Akash Mohimen & Ramanjaneya Sharaph: The Rules Of Writing Horror & Mythology

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The show opens with Akash and Ramanjaneya talking about what writing and creativity means to them. They share their earliest memories of writing and how each of them decided to pursue it seriously. We chat about their respective manuscripts – one in the space of horror and the other in mythology, accompanied by some fascinating book recommendations! We talk about playwriting and it’s influence on each of their writing practices. We also delve into what each of them is exploring with their respective manuscripts. Later, we chat about the Emerging Writers Residency, their writing routines and more book recommendations! The episode ends with excerpts from Akash and Ramanjaneya’s manuscripts narrated by each of them respectively.

Mentions: Tintin, Asterix, Enid Blyton, Panchatantra, Amuktamalyada, Panchakanya, Dr Pradip Bhattacharya, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Indiana Jones, Writers Block, British Council, Otis Haschemeyer, Pushcart Prize, Lord Of The Rings, Sholay, Stephen King, IT, Pet Cemetery, Stranger Things, The Plague, Albert Camus, Charlie Says, Kochi Biennale, Bhakti Poetry, Tukaram, Rahim, Kabir, Neil Gaiman, American Gods, The Good Omens, Terry Pratchett, Golden Compass, Sandman, Harry Potter, Satyajit Ray, Valmiki’s Women, Anand Neelakantan, Piranesi, Susanna Clarke, Annie Zaidi, Sundance Screenwriters Lab, Mahasweta Devi, Arundati Subramanian, Self Editing For Fiction Writers, Rene Brown, Dave King, Murakami, Baahubali, Golmaal, Girish Karnad, Heart Lamp, Banu Mushtaq, Tomb Of Sand, Perumal Murugan, Charulata, Aranyak Din Ratri, All We Imagine As Light, The Road, Cormac McCarthy, Amitava Ghosh, The Hungry Tide, Premchand

Akash Mohimen is a storyteller working in the theatre and film industry since 2006. He has written 7 plays, including Mahua and Under The Chestnut Tree, the latter being shortlisted for the Hindu Metroplus Playwright Award 2013. In 2015, he was selected for Sundance Screenwriters’ Lab where he co-wrote his first feature film, Rukh. In 2020, he co-wrote two seasons of the web series Bhaukaal. Akash has also worked as an editor for documentaries, advertisements and music videos. You can find him on Instagram @akashmohimen and X (Twitter) @AkashMohimen

Ramanjaneya Sharaph is a business and strategy consultant by design, since his unique name – with only one google hit – precludes any career hinging on anonymity and untrace-ability. His literary urges got an early boost when in the infancy of his accounting career, a boss reprimanded him to write short stories and not bestsellers in his audit reports. He lives in Mumbai with his wife who points to his large collection of books and reminds him that just because he is an accountant, he does not have to cook books. You can find him on Instagram @ramsharaph

The Himalayan Writing Retreat (THWR) is a physical retreat tucked away in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. THWR was co-founded in 2016 by Chetan Mahajan & Dr Vandita Dubey. The retreat offers a variety of events, both online and in person. The HWR Emerging Writers Residency offers emerging writers an opportunity to live, learn and write among the stunning Himalayas. The aim is to help writers finish their writing projects and make their debut. To know more, you can check their website: https://www.himalayanwritingretreat.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/