INTRODUCTION TO RASA THEORY (Adding Emotional flavours to writing or poetry)

WHAT IS “RASA”?

“Rasa” is a Sanskrit word which implies the meaning “nectar”, “juice”, “essence”, “taste”, “sap of grain”, “flavour”, “consciousness”, “bliss” and likewise.

 

The concept of “rasa” points to the ‘emotional flavours’ crafted and encrusted in a poem or a piece of writing, by the writer, with a reader/recipient/aesthete “sensitive enough”, to feel/absorb the emotional flavour represented through the work of writing or poetry.

 

The evocation of rasa is a result of a skillful application of the infusion of emotions and moods into a brilliant piece of poetry, drama, visuals or any other art form.

 

A connoseiur in the field of understanding rasas is known as rasika.

 

10 POINTS ABOUT “RASA THEORY

#1 Rasa theory is an ancient theory in the fields of Indian Poetics (Kavya-shastra), Indian Theatre (Natya-Shastra) & Indian Aesthetics (Saundarya-shastra).

 

#2 It was first brought up by Bharata Muni – An ancient sage known as the “father of Indian theatrical art forms”.

#3 Rasa Theory suggests that ordinary language is different than poetic language.

#4 The foundation of rasa in poetics, is based on the idea that, there are two main parts of a word – called as “Sattva” and “Bhava” of a word/shabda

Sattva represents static aspect of a word

bhava represents dynamic or changing aspect of a word – the quality of emotion, feeling or mood attached to it

bhava is the instrument of “causation”

 

#5 The quality of rasa is created by the infusion or the combination of various bhavas, that is, the various emotional states or emotional tendencies of mind.

#6 There are mainly four kinds of bhavas behind the production of a rasa. Rasa is produced from a combination of Determinants (vibhava), Consequents (anubhava), Dominant/Pervading States (Sthayi Bhava) and Transitory States (vyabhicaribhava).

 

Vibhava is the trigger/cause/kaarana – represents knowledge. Anubhav is the outward manifestation/effect/bodily reaction to the trigger (vibhava).

In poetry, an imagery might be the stimulus (vibhava) evoking the emotional response (bhava) of romance in the reader, while anubhav is the actual feeling/sensation of pleasure/joy felt in the heart area of the poet as well as the reader.

 

#7 Apart from the determinants (vibhava) and consequents (anubhava),  there are total 49 psychological states according to the Rasa Theory. These 49 psychological states include

8 Dominant/Pervading/Durable/Stable States (Sthayi bhavas) +

8 Involuntary Physiological States/Reactions (Sattvika bhavas) +

33 Transitory/Complementory States (Vyabhchari/Sanchari bhavas)

= 49

#8 Just as different combinations of ingredients and spices produce different flavours, different combinationsof bhavas produce different rasas, the emotional flavours, tasted by the poet and the audience.

Determinants(Vibhavas), Consequents(anubhava) and transitory states(vyabhachari/sanchari bhavas) infuse together to intensify a dominant/pervading state(sthayi bhava) which results in the formation of a emotional flavour (rasa).

 

#9 According to Rasa Theory, when the poet writes, he creates a resonant field of emotions. To understand the poetry, the poet and the reader must be on the same wavelength of inner energy spectrum.

#10 According to the theory, the goals of poetry or theatre, are to empower aesthetic experience and deliver emotional rasa. Yet entertainment is an effect, but not the primary goal of any of these arts. The primary goal is to create rasa so as to lift and transport the spectators, unto the expression of ultimate reality and transcendent consciousness.

Thank you & Good day!

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GRAMMAR IN A SNAPSHOT FOR WRITERS

 

7 CONFLICTS THAT WILL BOGGLE YOUR MIND!

#1 “laugh” and “laaf”

Why do we spell & write the word “laugh” as “laugh” and not “laaf”?

(despite the fact that both the words sound exactly the same)

 

#2 “cat” and “pasta”

How do we instinctively (and so easily!) discriminate between the two different sounds as pronounced by the alphabet “t” in these two words?

