My Journey to Joy by Joy Avery Melville

Sometimes it's so easy to forget the most powerful resource that we as Christian writers have -- the power of prayer. The following is an account of the wonderful way the Lord provided a way for writer Joy Avery Melville to attend the 2011 ACFW Conference. ~ Angie

One of the most memorable journeys to joy I've experienced was being able to attend the ACFW Conference in St. Louis, MO in September 2011. It all began January 2011 when I started collecting pocket change from my hubby each evening. It wasn’t long before I started saving all the single one-dollar bills that I received in change, and later began raiding my dear hubby’s wallet for the same – with his permission, of course.

By May, I realized I was not going to meet my goal and that, as a new member, I was ineligible for the ACFW scholarship. I felt selfish going to the ACFW Prayer Loop with request for conference fees, so I decided to let it slide and pray on my own. Then in late May, we received a huge financial blow.

I knew I couldn't meet this on my own so I chose fourteen of my most trusted ACFW “pray-ers” and sent off an urgent request. One of those fourteen went behind my computer monitor and began a donation campaign. It wasn’t long before I received a check that amounted to within one penny of what we needed to take care of the immediate financial blow.

But, my prayer warrior wasn’t done. Later, she told me that someone from ACFW had chosen to donate my conference fees. Still later I received another check from my prayer group that paid for the hotel room. Conference fees and room -- done.

I was so happy, but I’d lost some weight and needed new clothes. Rather than bother the group, I prayed secretly for help. Just like that, I got an email asking me for my sizes and measurements. Soon, I received a box filled with beautiful outfits I needed for the conference. Every article of clothing was in a color and style I’d have chosen if I’d shopped for myself. Clothing -- check.

By late July, I was still didn’t have airfare, so I prayed for God’s intervention again. That week, my physical therapist asked about my writing and I told her about the conference. Two weeks passed and she asked if I’d be willing to split gas costs with her and her sister to go to St. Louis and back. Travel plans -- done.

Fifteen people prayed. One person put fingers to keyboard, another followed God’s gentle nudging while someone else asked a simple question and in a few short months I found myself in St Louis at the ACFW 2011 Conference.

God saw the immovable mountains standing in my way. Swollen uncrossable rivers messed with my route, yet He heard those precious prayers of His people. He moved those mountains, piggybacked me across the rivers and blessed my socks off at the conference with a spiritual connection unlike anything I’ve experienced this side of my salvation.


What mountains has God moved in your life?

Joy Avery Melville  live in Schoolcraft, MI with the dear man of her childhood dreams. They have two adult children, both married, and between them have seven grandchildren.

She is a writer of Christian Fiction with a touch of romance. She believes God has called her to write that which will further His Kingdom and glorify Him.

Connect with Joy:

Blog: http://www.journeystojoy.net

Critques By Joy: critiquesbyjoy@journeystojoy.net 

Facebook - Joy Avery Melville

Discovering What's Missing

 
Hey everyone, Annette here. Sometimes I read through a chapter (even my own) and know there is something wrong but I can’t always pinpoint it. Have you experienced this? You’re sitting in a critique group or trying to evaluate your own manuscript and you know it’s missing something, that elusive something, but you can’t name it. What do you do? There are too many elements that go into a great story to just run down a mental list. That list reads like the criteria for a writing contest. But it’s laborious and scientific. Sometimes what’s missing is quite a bit less tangible than that.

Here’s how I attempt to answer the question of “what’s missing?”:

First, I hit on the big things. (I’d really like to avoid that long list if I can.) So, did I feel the emotions of the character? Readers want a satisfying emotional experience. Did I sympathize with the main characters? Are they unique and do they sound different? What about tension? Am I hooked? Is the story engaging? Does the story fit its genre. Readers come with expectations to your story. If they pick up a romantic suspense, don’t give them a prairie romance (unless you’ve tied the two genres together somehow *wink*).

Second, give myself time to think. Give yourself permission to not know what the missing element is. If you’re critiquing, you can just point out: I’m not feeling the emotion here (if you can get that far), even if you don’t have a specific suggestion for how to fix it. If the missing element is too elusive, just leave it alone until you have something constructive to share. No use confusing the crit partner. However, talking it out might help you both hit on something. Sort of like brainstorming. So don’t be afraid to bring it up.

Third, give myself some space. Work on something else for a while. Give yourself a true break from that project. This is especially helpful if the project is your own. Then, when come back to it, read it aloud. Chances are the missing element will come out of hiding now.

If all else fails, you can go through the list of necessary elements, but be prepared to spend some time. Besides a contest list, I’ve never seen the criteria itemized in an exhaustive list. But we both know there are a million elements that go into making a strong novel. The key is to focus on strengthening our weaknesses. And if you do that in the off times, you’ll become more adept at identifying missing elements, both in your work and in the work of others.

Here’s to naming what’s missing and having the wisdom and strategy to fix those holes in the manuscript. I’m sure this gets easier with time. You can even practice on published novels. While you’re reading, ask yourself: is there anything missing? What would I do differently? Is there anything I would change? All of those strategies help us become stronger writers.

Either way, dear writer, write on!