The episode opens with Bhavika talking about what creativity means to her. We talk about how her interest in writing started and her early days as a journalist. Bhavika talks about why she chose to study writing formally and how that’s helped her craft and growth. We delve into her writing process with regard to POV, writing routine and structure. Later, she shares some of her favourite books and TV shows. She also shares a bit about her debut novel, Hot Water. The episode ends with an excerpt from Hot Water narrated by Bhavika.

Bhavika Govil is a writer whose debut novel, Hot Water, is forthcoming with HarperCollins India in April 2025. A portion of the manuscript won the 2021 Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize and the DHA New Writers’ Open Week. Her short fiction has won or been shortlisted for the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize, the Bound Short Story Prize, among others, and been published in magazines including Wasafiri, Extra Teeth, Gutter. She has a Master's in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh, and facilitates creative writing workshops for adults. She is based in New Delhi, India. You can find her on Instagram @bhavikagovil , X (Twitter) @Bhavikagovil and her website: www.bhavikagovil.com

Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/

Mentions: Bound, Edinburgh, The Seven Moons Of Maali Almeida, Shehan Karunatilaka, The Bee Sting, Paul Murray, Hot Water, HarperCollins, Simon And Garfunkel, Elena Ferrante, Neopolitan Novels, My Brilliant Friend, Elena Knows, Claudia Pineiro, Jhumpa Lahiri, Deepa Annapara, Avni Doshi, Girl In White Cotton, Burnt Sugar, Madhuri Vijay, Em And The Big Hoom, Jerry Pinto, Jazz, Toni Morrison, Gilmore Girls, Severance

No new episode next week on account of Diwali. See you on 17th Nov! :)

Update: New episodes out from 1st December due to technical issues. Thanks for your patience!

Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com

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