Ms. Mousumi Kalita Sachdeva is a celebrated author, poet, and motivational speaker. She has received numerous accolades such as the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Surya Gaurav Rashtriya Puraskar. As the Director of GRIFFIN Publication and Content Head at Rising Star Communications, Ms. Mousumi brings a wealth of experience in leadership, writing, editing, and skill development training. Her expertise spans various forms of literature, including international poetry, ghost writing, and content creation for diverse platforms.
The power of words: Crafting impactful narratives
Ms Sachdeva explained the power of words. Words are powerless till we make them powerful. We can do both good and bad with words.
As Nathaniel Hawthorne once mentioned: “Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.
Narratives can be verbal or written. Ms Sachdeva’s session focused on written narratives.
The profound impact of narratives on society
Narratives can impact society in various ways:
Cultural Preservation
Stories preserve and transmit cultural values, beliefs, and traditions across generations. Narratives create a sense of shared history and identity within communities. In this context, Ms. Sachdeva gave the example of a book she recently edited.
Social Influence
We can influence society through our narratives. Ms. Sachdeva referred to her award-winning book, about a person suffering from an identity crisis. The book helped him gain acceptance at home and in society and made him successful. He is now the director of a hotel.
Stories influence societal norms and values, often challenging existing paradigms and promoting new ideas. Powerful narratives can galvanize social and political movements (e.g., civil rights movements, climate change activism).
Personal Impact
Through our narratives, we can grow and gain an inner strength. Stories foster empathy. They enable us to see the world from different perspectives. Engaging with narratives can lead to self-reflection and personal development.
Adding credibility to our identity
Words give identity to our existence. The narrative adds credibility to our identity.
Establishing Expertise and Authority
Regularly publishing articles, blogs, or books helps build a reputation as an expert in a field.
Thought Leadership
If an idea remains with us, it will make little impact. Presenting new ideas, solutions, or perspectives in a wider forum can position us as a thought leader. Our writing can influence others' thoughts or behaviors. We can immortalize our ideas.
Building Trust and Authenticity
Sharing personal experiences and insights can build a sense of trust and authenticity. Ms. Sachdeva gave the example of a successful Indian woman leader based in the US. She has succeeded against all odds. Now she is trying to pen her story to inspire others.
Enhancing Visibility and Reach
Narratives can expand our reach. A well-maintained blog or website can serve as a portfolio showcasing our expertise and credibility. Active engagement on social media platforms can amplify our reach and influence. Even the most successful people must write to expand their reach.
Cross-cultural and global reach
Inclusivity and Sensitivity
Writing that reflects cultural awareness and sensitivity broadens our appeal and credibility globally. When we write, we must remove gender and language bias. Using inclusive language ensures that our writing resonates with diverse audiences.
Bridging Gaps
We should address universal themes that resonate across cultures to foster a broader connection. Collaborating with writers from different backgrounds and other countries enhances our credibility and cross-cultural appeal. Topical blogs can go viral.
Forms of writing that can influence society
News Articles
We can inform the public by providing timely information about current events. We can influence how people perceive and react to news. We need not always write. We can also comment on the articles of others.
Editorials and Opinion Pieces
We can offer personal or organizational perspectives on important issues. We can spark discussions and debates on social, political, and economic topics. One of Ms. Sachdeva’s articles resulted in a speaker invitation and had a great impact on local schools.
Investigative Journalism
We can expose injustice by uncovering corruption, fraud, and other societal issues. We can hold individuals and institutions accountable for their actions.
Novels and Short Stories
They are not just about entertainment. They address universal themes such as love, loss, and identity. They reflect and critique societal norms and values. Ms. Sachdeva referred to her ward winning book.
Poetry
Poems enable emotional expression. Poems can capture and convey deep emotions and thoughts. We can preserve and transmit cultural traditions and stories. No special training is needed to write a poem.
Plays and Scripts
We can address and critique societal issues through plays and scripts. They can foster empathy and understanding by portraying diverse experiences.
Biographies and Memoirs
We can share the lives and experiences of individuals who have made significant contributions to society. Our memoirs can influence many. We should document our key experiences. We can also provide personal perspectives on historical events.
We can also publish diaries. Ann Frank’s diary was published only after her demise. The diary made her immortal. The dairy enabled the world to connect with the people who were suffering.
Essays and Articles
They can encourage critical thinking and analysis of various topics. They can contribute to the ongoing discussions on cultural, social, and political issues.
Self-Help and How-To Books
Through our writing, we can offer guidance and strategies for improving various aspects of life. We can provide practical knowledge: information on specific skills and practices.
