Illegibly K.M. West

Category: Writing

  • The Pursuit of Perfection.

    “Perfection is our armor… But armor is rigid, and leaves us little room to grow.”

  • SOMETHING WILD THIS WAY COMES…

    Who doesn’t love a little adventure? If you’ve followed my journey, you’ll know that it’s been rife with varied esteem, surprising exploits, and overwhelming joy. Today, I’m happy to announce yet another facet to this endeavor that I’ve be so lucky to call my life: Wild Things Will Roam will soon be available TO THE…

  • “Dogwood Stains” – Author’s Hand Competition 2nd Place Winner

    “Louie’s parents were crushed by a herd of wild zebras. ” “With a first line like this one, how could I resist awarding this runner-up prize? It reeled me in and is indicative of the humor-wrapped ruthlessness of this story, which is set in a dystopic world of child prostitution and amicicide. The author brought the…

  • Stroke of Genius.

    Stroke of Genius.

    Ancient Romans believed that each of us was born with a ‘genius’ (from the Latin gignere, meaning “to give birth or bring forth”), a guiding spirit who provided us with our unique thoughts or abilities. This spirit defined us, and gave meaning to our lives. If we had a brilliant idea, it was due to…

  • Night. Terror.

    Shaking, I turn off lights and lock doors, knowing that wood, brick, and drywall can only keep out some things. A half bottle of wine sits idly in my stomach, no more an immunization than the sleep aids. Already afraid, I steel myself with a hot shower and joyful memories. It’s going to be fine.…

  • Wildflowers in Planters.

    Today, I met an angel at a coffee shop. I am one that believes that everyone who walks in or out of your life is meant to teach you a lesson. Today, I got a text from a beta telling me that somehow, this story “lines up with everything I’m going through or have been…

  • Very Short Stories (a work in progress).

    The following are tweets as a part of the #VSS365 hashtag game on Twitter. The goal is to construct a very short story within the confines of 280 characters based on a word prompt. The prompts are in bold. I’ll be adding more periodically; hope you enjoy! I climbed into bed with my husband yesterday.…

  • Character Lost.

    This might be one of my first controversial posts. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love discussion, so please feel free to comment with your thoughts. If you follow me on Instagram, you may be aware that I’m currently amidst my first foray into Paradise Lost. I stumbled on a channel that does a…

  • The Art of Taking Criticism.

    I talk a lot about time. I talk about patience, about dedication, about learning craft, about planting seeds so that future you might reap their rewards. Easy to forget, however, is the critical component that allows us to improve: criticism. I am not my own worst critic. One of them, sure, but like many people,…

  • Faster Horses.

    We don’t always know what we need. The broader picture eludes us–we aren’t looking from a vantage that shows all the budding technologies, the waxing and waning socioeconomic trends, or even the small undercurrents sweeping through our relationships. We see the world through our window–though it may be beautiful, it’s very limited. During my 200…