“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.”
People write for various reasons. Some do it because they have lots of stories to tell, some voice their agonies and happiness through it while some do it in order to enrich their own lives.
Tuheena Raj, a 23 year old, started writing when she was at a professional low.
She says, “It started purely as a passion for writing, expressing and bringing forth nuanced emotions, I set out on a journey of being a poet with the eye of a photographer.”
She is the founder and writer of WordsofWorth, a micro poetry, quote and epigram blog.
Hailing from New Delhi, she did her schooling from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya and then went onto do her Bachelors in Commerce from Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. As a child, she used to dream of applying herself in the field of business and holding key managerial positions. Writing started as a passion project, but it has become a vital part of her personality now. Apart from writing, she also has a professional career and she enjoys balancing both the worlds.
Here’s an excerpt of the interview with her.
#TUB : What is the mindset of a writer, where does the creativity come from?
Observation
Writers are observant and expressive and that’s what lends them the vision to write something through the eyes of a photographer. A lot of times, writing comes as a form of self expression to channel inner emotions. There is never a single source of creativity. It is either observed or perceived or created through emotional experiences of the writer.
#TUB : What do you write about? Tell us about your style of work?
I write about innate human emotions. I try to weave them with metaphors, oxymorons and paradoxes. The idea is to present something that resonates with readers as well as looks and sounds fresh. I try to create epigrams, quotes and poems that are open ended and can be interpreted by the readers in their own way. For me, the most impactful poems are the ones that do not spoon feed you the meaning but the ones that leave you guessing.
#TUB : What genre of writing do you find the most challenging, most creative?
Poetry. The style, the impact and the flow is the hardest to achieve. Communicating relevant ideas that engage and resonate with readers is always an uphill task. There is a level of ingenuity and maturity that poetry demands and that is why it is so powerful as a medium.
#TUB : What are the challenges you faced on the way?
It was at a time of a career and professional low when I started ‘WordsofWorth’. I eventually cracked one of the most sought after jobs at my campus and realized my dream of becoming a banker. As things took off on the career front, I grew overtly attached to the writing page baby of mine. I made it a point to post regularly.
For the job, I transferred from Delhi to Mumbai and started living independently, doing mostly two things- working as a corporate finance professional and writing on Instagram. A year passed and nothing came my way. I hustled at my job and tried extremely hard to make Instagram work but my organic growth was stunted. It is extremely difficult to build an audience base more so it is disheartening to try and write something every day without being read or appreciated but I still made it point to keep at it. The stubborn optimist in me believed things would eventually work out.
Instagram is an extremely challenging medium to keep up with. There are a tonne of similar content creators and your work should really have a differentiating and recall factor. Keeping up with the demands of the medium has been a challenge but I enjoy it.
#TUB : What is your inspiration, how do you motivate yourself to write and how did you manage it with your regular activities like job or study?
I think if you love doing something enough, you make time for it by hook or by crook.
The motivation really comes from within.
#TUB : How to be noticed in a world where everyone is writing?
It is important to have a unique voice, expression and most importantly, a really high recall value. These are the things that differentiate your work from those of others. Instagram is a visual medium so one needs to work on both content as well as the manner of presentation. More than that, I think staying true to your craft and expressing without being influenced is what makes you stand out.
#TUB : Do your family & friends support you? Did you meet haters?
Fortunately, my family and friends have been extremely supportive. I haven’t faced hate online and I’m extremely grateful for that.
#TUB : How to combat the writer’s block?
Understand that like all things, ideas and thoughts need replenishment and our minds need to unwind to find a new thought muse to create content further. Accept the fact that writing is something that comes from an inspired mind and it is important to feed yourself delicious books, conversations and poems for it to churn out yummier content.
#TUB : What was your biggest break that set you climbing the stairs of success?
I wrote for less than 500 followers for almost a year but I wrote everyday like a stubborn optimist. Eventually, my work started getting shared by large Instagram accounts like ‘Word Porn’ and ‘Poems Porn’, which began a spiral of increased engagement with readers.
In October 2017, Raghu Dixit noticed my work and shared them with lyricist and national awardee, Mr Swanand Kirkire ; Ms. Anvita Dutt, lyricist and front man writer at Yashraj Films. All of them read my works and praised me immensely. It came as a validation I craved deeply.
Bollywood actor Kajal Aggarwal has consistently shown her love by praising me on multiple occasions and reposting my works a number of times.
In June 2018, I was covered by Homegrown‘s article titled “7 Young Indians who are Leading Double Lives”.
Moreover, I have received abundant love and support from a global network of Instagram writers and a humongous amount of love from readers who await my posts every day.
#TUB : How do you define success? What does it means to you?
To me, success is about the impact I have over people’s lives. The lives I touch with my work, the people I can appeal to with my words. Success to me is being content with the work I create. It is about being good at whatever I choose to do.
#TUB : Should one participate in contests, online writing prompts to hone one’s writing?
Yes, more the exposure, the better. It helps you hone your craft.
#TUB : What is the advice you would give to a new writer?
Stop trying to figure out what kind of content sells. Be true to yourself as a writer and express what you have to. That’s what lends your work the unique appeal and that is exactly what differentiates it from anyone else. Be well read. When someone critiques your work, listen. Be a learner. Draw inspiration from the smallest of things.
Tuheena Raj is extremely inspiring and an achiever in herself and what with her determined spirit and unwavering optimism, she will keep on climbing the steps to success every day.
The team of TUB wishes her all the best in life.
Content Written by Ravneet Kaur, follow her to read more about her writings.