What causes our mind to grasp this difference?

 

#3 “books these read us let.”

“Let us read these books.”

Why does the first sentence make no sense to our mind whereas with just a simple regrouping of words, the second sentence immediately makes sense?

 

#4 “Let’s cook Bunty!”

“Let’s cook, Bunty!”

Why and how come a single comma makes the difference of heaven and hell in these two sentences?

 

#5“The bear eats a leaf.”

“The leaf eats a bear.”

How does the meaning of the sentence alters drastically just by shifting the places of the two words “bear” and “leaf”?

How does our mind distinguish between the two sentences? What is the algorithmic pattern or knowledge behind it?

 

#6 “apple of my eye”

How do we instinctively understand the meaning of the idiomatic phrase like “apple of my eye” in a totally non-literal sense?

(Ideally, apple of my eye should mean that there is a part of my eye which is called as apple but when reading this phrase we understand that it is referring to a person who is cherished or lovable to us.

 

#7 “sunlight was dancing in patterns on the tiled floor of my office cabin”

Well, how can an inanimate object like that of sunlight, ever dance?

 

 

One word summarizes these conflicts.

 

That is,

Order.

 

GRAMMAR - THE ORDER OF WORDS & LANGUAGE!

There is an invisible order in everything.

An invisible and infinitely-complex mathematical algorithm, mysteriously hidden beneath the layers of the wordy universe, appearing to us, through our five senses.

A secret thread connecting all realities.

A symphony of perfect logic, enigmatically resonating, behind all the chaos of this illogical and dramatic life.

In different fields, this order is represented by different elements, fundamental to the respective field.

In mathematics, this fundamental element is the “zero”.

In music, this fundamental element is the “space” or the “ether”.

In the realm of language, this fundamental element is the “word”,

and the field of grammar takes the role of representing this secret order through the medium of words.

 

This video show presents the utility of grammar in context of creative writing, while explaining the six main components of grammatical theory in language, so as to keep the video not too long…   

6 POINTERS TO REMEMBER ABOUT GRAMMAR

#1   The realm of grammar correlates to the logical part of our brain namely, our intellect.

#2  Just the same way we strive to maintain the balance between our intellectual brain and emotional brain, similarly, a piece of creative writing is a balance between raw expression and grammar.

#3  Grammar acts as a boundary-setter offering us a set of structural constraints while we sit down to pen a piece of writing.

#4  Grammar is NOT a set of some definite rules. Not one rule can be applied to every piece of writing.

o   Writing comics require different kind of grammar rules than writing poetry does.

o   Writing a technology handbook requires a different kind of grammatical construct than writing a blog post.

o   The fundamental rules of grammar may also vary from language to language.

#5  Originally, the field of grammar has evolved from Sanskrit, Greek and Latin.

#6  Ancient Indian sages believed that a word is not just a word, but a form of energy. Grammar acts as the sculptor’s anatomy of this form just as a potter provides the form of a mudpot to a heap of mud or just as a jeweler shapes raw gold into an ornament.

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LANGUAGE & GRAMMAR

While language is the natural ability for expression and communication using words, sounds & voices, whereas grammar is the field, under language’s umbrella, where we study structural construct(s) behind the expression, communication & usage of words and word forms.

When it comes to language, anything and everything has a language of its own, to express its unique nature. Even animals and birds, even flowers and trees have a language of their own. Stars have a language – the way fortune-tellers read the stars and patterns of constellations. Earth, wind, water, fire; the entire cosmos is filled with these languages. However, these beasts such as lions, woodpeckers, or sunflowers don’t seem to pay much attention to grammar.

Only we humans do.

Why?

Because it matters to us, what is being said and how it is understood.  

Whether you tell a child “Let’s eat grandma” or “Let’s eat, grandma”,

the tiny difference between the two sentences, can cause us humans the difference between life and death!

And who knows, it is very possible after all, that, perhaps, even the seemingly inanimate beings like grains of sand or bluebells, or crocodiles too have a grammar

a secret grammar that only their fellow grains or fellow bluebells or fellow crocodiles can understand.

