Autumn Pop-Up Issue – Prompted Stories

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 Mairead Fagan. You can read her lyrical, voice-driven piece, When I Was Born, My Mother Ate My Placenta HERE – inspired by the prompts: During the First Day Of…, any ‘Ologist, Found Footage.
There is also an audio version with Mairead reading.

A repeat bin offender, Mairead’s other TCL stories are Cockling and Orcas

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Q: What piece of writing advice/ crafting rule would you trash?

A: ‘Write what you know’: I think some of my own favourite stories have come from disappearing down rabbit holes to find out the things I don’t know. For me, the joy of writing comes from imagining and experimenting, and the stories I enjoy reading the most are those that lean into the weird and the wonderful. The things I know, the things that resonate with readers, tend to lurk beneath the surface of everything I write, so if I were re-writing that rule, I’d change it to, ‘Write what you don’t know in order to write what you know’, if you get me.

Q: Which writers and magazines do you go to to find treasure to read?

A: JP Relph and Trash Cat Lit obviously, but I also turn to Milk Candy Review, Fictive Dream, or Wigleaf whenever I fancy losing myself in Flash. Writers – so many! I’m always excited to read stories by Kik Lodge, S.A Greene, James Montgomery, Cole Beauchamp, Fiona McKay, Jude Potts, to name a few, but the form is growing all the time and it’s lovely to discover new writers too.

Q: What trash animal do you most identify with?

A: Hares. They’re a bit scruffy and hide away a bit, which is true of me in general. But they’re also a bit magical, steeped in myth and lore, and I’d like to think that’s my story-teller side. Mainly though – just scruffy.

Q: When your writing mojo is trashed, how do you recharge?

A: I walk – I have a dog, and I live on Dartmoor, which is glorious. I’m also within reach of Cornwall and the coast, so breathing in salty sea air does me good (only in winter though – summer beaches are far too peopley for me). Reading helps, and Flash workshops are always inspirational – even if I don’t come up with a story, it’s good to feel connected with others who write. People who just get it and don’t say, ‘Oh you should write about…(fill gap as appropriate)’.

Q: If you could offer three tips to writing short treasures, what would they be?

A:
1. Read lots.

2. Experiment, play and have fun.

3. Find a writing tribe and share your work; listening to feedback and editing/developing your stories is all part of the process.

Q: What is one thing, if spotted in a crowded charity shop/thrift store, you would just have to buy

A: Nothing specific, but I’m drawn to oddities. My last charity shop buy was a green glass fish with wide open, scarlet lips – like a Marilyn Monroe of the fish world.  

Mairead Fagan lives in the South West, UK. She walks her dog, writes stories, reads books, drinks coffee, eats biscuits, plans world domination, eats more biscuits, and sleeps. Her stories have been published in anthologies and in literary magazines. SL Bridport, winner Bath FFA, some other fancy stuff: @maireadwrites.bsky.social