Cassie McCullagh

But when I

I understood in my 20s that I really wanted to work on my craft.

I read a lot of short stories.

I grew up, as I said, in this rural place, which is also, it's hard to explain this, but I've learned a new word here since I've been in Australia, bogan.

I lived in Bogan land.

I lived among hillbillies, you know, in southern Appalachia, where we are very much looked down on by the rest of our country.

We're kind of the last group that liberals freely laugh at and mock.

So when I went out of there to university, people mocked my accent.

They just assumed that I was ignorant and

you know, not very smart.

I changed my accent, actually.

And I tried to acquire this writing voice that was worldly.

And I even remember trying to write a story set in Australia, which, you know, I didn't know anything about Australia.

And I was trying for this sort of urbane, worldly tone that was just a complete failure.

Imitating anybody in particular?

Well...

Not in particular.

I was trying to be me, but sound like, you know, city writers, urban writers.

And then someone, and I said, I didn't take writing classes in school and I didn't do an MFA.

So I just learned from reading.