Or a mysterious set of grammatical rules that all the roses follow but only their fellow rose friends know about.

But what concerns us humans, is how best can we use our own grammar. Because we can write!

Monkeys or crocodiles or rabbits or lions don’t seem to write.

What do you think?

 

THE 3 REALMS OF GRAMMAR

There are three realms of grammar.

 

1. Sound [swara]

2. Form & Content [shabd roop]

3. Meaning [artha]

 

THE 6 MAIN COMPONENTS OF GRAMMAR

#1   Phonetics[swar-vigyan] 

- Study of speech sounds

- The vocal sounds used for the formation of word syllables and resulting from the properties of human voice.

- Ex: ta-da-rum-pum, bee-u-tee, bl-oo, ss-paa-eed-urr, maa-oon-tae-nn etc.

#2  Phonology[dhvani-vigyan]

- Study of discrimination of sounds

- The alphabet “t” has different sounds in the words “mat”, “match” and “matchstick”.

#3  Morphology [shabd saadhan, aakriti vigyan]

- Study of word construct & word formation processes

- Ex: unmatchable – un is prefix, able is suffix, match is the root word

#4  Syntax[vaakya-vigyan]

- Study of arrangement of words in the formation of longer word forms such as phrases and sentences

- Relationship between words

- Word order

- Ex: “Let’s eat bear, tents and gossip!” and “Let’s eat, bear tents, and gossip!”

- Ex: “This beautiful poem was written by she, when she was in love.” and “This beautiful poem was written by her, when she was in love.”

#5  Semantics[artha-vigyan]

- Study of the literal meanings of words & word forms – dictionary definition of a word

- Ex: “We should spend more time together” and “Should we spend more time together”

- Ex: “I felt shocked at hearing of his sudden demise!” and “I felt shocked at hearing my name announced for the award!”

#6  Pragmatics[upyogitavaad]

- Study of the inferred/pointed meaning of a word or a word form specific to a context or usage.

- Ex: “She was fortunate that she kicked the bucket only after living the whole century.” and “She was fortunate that she kicked the bucket which was empty and not the one which was full of mudwater.”

- Ex: “Your eyes are the battery of my heart.” and “I couldn’t charge my phone’s battery because I had misplaced the charger.”

 

SUMMARY DIAGRAM 

 

HOW MANY CONCEPTS/TOPICS ARE THERE IN GRAMMAR?

There can be infinite number of concepts and topics that we shall come across while deconstructing the realm of grammar.

From topics related to alphabets and strings of syllables, to the topics dealing in word formations and sentence structures, to the line of concepts pertaining to meaning and context, there are infinite permutations to explore and study in the field of grammar.

 

If you’re interested in exploring more ideas related to grammar and creative writing, stay tuned for my upcoming videos!

 

Thank you

Good day!

Keep writing & subscribe to my channel for more interesting ideas related to writing, art and life!

 

EPISTOLARY FORM OF WRITING - WRITING IN LETTERS

 

WRITING LETTERS – AN ANCIENT CRAFT

Writing letters is a process that is as ancient as the human.

 

Unlike humans, bees or tigers don’t write letters. Neither do chimpanzees or dinosaurs. (I’m not sure about this!)

 

Writing letters is a brilliant way to express what you want to say.

 

Letters not only help us to transmit messages or communicate information, but also to record our day-to-day experiences and thoughts in the form of written narratives.

 

The first Mughal emperor wrote a series of letters in his diary Baburnama to document his life journey.

 

Persians used to transmit war-related messages via the pigeon posts, tying their letters to the necks of their homing pigeons and fluttering them away while the trained birds carefully delivered the letters to their respective destination.

 

Beethoven wrote love letters to an imaginary character he called as his immortal beloved.

 

Then arrived the era of postcards, stamped mails and daak chaukis.

 

Swami Vivekananda used to write letters to an England-based songwriter named Miss Mary Hale; communicating about the various harsh lessons of life, his contemplations and insights about reality.

