My Writing Journey - KM Wilsher

I have a real soft spot for today's guest blogger. I can't help it! I met KM through our ACFW critique group, and was immediately captivated by her first submission. I don't really know how to explain it. There's just a quality to her writing -- a total submersion into the fantasy world in her mind. I swear, I could feel and smell the surroundings! But, apart from her wonderful talent, KM has a compassionate heart, and I've loved getting to know her. So it's my pleasure to have her as a guest blogger today. Thanks for sharing with us, KM. Oh, and you have an awesome blog! Seriously guys, the link is at the bottom. Check it out.

Man, this is an honor to share my story here with Shawna Williams’ readers.

I am not sure anyone would have given the title ‘writer’ to little girl KM. Orator maybe, definitely actress, or dancer. My mom thought I might ice dance, I don’t think she thought I would love to write.

However, at night, when mom tucked me in and I said, “Mommy, I am not tired.”
She’d say, “That’s okay, just make up a story, picture it in your mind, and before you reach the end of that story you will be asleep.”
At first I said, “A story? About what?”
Mom said, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe you are a waitress at Woolsworth. Or a shepherdess keeping sheep. Whatever you want it to be.”

Along with mom, I have a brilliant dad, educator, administrator, writer, artist and avid reader. My love for books, Native Americans, and stories about my ancestors, came from him. That is where the madness planted its seed.

In High School I discovered I had a talent for playing percussion. In my mind’s eye, I saw I would be a heavy metal drummer for the rest of my days. Along with this passion, I wrote songs. Mostly lyrics and poetry, but I did attempt a few novels mostly centering on rock-n-roll.

My entire young adult goal was to make my fortune, then retire and write my book. Sound a little like Bilbo Baggins?

Life takes its turns, and if I filled in this gap here it would be more of my come to Jesus testimony than a blog post about my writing. That is for another day and another post. Throughout the next decade and a half I put down a smattering of words. In fact, one Christmas I hand wrote in small books a short story of mine and gave it to my family members as gifts. An allegory called, The Castle. I will tell you though, by this time I did not have a lot of confidence in myself as a person, much less my ability for composition.

Two years ago, my life and hope solid in Jesus Christ, I decided to go to a writer’s conference at the Community College down the street. I told a small group of friends, and soon we started a writer’s group called One Page at a Time. Four females got together and encouraged one another to write. This was a small spark that has turned into a roaring fire in my life.

That small writers group disbanded quickly. But, as a result of the passion that first writing group stirred within me, God brought the most exciting gift through the internet. A wonderful young girl named Avily Jerome contacted me. She was a Christian fiction writer and wondered if I wanted to get together. She led me to a local Christian writers group that has long term success. And there I found Lynn Rush, another sister in Christ. These girls have become important cornerstone’s in my life, my faith, and my writing.

As a result of their urging, I joined American Christian Fiction Writers and am the editor for the newsletter for my local chapter, Christian Writers of the West. I serve as one of the leaders on the committee for the first local ACFW chapter writers contest called: The Phoenix Rattler. (October 31 deadline!) God is good.

Through my ACFW crit group I found Christian writers across the nation and a gorgeous web of support and fellowship sprung up over night. (Shawna and Kat to name a few. J)

I am a fantasy nut. I am not published, but I am living the dream. I am trying to finish up two novels. One is a post-Armageddon, sci-fi, fantasy: Remnants. The other is a sword and sorcery, high world: Cobra Cutlass. I hope to enter Cobra Cutlass in Genesis this spring.

I have a few short stories I am trying to peddle: Cobra Cutlass, and Suicide Extinct (A Christian Allegory involving vampires in space). However, I am not impatient. My dream is first of all to write. I love to write. Second, I love to interact with other Christian writers, encourage them, and revel in the moments that they take me seriously. One day I hope to be published, but that will be the icing on the cake. For now I am just enjoying every “bloody” moment of this ride.

KM Wilsher kmwilsher.blogspot.com Look me up on Facebook :)