We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lill Kohler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lill, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Many moons ago, I asked God in Heaven what He wanted me to do. His answer was, “Write a book”. This was a curious thing as I did not spend time writing – no journaling of any type – nor did I like to read. When I asked again, I received the same answer. After some hesitation, I accepted the call to write a book. I did ask what I should write about, but no answer came.
And, so, my journey into the writing world began. I started by writing the lessons I learned from life. Figuring I’d write a nonfiction book. Admittedly, as a mother of young children I was unable to make this a daily habit.
After a decade or so I attended my first writers conference. To my surprise I discovered in order to write well you had to spend upwards of 10,000 hours writing before being proficient enough for a writing project. Having a blog was also highly recommended. And finally, to my dismay… you had to read as much as you could. To say I felt overwhelmed is an understatement.
I cried and cried to Jesus. I felt so unqualified and overwhelmed with the prospect of having to work with technology. But a sweet answer came in His gentle voice. He reminded me of all the hours I had spent writing life’s lessons. I wasn’t going to have to start at the beginning. I was already underway. With this encouragement I asked Him for help and courage to begin a blog.
My first step after the conference was to join a Christian writer’s group. It was in this collection of personalities that I discovered I had a knack for writing. I learned so much from them. I, also found out the editing I offered was not only received well but also desired. That gave me the courage to look back on some of my earlier pieces. Upon reading them I discovered how bad I was at the start and how much I had improved. Those sheets of paper soon found their place in the recycling bin. But, onward I went into the development stage.
Knowing some people liked my writing, I took the scariest step I had ever taken up to that point. You see, technology and I have not always gotten along but I was having to suck it up and charge ahead. I started my first blog site – www.rocking-myworld.blogspot.com . Believe me, lots of prayer went into each post. (Still does.) It was after several friends told me how much my nonfiction posts meant to them that I had courage to look at writing a novel.
While I first wanted to write a nonfiction book, I found reading nonfiction publications was very difficult for me at that point. In keeping with the need to read in the genre I wanted to write in, I turned to Christian mysteries/light suspense. My first attempted novel is one that has never been published nor completed. The Lord told me to research first and has not called me to finish it yet. I did however research another area which has lead to two novels of my Way Out trilogy being published.

Lill, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I kept my call to write a book to myself for almost a decade. The first person I shared this with – after reading some of my first pieces of work – asked me if I was sure I heard right because what I handed him was terrible. My heart was broken.
As a result I put all the papers to the side and didn’t do any writing for some time. But, after several years, I felt I had heard right. I just needed to keep writing. Not having any idea what to write about, I wrote paragraphs at a time as a subject came to me. Several times I sensed I was to write what I learned when I read a chapter in the Bible.
As mentioned in the previous section, I attended a writers group. Although I felt disqualified to be there for some time, I eventually overcame that doubt. I went to all their conferences and even attended conferences out of the area. I gleaned various author’s experiences and learned from many classes.
As my need for newer technology set-ups came, I prayed. The Lord in His grace sent me friends who could take what I needed to the next level.
If you feel lead to start a project, keep at it. But go to classes and conferences to learn from those who’ve gone before you. Don’t be arrogant and think you know all there is to know about the industry.
For writing and publishing… the field is ever changing. Just like technology.
And if you fall down, get back up. Try a different angle.
For me, lots of prayer was involved. God gives the best directions.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

As I worked on my first book I was asked by a publisher to send in it when completed. By the time I finished it, the publisher had sold the company and the current owner had no idea the book was coming. He expressed no interest in the book and returned it. Writers get many rejections along the way to being published. This was my first rejection.
While I was disappointed, it spurred me on to take another look at the book. I knew deep within me that this book was what I needed to write.
The next publisher, a couple of years later, who was to look at my book, passed away days before our meeting. I felt deflated. Like I’ve mentioned before, lots of prayer went into my writing. So, lots of prayer went into getting my book published. God eventually provided a new owner for that publishing company and a couple of years later my book was published.
Then it was on to book number two.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There are many things that make my writing rewarding. My blog posts focus on lessons learned from the Bible and from life. My aim as I write each one is to make them either thought provoking or encouraging to the reader. It is quite rewarding when someone comments or informs me of how much a particular post was just what they needed to hear. While the visits to my blog sites vary in numbers, I keep in mind that each one will reach the person God wants to touch whether I hear from them or not.
Another reward I experience in writing is putting my emotion into the scenes that play out in my books. When I suffer a loss or pain, I have learned (from God) to place it into a scene. Pouring my pain and feelings into the character’s emotion on the page is quite refreshing and therapeutic. Presently, I really enjoy writing and find it overall quite rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://lillkohler.wordpress.com
• Instagram: nanalill
• Facebook: Lill Kohler

Image Credits

Personal photos, Cami Shimp, Write Integrity Press