 

In the contemporary era, writers call this form of writing, specifically by the name of ‘epistolary’.

WHAT IS EPISTOLARY FORM OF WRITING?

The word ‘epistolary’ is derived from the Greek word epistlē, which means ‘a letter’.

 

An epistolary form of writing refers to a piece or a work of writing, written in the form of letters.

 

These letters can also take the form of diary entries, newspaper clippings, a series of documents, day-to-day journal notes and likewise.

 

In the present day, when the digital realm is dominating the world’s communication, the epistolary format is also inclusive of formats like blog posts, emails, newsletters, text messages and snippets from the web.

5 CHARACTERISTICS OF EPISTOLARY WRITING

#1  CAN BE FICTION OR NON-FICTION

An epistolary work can be either fiction or non-fiction in nature.

 

#2 REPRESENTS TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION

Whether fiction or non-fiction, an epistolary writing records interaction via two-way communication between characters

 

Usually, epistolary format of writing is employed in writing a compilation of author’s diary entries or in writing a fiction novel with a fictional character acting as the author and addressing another imaginary, archetypal or a fictional character as the reader of their letters.

 

#3  NARRATIVE QUALITY

A work of epistolary nature is always characterized by a narrative quality.

 

It is based less on the plot/dialogue/setting format, and more on the direct expression of interaction between characters.

 

Although there may be the pockets of story-within-story where the character is telling a story and herein, we may encounter a plot, setting & dialogue.

 

But mostly, a piece of epistolary writing is based on direct expression of thoughts, feelings, emotions and experiences.

 

#4                        PROJECTION OF THE PERCEPTION OF THE ‘WRITING CHARACTER’

Due to the two-way communication, an epistolary novel is typically represented from the point of view projected by ‘the filter or the colored glasses’ of the perception of the character who is writing as the author of the letter.

 

Means, that when you read an epistolary piece of writing, you are not sure whether the contents written in it are real facts or not, but rather, it is revealing the world to you from the filtered perceptions of the one who is writing the letter, diary entry or narrative in a given moment.

 

#5  PRESENTS THE VOICE OF A CHARACTER

A work of epistolary writing presents the voice of a character.

 

This voice could be the voice of a person, voice of an archetype, voice of a thought form or even the voice of a made-up character which could be any thing, animal, object or imagination.

 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN EPISTOLARY NOVEL & AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL FICTION OR A MEMOIR

Autobiographical fiction or memoir can be written anytime after the experience, can be written by anybody as narrated by the experiencer, but epistolary is the first-hand subjective draft of that experience.

 

An epistolary novel can be autobiographical in nature, but an autobiography or a memoir is not always epistolary.

A STRANGE OBSERVATION!

Every piece of writing, or every novel can be looked from the point of view of considering it as epistolary because ultimately, every piece of writing is always a two-way communication between two characters – the writer and the reader.

 

In a way, every book is a letter from the writer to the reader. Hence, metaphorically, epistolary.

 

Think about it!

FOCALIZATION THEORY & NARRATORS IN EPISTOLARY WRITING

Based on the number of narrators or the number of characters writing letters, an epistolary work can be monophonic, diphonic or polyphonic.

 

A monophonic epistolary work includes the letters written by one character. Like The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

 

A diphonic epistolary work includes the letters written by two characters. Like, Letters of Mr. & Mrs. Smith

 

A polyphonic epistolary work includes the letters written by more than two characters. Ex: Letters by the Citizens of Village Oza

 

The focalization theory suggests that it all depends on the point of view represented in a given moment, by the narrator.

 

7 VARIATIONS OF EPISTOLARY WRITING

#1 Epistolary novel

#2 Letter poems – epistolary poem – verse letter

#3 Letter collection – epistolary novel is fiction in nature – a letter collectionis non-fiction – archive or repository of original documents

#4                        Fiction diary novels

#5  Non-fiction diaries

#6 Epistolary Short Stories or Epistolary Flash Fiction

#7 Any piece of writing including article, blog post, journal entry, etc. written in the form of letters.

