Meet Kendall C. Stark

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kendall C. Stark. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kendall C. below.

Kendall C., so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever had any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?

Writer’s Block is only a state of mind. States of mind are temporary. You can feel sad or down, but those feelings aren’t forever. Once you realize that writer’s block is inherently a fleeting moment that will be over soon, that is the first step of conquering the block. The next step is a little harder. My philosophy of life is that, if you smash your head against a brick wall enough times, eventually it will crumble. The only way to get past writer’s block is through. You just have to keep going. Force yourself to write. The words are going to be hard to write down, but with each typed sentence, the trickle of inspiration will turn into a flood. All you have to do is keep writing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

In December 20th 2025, I am publishing, Silent Soldiers. A sci fi dystopian about a dark academy that kidnaps students and brainwashes them into ruthless killing machines in an elite super soldier program. This will be my debut novel. It was originally a popular Ream serial, but now all of the readers will be able to display the gorgeous copy on their shelves. The book has sprayed edges and a comic book vibe. Tropes include: Dark academia, slowburn sapphic romance, death competition, cult vibes, near future America, and strong female friendships. It’s a beautiful tale of rising above mental illness and finding hope in dark situations in a grimdark setting.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The main quality of mine that helped me through this long journey of writing and publishing my first book is my unadulterated passion of writing. It’s this love for all parts of the writing process that’s made it so easy for me to continue with all the struggles of being an author. I don’t love marketing my books or hyping myself up, but I do it because I love writing more than anything else.
Another quality that has made me the writer I am today is my innate desire to be the best there ever was. Am I the best at writing? No, but it’s the desire to be like the greats that inspires me to continue learning about the writing process. I know almost nothing else about any other topic. I follow the Sherlock Holmes method of learning. Learn all about your intended topic and throw away anything that doesn’t suit you. I couldn’t care less that the Earth orbits the sun unless I’m writing about space travel. I’ve dedicated my whole life to writing and I will never stop wanting to learn more.
That leads into the last quality that has gotten me this far. It’s the knowledge that I’m not a master writer. The knowledge that I’m not the best, so I can keep striving for greatness. If for even a moment, I think that I’ve got the writing thing handled, and I stop trying to learn, is the moment I think I’ll fail as a writer. That’s why I always keep striving to be better.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

The one who has helped me the most with being the writer is my best friend, Apple, also known as Hollis Tyde. She’s my developmental editor who made Silent Soldiers, and the book I’m working on now the great piece that it is today. I would be nothing without her. She takes my psychotic ramblings and turns them into something people actually want to read. She’s helped me with creating more realistic and consistent characters and flesh out things that I thought were obvious only because they were in my head and I have author clairvoyance. Apple is my rock and I will love her forever for helping me be the best writer I can be.

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Natasha Freeman

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