See a photo of Kindra, her bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

Q&A with Kindra Hall, Question 8:

Q: You tweeted recently about having writer’s block. How do you deal with that and get ideas flowing again? Do you have goals for how often you will write and publish your stories, and if so, do you ever feel oppressed by those goals?

A: Ug. Yes. I have my days. I do have goals focused on posts-per-week. I’ve upped it to twice in week, though I’d like it to be even more. The problem is, I’m not always “feeling it.” However, I believe that that is an artist’s cop-out. I heard an interview with multi-Grammy winner David Foster who attributes much of his success as a musical genius to the fact that he works on the days he “doesn’t feel like it.” Sure, he may not produce a Grammy winner on those days, but he’s improving his craft and honing his discipline. These are important characteristics for storytellers to have as well.

So on those days where a story isn’t coming easily, I know I still need to tell. I page through notebooks of old story scraps, I read through some of my other work, and I keep my mind open. Eventually, if I stay focused, a story comes to me. I don’t try to judge whether or not it will be a “Grammy-winner,” I just write. This mindset has helped me get through those frustrating days and has made me a better teller. I often find stories I wasn’t expecting.