 

4 EXAMPLES OF EPISTOLARY BOOKS

Here are four brilliant examples of epistolary work that I’ve read.

#1 Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

#2The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

#3 The Color Purple by Alice Walker

#4                        Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith

 

Apart from these, there are hundreds and hundreds of books you’ll discover, to be written, in this format.

 

Have you read an epistolary style book before?

If yes, then which one?

Share with me in the comments down below!

Thank you & Good day!

Keep writing and subscribe to my channel for more interesting ideas related to writing, art and life!

Sentence Switch – The Super-Interesting Writing Technique!

 

OVERVIEW

Sentence Switch is a super-interesting technique that you can employ to add the elements of fun and interest to your writing…

 

Let us see what this is all about!

 

WHAT IS SENTENCE SWITCH?

• Sentence switch is a writing technique which represents a switch in the ​​point of view when one sentence or clause is switched to a second sentence or clause which represents a contradictory point of view in relation to the first sentence or clause.  
• Sentence Switch technique is rooted in the life’s fundamental quality of conflict, contradiction, duality and polarity of life.
• It represents the betraying uncertainty of life; the twists and turns of life; like riding on a see-saw or playing dice where the outcome is uncertain among a set of possibilities.
• In creative copywriting, ‘sentence switch’ is sometimes also referred as ‘Sentence Twist’ or the ‘twists and turns’ writing style.
• While using this technique, the resulting sentence structure doesn’t always turns to be grammatically correct or meaningful, however the goal is to employ it in use for the writing formations like that of headlines, captions, dialogues and what not. The possibilities are infinite!
• Sentence Switch is executed by joining two clauses (mainly independent clauses) with a common word or phrase acting as the conjunction between the two clauses or sentences.

 

Let’s understand this with the help of some examples!

 

11 EXAMPLES OF SENTENCE SWITCH

#1

Life is full of suffering. 
+
Suffering is optional.
=
Life is full of suffering is optional.

#2

I love you.
+
You annoy me so much.
=
I love you annoy me so much.

#3

She is getting angry.
+
Getting angry is not good for her health.
=
She is getting angry is not good for her health.

#4

It seems like her body is about to burst out of her skinny party dress.
+
Her skinny party dress looks as dazzling as her deep sapphiric eyes.
=
It seems like her body is about to burst out of her skinny party dress looks as dazzling as her deep sapphiric eyes.

#5

His green shoes remind me of something.
+
Something is wrong in my life.
=
His green shoes remind me of something is wrong in my life.

#6

Nowadays Johnny is obsessed with eating cookies.
+
Eating cookies is one of the best ways to feel happy.
=
Nowadays Johnny is obsessed with eating cookies is one of the best ways to feel happy.

#7

Will you marry me?
+
Marry me because you love me and not because I am rich.
=
Will you marry me because you love me and not because I am rich?

#8

Don’t be so sensitive.
+
Be so sensitive that everybody falls in love with you.
=
Don’t be so sensitive that everybody falls in love with you.

#9

Falling in love with you felt like swinging merrily in a meadow where there is a heavenly rainbow.
+
There is a heavenly rainbow ending in a well of fire and destruction.
=
Falling in love with you felt like swinging merrily in a meadow where there is a heavenly rainbow ending in a well of fire and destruction.

#10

Try, for once, putting your trust in people
+
Putting your trust in people is a surefire way to break your heart. =
Try, for once, putting your trust in people is a surefire way to break your heart.

#11

Flabbergasted, I blinked my eyes open to see the king of goblins.
+
Goblins inviting me to have supper in the castle of labyrinths, a spooky sight!
=
Flabbergasted, I blinked my eyes open to see the king of goblins inviting me to have supper in the castle of labyrinths, a spooky sight!

 

Thank you, Good day & Keep Writing!

Neha

Explore The Intersection Between Writing and Art Through Various Kinds of Art Journals | 12 Art Journal Ideas for Writers

INTRODUCTION

Are you a multipassionate writer with a love for all things related to words, colors, art & notebooks?

