Spring Special Issue – Microfictions

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 Jesse Binger
You can read his raw and emotive micro, Unscathed HERE

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

A: Funny, since I never followed much of it anyway! I was an English major back in the day. So took a couple of college creative writing classes. But no MFA or anything. Mostly self-taught.

I guess avoiding cliches and archetypes would be a big one for me. Especially when you’re leaning towards noir and crime fiction. You’ll find them in so many great works. So a bit of a double-edged sword for me. Ugh, there you go – another cliché!

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

A: So many huge influences on me. When I was younger, I’d say King of course. The legend.

Richard Price another big one. Dennis Lehane and what he does with Boston. Joe Hill when I’m in a nostalgic horror mood.

Nowadays, it’s writers like Jordan Harper, Willy Vlautin, Megan Abbott. SA Cosby’s great. Eli Cranor, Brian Panowich. I recently discovered Lou Berney and devoured all of his books in about a month. Don Winslow, of course, and so happy he’s returned to the writing world. Reed Farrell Coleman too – gotta give props to the Long Island crime noir Godfather.

And William Boyle’s probably my favorite writer. His characters are so lived-in, his Brooklyn settings simmering with history. If you haven’t read him, go run to a local bookstore!

Q: What trash, or otherwise, animal do you most identify with?

A: A tough one but I’ll be boring and say a dog. Grew up my whole life with dogs. Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Beagles. We have a special love now—our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Ruby. They’re just the best. Loyal. Loving. Won’t ever turn their back on you. Sometimes I wish people could learn from dogs. World might be a better place, y’know?

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

A: Well when I’m writing, I have trouble reading. I’ll try but I’ll get like two pages in and then a lightbulb goes off (another cliché, ha!) and I’m back to my story or manuscript. But when I need a break, I read a lot. And try to read in a different genre than what I’m writing.

And then just be free for a bit. Spend time with my lovely wife and our dog. Be outside in the sun. Vitamin D, not gonna lie, those sun rays do a lot for mood and inspiration. Maybe throw on an old 70s movie. Noir, of course. Some Springsteen on vinyl, pumped through an old super-reverb amplifier. Then, I’m back in the game.

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

A:

1. Find your opening line. For me, once I nail down that opener, the rest just tends to flow. And it doesn’t have to be great and sprawling and beautiful. It could be functional but set the stage. Don’t let it be a throwaway.

2. Be different. Find the unexpected. Don’t be afraid to embrace the strangeness. Find one or two character quirks that make your characters like nobody else.

3. Don’t over-edit. I find, with my flash and shorts, I like to knock them out quick. Return to them maybe in a day for some light editing. Then submit. A lot different for me than when I’m writing novel-length. And you often end up spending more time in the editing shed than writing the damn thing!

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

A: Well as a kid, I was a comic book addict. Ghost Rider, The X-Men, Silver Surfer. All of that. And baseball cards. Even had them in those plastic books. Careful not to fray the edges or anything. Still have most of them, though not worth much more than fond memories. Now, it’s mostly old books. In a thrift shop or garage sale, you’ll find me scouring old boxes looking for some pulp mystery novels. Cool covers, ripped pages, whatever. But plenty of diamonds in the rough at those places. And old music, movies, anything like that. What is it they say – one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

Jesse Binger is a fiction writer from New Jersey. His short stories are published or forthcoming at Bending Genres, Bristol Noir, Close to the Bone, Revolution John, Pistol Jim Press, Yellow Mama, Underbelly Press and Literary Garage. You can find him at http://www.jessebinger.com