Writing Podcast Episode 735: Curtis Garner explores identity in new novel, ‘Orange’

UK-based queer author Curtis Garner burst onto the scene a few years ago with his debut novel, Isaac. Now he’s back with Orange – a coming of age novel that explores two characters as they grapple with a sense of identity and place across a five-year span. In this episode, Curtis shares his inspirations for this novel, his writing process and tips, plus why sex scenes in books should have less fluff!

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00:00 Welcome
09:09 Writing tip: Public transport
13:46 WIN: Last Night I Dreamt by Paul de Zulueta
15:32 Word of the week: ‘Ensorcell’
16:26 Interview with: Curtis Garner
17:00 Describing Orange
19:15 Creating the characters
20:20 Themes and clichés of place
23:35 London as a setting
26:27 Two timeline structure
28:30 Writing sex scenes honestly
33:33 Deadlines and drafting
35:00 Rage behind the debut
40:03 Writing around a day job
42:25 Collecting notes daily
44:35 The perils of overplanning
46:15 Writing what you care about
48:53 What’s next?
50:25 Writing advice summary
51:33 Final thoughts

Links mentioned in this episode

Writer in residence: Curtis Garner

Curtis Garner is the author of the ‘instant queer classic’ Isaac, which was published in 2024 to critical acclaim. He was born in Cornwall in 1996 and moved to London when he was eighteen to study Creative Writing and English Literature. He graduated in 2017 and has been working in publishing since. In 2020 he also received an MA with Distinction from Manchester Writing School, where much of Isaac was written. In his spare time he reviews novels on Instagram. Orange is his second novel.

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This podcast is brought to you by the Australian Writers' Centre and our course Creative Writing Stage 1.

 

Find out more about your host, Valerie Khoo (@valeriekhoo on Twitter and @valeriekhoo on Instagram).

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