 

Well, so am I, too!

 

In this video show, I explore the intersection between writing and visual art by sharing some ideas about combining the two mediums through the creative process of art journaling.

 

WHAT IS AN ART JOURNAL?

Also known by the terms ‘visual journal’ or ‘art diary’, an ‘art journal’ is a daily journal or notebook which often combines elements like words, sketches, drawings and other mixed media assortments such as collages, scraps, photographs, paintings and clippings!

 

From TikTok style asmr’s to throughly crafted chunky books, nowadays both the online as well as offline world is bubbling with a brobdingnagian amount of art journal ideas.

 

There are oodles of possibilities!

 

I’ll share twelve of these ideas with you from my knowledge and experience.

 

So, let’s breeze through!

 

12 TYPES & IDEAS FOR ART JOURNALS FOR WRITERS

#1 MAKE A QUOTES & SNIPPETS JOURNAL

- Record & collect your favourite quotes in a journal.

- Organize the snippets and clippings from articles, books, social media and elsewhere.

- Add your favourite reminders, affirmations and inspirational statements.

#2 CREATE A VISUAL WORDBOARD JOURNAL

- Create a journal dedicated to visual wordboards on various topics

- Visual wordboard is a writing tool comprising of words & phrases arranged in a board format on a page or a spread

- Watch this video to know more about visual wordboards

#3 CREATE A WORDBOOK/PHRASEBOOK JOURNAL

- Craft a journal on the theme of words and/or phrases

- This may include your favourite words or phrase collections for your writing practice

= Watch this video for more ideas related to a wordbooks/phrasebooks

#4 DRAFT A CHARACTER SKETCHBOOK

- Make a journal by assembling together the various character sketches for your writing

- Collect and keepsake your favourite characters from novels, movies, stories, plays & likewise.

- Compose your own characters by jotting down the bullet points and highlights about the characters with detailings of drawings, sketches, paintings, etc.

#5 BOOK JOURNAL 

- Record your book reading experience(s) and all things related to books in a journal

- Jot down your favourite quotes, lines, passages, dialogues, snippets and overall review in the journal

- Make a list of your favourite books, books you have read and books in your reading list

- Watch this detailed video on the topic of book journal

#6 POETRY JOURNAL 

- Also known typically as a ‘Poetry Diary’ or a ‘Poetic Journal’, a poetry journal is a journal dedicated to writing poetry

- There are zillions of creative ways to create a poetry journal

- Blend your poems with collages, craft papers, cuttings, artwork, decorative patterned tapes, stickers and mixed media.

- Write Blackout Poetry

- Illustrate Your Poems

#7 CREATE A COPYWRITING SWIPE FILE WITH AN ARTISTIC SPLASH! 

- Use elements of scrapbooking, collage and printmaking to add a creative touch to your swipe file!

#8 IDEABOOK JOURNAL FOR INSPIRATION

- Keeping an ideabook journal is a fantastic way to make sure that you never run out of inspiration and always have a supply of new ideas

- Create an ideabook journal with all the ideas you’d like to work on in the future, random ideas that pop up in your head, and ideas related to writing that you come across!

#9 FREE WRART JOURNAL

- Free Wrart Journal is a journal which combines Free ‘Writing + Art’ Technique.

- Creating this kind of a journal is a fabulous idea if you practice the ‘stream-of-consciousness’ writing technique on a regular basis

- Don’t think. Just let your creative energy unleash on the page spread!

#10 STORYBOARD JOURNAL 

- Create a journal for making storyboards for short stories, novel, or even ads.

#11 A JOURNAL OF WRITING PROMPTS

- Put together a journal with all the writing prompts you have or you come across.

#12 COMICS JOURNAL

- A Comics Journal is a stupendous form of creative journaling especially if you like to read and/or write comics

 

Thank you & Good day

Keep Writing, Keep Creating!

Subscribe to my channel & stay tuned for more exciting ideas related to writing, art and life!

Neha