BCC Shines a Light on: Mike Hickman

Name of the piece published by BCC:

Have a Little Farmhouse in Your Soul

When/where was it originally published:

Dwelling Literary

What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?

“Farmhouse” is one of my favourite pieces (of mine, of course! I have many other favourites by other writers). I would have written it in response to a Dwelling Literary prompt – each one of their prompts was to do with houses, as I recall – and farmhouse would have immediately made me think of my time working at ADAS Bridgets as an Assistant Scientific Officer in the gap between my A-levels and the beginning of my undergraduate degree. It was a very few weeks, really, in the grand scheme of things, but it was – and remains – my favourite job because of the kindness of the friend who had offered me the opportunity. A story very like the one in “Farmhouse” happened to me. There might well be some truth in the story of the water butts and the driving lesson that resulted in a soaking. Elements like “capiche,” though – that’s me adding to the piece. And the EMDR and “safe place” material comes from a period of my life two decades on. I have undertaken EMDR but I didn’t use that place when asked to choose somewhere to return to when the traumatic memories got too much – it occurred to me, as I thought about my response to the Dwelling prompt, that I wish I had.

As for my process – I think “Farmhouse” is a good example of what I try to do in taking one memory or aspect of my life and then combining it without something else entirely to create something distinctive or at least new. I carry a notebook everywhere and I write every day. I’m in the middle of a period of writing a piece every day for Medium, for example, because I like to take flashes of inspiration and flesh them out into whole pieces. And I very much hope that every piece improves my writing still further.

How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?

My thoughts haven’t changed, although I would be interested in doing more with the EMDR idea. Obviously, in a 1000 word piece, there is a lot that has to be left unsaid – which is also good for the reader, too, so that they can bring something of themselves to the piece. I do think, though, that the piece could be expanded by considering further why this memory would be so important to our protagonist. What else has happened to him in his life for him to want to go back to that farm? Or, rather, what did not happen to him?

Is there a specific message you’d like readers to take away from reading this piece?

The value of small acts of kindness even many years later. They can help in the darkest times.

Where can readers find more of your work?

Although I am thinking of moving on after Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, I am still currently there as @MikeHicWriter. I am on Medium as @sirhenryatrawlinsonend – I’ve written approximately 200 pieces for various Medium publications over the last year. My work has also been published by publications as diverse as Red Fez, Bandit, the Daily Drunk, Nymphs, Sledgehammer, Winamop and Roi Fainéant Press.