Writer’s Block: Kirti Bhadresa

All Lit Up: Tell us about your new book. What can readers expect?

Kirti Bhadresa: An Astonishment of Stars is a short story collection that centres the experiences of individuals trying to navigate their daily lives as authentically as possible, people struggling to be true to themselves despite outside pressures and judgements. Most of my protagonists are of Indian background, and I hope that readers of all backgrounds find these stories impactful and relatable.

ALU: Is there one standout moment or experience that helped you realize you wanted to become a writer?

KB: When I was a child and I didn’t have a book handy I liked to daydream by closing my eyes and imagining a story writing itself out in front of me, one taken from my own imagination. I’ve always been an avid reader and for me the line between being a reader and a writer is blurry. Reading and writing are extensions of the same thing. In my life, the idea of writing a book was always vaguely present and became an obvious decision when the time was right.

ALU: What was your most rewarding moment as a writer? 

KB: After years of worries, edits, and waiting, there is truly nothing like holding your own book in your hands. Hearing other people talk about having read it is also a very powerful experience. I really appreciate that I’ve had lots of feedback from people whose opinions I value so much—other writers and avid readers, and also my friends and family. When people talk about my characters affectionately it’s the best! When they have disagreements with my characters, or strong reactions to their behaviour, I find that fascinating too. It’s mind blowing to have the book out in the world, living it’s own life, interacting with readers. The existence of the finished collection continues to bring me so much joy.

ALU: What do you hope that readers take away from your book?

KB: I have read a lot of books about people from other cultures, immigrants who are exoticized or romanticized. I hope that readers find my characters and their stories compelling and relatable because the characters are not extraordinary. Rather, they are people living mostly ordinary lives, with moments of magic here and there. I hope that readers will find moments of connection with these characters and perhaps find greater compassion toward themselves and others too.

ALU: How do you overcome creative blocks?

KB: When I have a creative block the best way I can solve it is by tuning out the world around me and letting my brain wander. Not even a pen in my hand, but just let the story come to me; sometimes when I am half asleep, first thing in the morning. Sometimes it takes days of contemplating and daydreaming until the idea comes to me that breaks through the creative block. After that, there is a point when it takes some more rigid discipline to just sit down and write too.

Sometimes the story just arrives when the page is in front of me. And yet that’s often the hardest thing to do–making the time to sit down and write. Once I’m there, any remnant of writers block often melts away.

ALU: If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

KB: If I could spend a day with anyone, it would FOR SURE be Daksha from the story “Daksha Takes the Cake.” The obvious reason is that she is a great baker who would probably bring us along freshly made treats to share, always a great attribute in a friend. But in addition to this, I have learned in my own writing journey that writers also make great pals. They are often funny and curious, genuine, kind. They like to chat, aren’t afraid of hard conversations, are great listeners too. I believe that Daksha would be no different.

* * *

Kirti Bhadresa’s fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The Fiddlehead, Prairie Fire, The Quarantine Review, The Sprawl, and Room, and she has been a finalist for the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association Award in the category of Feature Writing. Bhadresa lives with her family in Calgary, AB, on Treaty 7 territory.

Photo credit Jeremy Fox.