Other forms of publishing
These include research papers, textbooks, theses and dissertations, blogs and vlogs, and social Media Posts.
Techniques for creating compelling and authentic narratives.
Using the correct technique is important.
Structure and Flow
A three-act structure is usually recommended for fiction and nonfiction: Introduction, conflict, and resolution. This provides a clear and engaging progression.
We should have a narrative arc to make the article engaging. It should establish a rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. A story can begin and end in various ways.
Character Development
Even in nonfiction, this is important. We should use relatable characters. We should create characters with depth, flaws, and relatable traits. We must develop characters who evolve over the course of the story.
Descriptive Language
We must use descriptive language to paint mental pictures and immerse the audience. We must engage the senses of the reader to make scenes more vivid and memorable.
Authenticity
Even in fiction, grounding narratives in universal truths and real experiences enhances credibility.
We must develop a unique voice and style that reflects the authenticity of the storyteller. There are different ways of beginning and ending a story. We can choose the style with which we are most comfortable.
Techniques for evoking emotions
We should show emotions through actions, dialogue, and sensory details rather than merely stating them. This will make people visualize the action. We should use figurative language (Metaphors and Similes) to create emotional resonance. We should incorporate conflict and tension to evoke emotions such as suspense, fear, or excitement.
Other guidelines
We must take care of the following before we start writing:
- Decide our theme/subject/topic/genre.
- Search, Research & Organize.
- Draw the Outline/Plot: Otherwise, the book will be never finished.
- Set a deadline.
- Editing is extremely important. If we do not do this, readers will feel let down. A tool like Grammarly is useful only upto a point, mostly for basic editing. We should be careful as it may change the meaning of complex sentences.
- Proofread. This is important to remove mistakes and improve the reader experience.
We must not do the following:
Concluding remarks
We all have a story that can inspire & influence or at least spread laughter. Why not let our stories out and relieve ourselves from the bondage of carrying untold episodes of life? This will make a big difference in our lives and the lives of others. As Maya Angelou once said, ‘There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.’
Q&A
Griffin was set up with a social purpose. Ms. Sachdeva had been chief editor of various publications. She would see media houses rejecting scripts simply because the author was unknown. Many good works, including those of learned professors, were not accepted as most publishers were driven by profit motives.
Griffin is a platform for genuine writing. Griffin publishes all kinds of books. Not just fiction but also PhD theses, research papers, etc.
Griffin does charge a publishing fee, but it gives discounts to women, students, etc. And for students who cannot afford to pay, the services are provided free. Anyone with good content can approach Griffin and get the work edited and published for a global audience.
Ms. Sachdeva is a perfectionist. She does thorough editing to ensure that all mistakes are corrected. She believes that the readers should have a good experience. They will feel let down if there are language mistakes. Griffin also conducts workshops aimed at enabling people to become authors.
There are many untold stories and experiences in the Indian Knowledge System (IKS). Our ancient knowledge has been used to solve various problems over the centuries. Yet not much has been done to document it. Moreover, there are many who opposed to this system as in some cases, the scientific evidence is weak.
Ms Sachdeva responded that all of us should be able to express our voice even if there is disagreement. She is writing a book on Donald Trump. Noone in America was ready to do it. So, she became involved. In case of IKS too, we can do a lot. Even if traditional media houses do not accept the content, we can propagate IKS through blogs, social media, etc in the form of narratives.
Does India as a country have enough writers? Do we publish enough books? Ms Sachdeva confirmed that there is no shortage of writers in the country. Unfortunately, unlike the US and the UK, there are not enough readers. We must encourage reading.
As writers, we must not be discouraged if we do not gain immediate acceptance. JK Rowling was rejected many times before she succeeded. Marketing is also important. A book will not sell by itself. Unfortunately, many writers do not pay enough attention to marketing.
Prof Sudhakar Rao added that we must find ways to make the writing engaging. Today many of us buy books and flaunt them on our shelves. But we do not read them. In this context, he mentioned that ICFAI has compiled the summaries of the different WiseViews sessions and marketed them across the country. ICFAI has even distributed free copies to many business and academic leaders.
To propagate grassroots knowledge, we need to encourage multilingualism. Many ordinary people are not proficient in English. Many students and teachers can write but we must encourage them through multilingual books. Multilingual publishing does take time and effort. But we must do it. Multilingual approach needs collaboration. Griffin employs a Gujarati editor. Ms Sachdeva has recently translated an Assamese poem to Marathi and will now do so to English. So, translators are also important. One easy way to implement the multilingual approach is to come up out with anthologies of different articles written in different languages.