By JAKE WOERTHER
Reporter

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — Dave Wisker’s daily commute from his home in Lee’s Summit to his office at UCM is only about 40 miles, but once a month he takes others on a journey that dramatically exceeds his daily commute – by 150 light-years to be exact.

Wisker debuted the latest installment of his story “Prophet on the Wall” on March 3 at the Old Drum Open Mic. The reading took place in front of a crowd of about 30 people in the Tranquility Shop on Holden Street.

This installment was part two of what Wisker expects to be a five- or six-part series. The story introduced the audience at the Tranquility Shop to a setting that is 200 years in the future and 150 light-years away from Earth.

The main character, a homeless boy named Notty, discovers a woman named Ahmelie, who is stranded on a planet filled with alien artifacts. Ahmelie has spent the majority of her life on the deserted planet and has dedicated her time to painting intricate murals on the artifacts. The two outcasts team together and help each other cope with their respective problems.

Wisker said Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” inspired him to write “Prophet on the Wall.”

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if our first contact (with aliens) wasn’t really with beings but with their artifacts?’” he said.

Wisker also derived inspiration from a story in Omni Magazine. The story consists of an alien with artistic ability that lived on a cruel and horrible planet. It eventually escaped and brought its artwork to Earth.

“I kind of wanted to flip (the story) and have a human on this plane of ruins…and spend all that time becoming an artist and paints murals all over these ruins,” he said.

Although Wisker’s story focuses on alien interactions inspired by science fiction stories, he said he incorporates a social issue into his story by making the main character homeless.

“I also thought, ‘What about (Notty)?’” he said. “’What about homelessness? What would that be like 200 years from now? Would that be real?’”

Wisker is an application manager at UCM, but his passion for the last few years has been his writing.

“A friend of mine talked me into writing (a story) for a contest online…and it won the contest,” Wisker said. “I won a free book on how to publish on Amazon, and that kind of got me started.”

Since his impromptu start, Wisker has published two stories online and has even been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, a prize awarded for outstanding small-press essays and short stories.

Published by The Copperfield Review, his story, “Ramming Speed,” gives the perspectives, of men on an anchored ship that undergoes an attack.

His other story, “Weight of Events,” was published by The Mulberry Fork Review and was honored with the Puschcar Prize nomination. It tells the tale of a traveling married couple whose plans to attend a funeral in New York City are interrupted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

When asked if he had any advice for aspiring authors, Wisker laughed and humbly said, “I’m the wrong person to ask…it’s just a hobby for me, I don’t get paid for it.”

While Wisker claims he is not a professional in his craft and therefore cannot offer advice, he has a few tips for beginners.

“Read as much as you can,” he said. “Spend more time reading than you do writing. It doesn’t matter what you’re reading. Don’t let the first draft imprison you. The best realization is when you realize you can throw crap out. You can go in and change it and make it better.”

Tranquility Shop hosts Old Drum Open Mic from 6 to 8 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. The open mic is a time for locals as well as UCM students, faculty and staff to share original works and creative content.