Kelly Irvin

I don't know if Kelly remembers this, I didn't until I got her picture, but I went up to her at ACFW and said, "So Christine what did you think about blah, blah, blah..." I talked until she finally made me shut up long enough to say, "My name isn't Christine."
So, now she's Kelly and we have this lovely relationship that I for one, will never forget. I hope. (Just as I'm sure she's hoping she WILL)
Remember that AT NO TIME in this exchange did Kelly slap me. So, since I do stuff like this all the time, I think I'll stick to conferences full of Christian people. Probably safest.
I thought she was Christine Lynxwiler and I'd sent to you Christine's website so you can see they do look somewhat alike.(C'mon, they're both blonde! My husband is also blonde. I often mistake him for Christine!) Except why would I send you to Christine's site? I'll send you to Kelly's instead. http://www.kellyirvin.com/

******************************************************************* ************************KELLY IRVIN********************************
After five years of writing fiction, I’ve come to an important realization: how I react to contests says more about me than it does about the contests. I’m talking about being able to accept constructive criticism. You would think I would be better at it, having been a newspaper reporter, but I’m not. Somehow my works of fiction are different, special creations like my children, whom I love and adore. Having recognized this nasty flaw in my character, I’ve adopted a multi-step process for dealing with contest results.

First I give myself time to accept the rankings, whatever they are. Celebrate being a finalist. Or growl, hiss, and boo over not make the grade. Maybe even quit . . . for a day or a week . . . long enough to get past the feeling of rejection. Next, I give myself time to accept the judges’ comments instead of wadding them up and shooting baskets into the trashcan with them. When I find myself in the right frame of mind, I tear open the envelope. My critique partners are critical at this point—they listen and support me as I go through the “can you believe this judge said that about my precious writing” phase.

As I analyze the comments, I remind myself the judges are complete strangers and they’re spending their valuable time helping me on my writing journey. How cool is that? I don’t always agree with them, but I pluck out the pieces I can use and respectfully set aside the rest.

Recently, my novel, “The Dead Parents Society,” finished second in the romantic suspense category of The Molly, sponsored by the Heart of Denver Romance Writers. The judges’ comments were thoughtful and detailed. I found it particularly helpful that a synopsis was required, although not judged. One, it forced me to write the dreaded document. Two, it saved my behind. The first three chapters of DPS don’t include a great deal of romance. Two of the three judges looked at the synopsis and recognized that romance was on the horizon and I had indeed entered the correct category. The third rejected my work out of hand because “it isn’t romantic suspense.” The system of going to a fourth judge when there’s a huge gap in scores brought me back from the abyss. This experience taught me to look very carefully at the category descriptions. The feedback I received on the synopsis (they mostly thought it stunk) was every bit as helpful as the comments on the manuscript itself. What did I learn? Spend more time on that synopsis. Judges need it to put your story in context and you need it for your proposal, anyway.

My advice to those struggling with the time, effort, and money that contests require is this: Be tenacious and have a teachable spirit. This was my third entry in The Molly. My writing is improving with each contest. Am I there yet? Probably not, but I’m encouraged and fired up to keep trying. And that’s the best medicine a contest can give you—a shot in the arm of encouragement that says keep going, keep trying, you’re almost there, and you’re not alone.
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A little bit more about Kelly:
Kelly Irvin’s writing career in nonfiction and fiction spans the last twenty-five years. In the realm of fiction, most recently her romantic suspense manuscript, “Mine to Avenge,” was a finalist in the 2006 American Christian Fiction Writers national Genesis Contest. Other fiction-writing credentials include publication of the short story, “Fast Food,” in HiCall Sunday School Magazine. Her poem, “Twenty-Twenty Vision,” was recently published in the San Antonio Express-News.