Kavitha Venkatesh On 'The Day She Met Him' And Writing Without Rules

 

There are writers who plan their stories with spreadsheets. Scene outlines. Beat sheets. Chapter maps. And then there’s Kavitha Venkatesh, who begins with a feeling and lets it tell her where to go.

During a recent virtual Author Connect session hosted by Unnati Shahi, founder of The Bookish Gossips, Kavitha shared something that felt refreshingly unfiltered. She doesn’t write because she knows where the story is going. She writes because she doesn’t. She wants to discover it. Live with it. Figure it out as it unfolds.

That’s exactly how her debut novel The Day She Met Him came to life. Quietly. Honestly. Intuitively.

Not the Kind of Writer You'd Expect

Kavitha never saw herself as an author growing up. She didn’t spend her childhood scribbling poems or dreaming of bestsellers. She just loved stories. Listening to them. Imagining new ones. Letting characters live in her head a little longer than necessary.

Her first real attempts at writing happened in college. But not novels. Not essays. Just funny notes about silly things her friends did. Pranks. Jokes. Inside stories.

“I think it started there,” she said, looking back. “That urge to write things down before they disappeared.”

It was casual. Playful. But the seed had been planted. And years later, when she sat with an idea that felt more serious...more alive...it became The Day She Met Him.

A Debut That Doesn’t Try Too Hard

The novel is quiet. It’s not about shocking twists or blockbuster tropes. It’s about Vidya and Vijay—two strangers dealing with loss, healing, and human connection in a way that feels real.

The story doesn’t race. It breathes. And you can feel how much of it came from Kavitha’s own emotional lens.

“It’s not autobiographical,” she clarified, “but it definitely came from a personal place. Some parts are imagined. Others are drawn from experiences or moments I’ve observed.”

That blend...of truth, imagination, and empathy is what makes the book feel so grounded. It doesn’t perform. It invites.

Her Process Is the Opposite of a Plan

Some writers swear by outlines. Kavitha? She swears by instinct.

“I don’t structure things in advance. I follow the idea. I write freely, then go back and shape it later.”

That freedom gives her characters space to breathe. It allows the unexpected to happen. And often, those unexpected turns are what make her stories work.

She doesn’t rush the edit either. After her initial draft, she lets it sit. Comes back to it with new eyes. Rewrites. Rethinks. And yes, cuts things she loved writing.

“It’s hard to let go of lines you felt attached to. But that’s part of the deal.”

A Storytelling Lens That Never Switches Off

Even when she’s not writing, Kavitha is observing. She notices how people talk. The pauses they take. What they say when they’re nervous. What they avoid when they’re scared.

“I don’t base characters on people I know. But I absolutely pull emotional details from real life.”

She’s fascinated by human behavior. Especially the small things. The kinds of moments that are easy to miss but impossible to forget once you see them clearly.

That’s what her stories explore. Not the drama of life, but the tenderness inside it.

She Writes What She Wants to Understand

Kavitha doesn’t chase trends. She doesn’t chase anything, really. She writes stories that ask questions she still doesn’t have answers to. What does healing really look like? How do people move on when the past still lingers? How do women find their voice when the world keeps talking over it?

“I come back to these themes often,” she admitted. “Growth. Grief. Emotional resilience. And women who refuse to stay quiet.”

She’s not trying to write the next great literary masterpiece. She’s trying to be honest. That, for her, is the win.

What Writing Reveals When You’re Paying Attention

When Kavitha started writing seriously, she wasn’t sure what would come of it. What surprised her most wasn’t the story that unfolded, but what she discovered about herself along the way.

“I learned that I love creating fictional worlds. I learned that I have more patience than I thought.”

She also learned that writing is less about having the right words and more about showing up to figure out what the right words might be. On the days when nothing flows, she still writes. And on the days when the doubt creeps in, she talks to friends. Reads. Steps back.

“Reading reminds me why I do this. It reconnects me to that joy.”

The Writing Life Is Nothing Like It Looks

People romanticize writing. Kavitha is quick to deflate the myth.

“It’s not cozy cafes and bursts of inspiration. It’s hours of questioning your own ideas. Writing, deleting, rewriting. It’s learning to stay with the discomfort.”

She isn’t cynical about the process. Just honest. And she wants more people to understand that behind every finished book is a lot of invisible effort.

“It’s not magic. It’s repetition. And it’s trust. You have to trust the story will find you if you keep showing up.”

When Feedback Meets Gut Instinct

Kavitha appreciates good feedback. She believes in listening to what others see. But she’s also learned that not all advice fits every story.

“If something doesn’t sit right with me, I don’t dismiss it. But I don’t react immediately either. I give it time. Revisit it later.”

That balance—between taking notes and staying true to your voice—is something she’s still refining. And that’s what makes her work feel alive. It’s still growing.

Her Advice for Writers Still Finding Their Way

“Stop waiting to feel ready,” she said. “You won’t. Just start.”

Kavitha believes the perfect idea or sentence won’t appear unless you write your way toward it. She urges new writers to embrace the mess, write badly, write bravely, and let their voice come through over time.

“The first draft is not the story. It’s the start of one.”

And that mindset? That permission to begin imperfectly? It’s a gift to every writer stuck on the edge of the page.

A Writer Who Lets Her Work Speak for Her

Kavitha Venkatesh doesn’t chase the spotlight. She listens to the world, writes what resonates, and trusts the process. With The Day She Met Him, she’s offered readers a story that feels soft but never small. And with whatever comes next, she’ll likely continue to write the way she began—with instinct, empathy, and quiet courage.

Interview conducted virtually by Unnati Shahi
Founder, The Bookish Gossips