Spring Pop-Up – Collectors & Collections
Following the launch of each of our issues, we cajole one or more of the contributors into a mini interview with the Trash Cat.
Here they will reveal some writing wisdom and tell you what trash critter they identify with most. Important stuff like that.
Today, we have Gavin Turner, a repeat bin offender because we love his writing.
You can read powerful short fiction, One For the River HERE
Q: What piece of writing advice/ crafting rule would you trash?
A: ‘Write about what you know’.
I think that writing is in itself an act of discovery, and this definitely can’t apply if you write horror and science fiction for example. Having said that the way in which characters interact can be drawn from what you know, or have witnessed/ overheard. I would not try and limit writing topics to only what you know about, go and discover something new!
Q: Which writers and magazines do you go to to find treasure to read?
A: For writers, Brian Evenson is a favourite in the horror genre, also Gabino Iglesias and Paul Tremblay if you like it dark, but purely for dialogue I would also have to mention Bruce Robinson who wrote Withnail and I. Lines that you think are still funny after the 100th time of hearing them are priceless. For magazines I love Punk Noir, Roi Faineant Press, Icebreakers Lit and of course Trash Cat Lit. I have been lucky enough to be published with all of these and it has been a great experience, friendly people making writing fun.
Q: What trash animal do you most identify with?
A: Has to be dogs, but especially Labradors. If you don’t have a dog with you, you’re probably just a loser in a field right?
Q: When your writing mojo is trashed, how do you recharge?
A: A long walk is a great palate cleanser from the keyboard. It also helps with working out new ideas and characters you can mull over without interruption. There are some lovely quiet rural spots near where I live, which was the inspiration for my first book of poetry.
Q: If you could offer three tips to writing short treasures, what would they be?
A:
1 – Omit needless words, shorter pieces need to get to the point and not talk around the subject. Have you ever been to a concert and the singer talks up a song for twenty minutes before getting started? Just play the thing!
2 – It doesn’t have to tell the whole picture, sometime it might just be a snap shot, a glance through a window, the end of a conversation before the door shuts.
3 – Read, read as much as you can in short form. It teaches you about the art of the possible and gives you freedom to play with form. Experiment with language and see things from another
Q: What is one thing, if spotted in a crowded charity shop/thrift store, you would just have to buy
A: I do love old books, especially if they have a cryptic dedication inside, or an article someone found. Nothing better than discovering a hidden gem.
Gavin Turner is a writer from the UK. His short fiction and poetry have been published in numerous journals including Punk Noir, Dark Horses, Voidspace and Boats against the current. He has released two collections of poetry and has a novella in the works.
TRASH CAT LIT 