Meeting Rachel Swabey, Winner of Hysteria 2025 Short Story Category

This month, I’d like to share an interview with Rachel Swabey, this year’s winner of the Hysteria Writing Competition – Short Story category. Her story, Seabeast, was published in the Hysteria 11 anthology and will be available to read on the website later this year.

The Rachel Swabey Interview

Have you ever written naked?

I’m pretty sure I haven’t! That feels like a challenge… But then again, I’m pretty useless when I’m cold, so it might have to wait for the summer!

Do you have any hints or tips for aspiring writers?

Write often. Push yourself to try new things. Play. Try to ‘dance like no one’s watching’ on the page—you don’t have to show anyone your work unless and until you’re happy with it.

How do you remain sane whilst writing?

It probably depends on your definition of sane! I’m happiest when I’m writing regularly, but not obsessively. But it’s a sweet spot that’s hard to find sometimes. Sanity is always a work-in-progress!

Are you jealous of other writers?

I try not to compare myself to other writers, because of course comparison is the thief of joy. But sometimes you read something so perfect that you just wish you’d written it, or it makes you despondent that you’ll never write anything as good. But if you give up you make that a certainty, and if you keep going, you just never know…

Where do you find your inspiration?

Everywhere! I think my best stories happen when two or more things I’m curious about somehow nestle up together in my brain and create a kind of tension that makes them even more interesting. I also work in local journalism, so I’m always coming across little tidbits there to pique my interest. Like the Sussex Bridman contests that feature in Seabeast—what a bizarre and delightful phenomenon!

What was the most important thing you learned at school?

I had a great A Level English teacher called Mrs Wallard, who used to set homework for us to read a certain chapter or scene of whatever we were studying and to ‘chat onto paper’ about it, as in just write down whatever came into our heads, in whatever language felt most comfortable to us. We were to use it as a way of organising our thoughts, rather than to produce anything readable to anyone else. She never asked to see it, but as far as I knew everyone always did it. And it’s a skill I use to this day whenever I need to work out a knotty writing problem.

Do you have a favourite writing resource to share with my readers and other writers?

I love a good podcast! My favourites include Confessions of a Debut Novelist, Writer’s Routine and London Writers’ Salon. Hearing about other writers’ processes is endlessly fascinating, and I find it so reassuring to learn just how many different routes there are towards writing brilliant publishable work.

Have you ever wished you could do, or be, something else?

Oh, all the time! Not that I’m not happy with my own life, but how cool would it be to be an archeologist? Or a nomad? Or a costume designer? No one can do everything, but the great thing about writing is, you can try on some of those roles in your imagination and try to bring them alive.

Do you think there is any elitism attached to different writing genres?

For sure. People can be sniffy about speculative fiction and assume it’s all about escapism, but I think it can offer us truths we might not find in realism, by holding up a twisted mirror can make us understand something about the world more clearly.

What is the biggest challenge you face when writing?

I am writing a novel at the moment and, with long-form writing, my biggest challenge is definitely consistency and maintaining that momentum. That’s why I love short stories: you get to explore all your wildest ideas while receiving regular doses of delicious completion!

(Cover image: Image by Leandro De Carvalho from Pixabay)