Ruth Newton: 'I'll always be interested in emotions and the lengths we go to avoid, suppress, or express our feelings'
BY Maya Fernandes
2nd Jul 2026
In this interview Ruth Newton, debut author of The Carrier, shares her advice for building a believable science fiction world with high emotional stakes.
‘My advice would be to know your concept inside out, but then think about how much the reader needs to know. It can be tempting to put everything in, because you've spent time and energy working it out, but ultimately it's a story, not a scientific paper, so you have to think about what serves the plot.’
We caught up with Ruth to discuss how she created the speculative world of The Carrier, her approach to writing a character arc with a major ideological shift in opinion, and what science fiction stories inspire her.
The Carrier is set in a near-future world where people can outsource unwanted emotions to 'Carriers' employed by the company Eudaimonia. What was the inspiration behind this concept?
The idea for The Carrier came to me on a long drive for work. I was stuck behind a lorry that said 'International Transport' on the back, and I misread it as 'Emotional Transport.' I immediately started imagining a world where unwanted emotions were cargo, and the story grew from there.
I don't think this would have happened if I hadn't been wrestling with a different manuscript on the Curtis Brown Course at the time, though. While it was a very different kind of story – a woman in her late twenties who returns home to confront old emotions – there were similar themes running underneath. I think I'll always be interested in emotions and the lengths we go to avoid, suppress, or express our feelings.
Do you believe authors have a responsibility to engage with current social or environmental issues in their work?
No, I think authors can write stories that are purely intended to delight or provide readers with an escape, and that those stories are valuable in themselves. That said, if you're writing about the present or the future, it's difficult not to engage with the issues of our time because they shape who characters are and how they move through the world. Whether someone benefits from the systems around them or is harmed by them, their environment influences their choices.
When it comes to climate, I often think of screenwriter Dorothy Fortenberry's comment that if you're not considering climate impact in stories today, you're writing science fiction. I agree, and I also think there are lots of opportunities to tell stories that inspire people to take climate action and offer hope for a more sustainable future. While climate isn't an overt theme in The Carrier, it is woven throughout. I think if more people engaged with the climate crisis on an emotional level – through both a love and reverence for nature and the grief of what we're losing – they might feel more motivated to take action. I know this is difficult when we're facing so many competing, yet interconnected, challenges, but I think fiction can be a source of both comfort and inspiration.
The book's premise turns outsourcing your emotional pain into a paid service. How did you go about building a believable system around something so psychologically unsettling, and do you have any advice for writers trying to create layered emotional worlds with sensitivity?
Creating a believable system was one of the hardest parts of writing The Carrier. At first, the idea seemed quite simple, but when I really started to interrogate how the service would work, I found I was tying myself in knots. My editor suggested I write 'a guide to Expression' that lays out exactly how the process works in granular detail. This was helpful, but far too much information to add to the novel without making the plot drag. My advice would be to know your concept inside out, but then think about how much the reader needs to know. It can be tempting to put everything in, because you've spent time and energy working it out, but ultimately it's a story, not a scientific paper, so you have to think about what serves the plot.
For me, the greatest sensitivity to consider was how Expression would impact different kinds of people and their motivations for using the service. I tried to make this nuanced by including wealthy clients with good intentions, and Carriers who genuinely seemed to enjoy their work and the lifestyles it provided. The Carrier's excerpts were really helpful in being able to showcase their different experiences and avoid treating women as a monolithic group.
Your protagonist, Viv, works for Eudaimonia and initially believes she is helping people. How did you approach writing her gradual shift in perspective?
This shift became more important the more drafts I wrote. In the early days, Viv was quite a cold and detached character. I thought her arc was more about going from being someone who avoided their emotions to someone who embraced them. But after sharing my work with a few people, I realised her detachment meant it was quite hard to root for her as a character. When I thought harder about her motivations for taking a job at Eudaimonia and the idea that she, like many people, could have been duped – willingly or not – by a corporation, it felt relatable. There have been moments in my career where I've worked with companies whose impact is both positive and negative on the world. At the time, it was a matter of necessity, but I could also rationalise my position as being too low down the ladder to make any significant change.
Which speculative novels have most inspired you?
I was nervous to read too many speculative novels while writing early drafts of The Carrier, in case I found myself imitating them. But once I was confident in the idea, I turned to the likes of Margaret Atwood and Kazuo Ishiguro, as well as more recent works like Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh. I also watched shows like Black Mirror, Severance, and The Last of Us.
You studied with us on our flagship online Writing Your Novel – Six Months course and The Rewrite Doctor. How did your time with us shape your approach to writing?
Investing in the six-month course was a big decision for me, but the financial commitment meant that I made the most of all the opportunities on offer. I loved sharing work with other writers who were at a similar stage to me, and learned lots about how to give and receive feedback. The editorial notes from tutors were invaluable and gave me confidence to keep going.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on the course?
Our Curtis Brown Creative WhatsApp group lives on, and everyone is so supportive. A few years back, I found myself between houses and one of the group members, Celina, let me stay at her house in Lisbon while she was away. I have very fond memories of writing The Carrier at her kitchen table and looking after her gorgeous rescue dogs.
And finally, what's next for your writing journey?
I'm working on a second book, although it's slower going while raising a toddler and expecting a second baby at the same time. I hope writing is something I do for the rest of my life — it brings me a lot of joy and helps me make sense of my feelings.
Get your hands on a copy of The Carriers, out now from Bantam (Penguin, UK).
Ruth was a student on our Writing Your Novel – Six Months course and The Rewrite Doctor.
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