Writing Podcast Episode 713: George Kemp dishes up his debut novel, 'Soft Serve'

Writing Podcast Episode 713: George Kemp dishes up his debut novel, 'Soft Serve'

From So You Want to be a Writer by Australian Writers' Centre

April 20, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

George Kemp discusses his debut novel 'Soft Serve' and shares insights into his writing process and influences.

Would you like fries with that? Playwright and author George Kemp’s debut novel, Soft Serve, follows a particular day at a regional McDonalds restaurant and the various characters who work there. In this episode, George shares his influences and some of the curious choices he made in writing the book, as well as his writing routine and differences between novel and script writing. 00:00 Welcome 10:51 Writing tip: Focus on positive feedback 15:00 WIN!: Click by Sarah Bailey 17:29 Word of the week: ‘Mensal’ 18:06 Writer in residence: George Kemp 18:44 What his book Soft Serve is all about 19:47 Origins and influences 21:54 Novel versus script 23:27 The differences between the two 27:21 Defining the age range 30:48 Small town limitations 34:41 Unconventional dialogue and POV choices 37:01 Acting skills in writing 39:43 George’s writing routine 42:54 The publication process 45:54 Editing collaboration 48:25 A writing tip 50:13 Next projects 51:03 Final thoughts Read the show notes Connect with Valerie and listeners in the podcast community on Facebook Visit WritersCentre.com.au |  ValerieKhoo.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Valerie

Guest: George Kemp

Topics covered

  • fiction
  • writing
  • novels
  • playwriting
  • character development

Keywords

  • Soft Serve
  • writing routine
  • novel versus script
  • editing collaboration
  • unconventional dialogue

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Writing Podcast, Soft Serve, Mensal

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