This post concludes a series of related posts I began to introduce Alderwing, a middle-grade fantasy I’m writing for kids ages seven to twelve, to a wider audience. My goal is to start publishing chapters of Alderwing in serial format over the next few months. The story is still a work-in-process (I am about halfway done with the book), but I am excited and proud of the early chapters. I look forward to sharing them with you eventually!
If you’re new and want to catch up on the related Alderwing posts, see below. Otherwise, feel free to scroll down to the start of this one.
An Intro to Alderwing
Catch up on the story and the themes so far:
The Origins: Read “Where Alderwing Began” and “The Stones that Wouldn’t Leave Me” to discover the Joy Gems of Merravale.
The Gems: Explore the deeper meanings in “What is Wonder?”, “What is Delight?”, and “What is Presence?”
The World: Read “What is Merravale?” for a wider look at the realm that holds it all together.
Thanks for being here and for joining me on my author journey… especially if the fantasy genre “isn’t your thing.”
Joy Worth Fighting For
One unexpected byproduct of trying to write a book is that it forces you to look in the mirror. To ask yourself honestly: do I actually believe what I am trying to say? Do I live what I am trying to impart to my own children and their generation?
If you have been tracking with me for a while, you know that one of the central plot devices of Alderwing revolves around joy, and specifically three virtues or felt experiences that I believe anchor it.
But I’ll be honest with you. During the writing process, I have found myself stopping and wondering whether I am even qualified to write about this. Why? Because I have my seasons: struggle, depression, highs and lows. The full range of it.
And yet, here is what I keep coming back to: happiness lives moment-to-moment, but joy is different. It is deeper, more rooted, and capable of enduring even when life gets difficult. The catch, however, is that joy isn’t cheap. It’s not automatic. In my experience, joy must be cultivated. In some seasons, you even have to fight for it.
So, what actually leads to joy? What calls it back when it fades? Over time, I’ve noticed a pattern: whenever joy is genuinely present in my life, it almost always traces back to three things.
The first is wonder. Moments that make me feel small in the best possible way. Standing in the mountains. Looking at something vast and beautiful. Or even something small that suddenly feels significant, the kind of thing that stops you mid-stride and makes you pay attention.
The second is delight. The simple, sensory pleasure of what is right in front of you. A great meal shared with friends. That perfect, fruity-yet-hoppy bite of an IPA. Unstoppable, gut-busting belly laughter between spouses. The practice of receiving something good and actually letting yourself enjoy it.
The third is presence, and it is the one I find hardest. The ability to be fully there for all of it. Not distracted and not halfway “there.” Just attentive to the moment you are actually in. Which turns out to be more countercultural than it sounds.
And when those three come together, something changes. Life goes from feeling thin to full. From shadowed to vivid.
That is why, in Merravale, the three great gifts are called the Joy Gems. Each one embodies one of these: Wonder, Delight, and Presence. They are not meant to be worshiped. They are meant to be attended to. To help the people remember what is good, to fix their eyes on beauty, and ultimately to lift their eyes beyond the gift to the One who gave it. Because He is the real source of joy.
But just like in our world, these things are not left untouched. There are forces that work against them. Forces that distract, that dull, that distort, that seek to steal and kill and destroy joy altogether. Which means joy is not just something you experience. It is something you guard. Something you cultivate. Something you may even have to fight to recover.
And when you do, when you pursue wonder, receive delight, and practice presence, you begin to build a life that feels solid, real, and alive. Not perfect, but meaningful.
That is what I am after. In my life, and in this story. Because a life filled with joy is a life worth living.