It has been quite some time since I've posted any sort of Dunham family update, so, here it is-- probably long overdue, but here nonetheless.
December was a really busy month for us. I feel as though I spend most of the year looking forward to Christmas-- particularly the months leading up to it-- and then December flies by before I've really grasped that it's here. That sums this Christmas up for us, but it was a great season of worship for our family anyway.
We had a great time in New York with Matt's parents for Thanksgiving. It was really neat to see Declan interact with his Nana and Pop-pops. He'd just gotten the hang of a few new words (I don't even remember what they were, at this point), so that was fun. Matt and I were able to make it to his 10 year high school reunion, which was fantastic. Pleasantville is a truly very cool community of people.
Shortly after getting back from New York for Thanksgiving, I found a pitch conference in New York that I felt lead to go to. It was something we considered very prayerfully, and, with a lot of help, decided to act on. I feel really happy with that decision, though it felt stressful at the time.
For those of you who don't know, a pitch is essentially condensing a manuscript into a one minute or less (200 words or less) summary in a way that will (hopefully) pique an editor's interest. It's the type of thing you might read in a book jacket.
A pitch conference is when you prepare a pitch, present it to a workshop leader in front of fifteen or so other novelists, try not to cry when said workshop leader rips it to shreds, re-work your pitch (let's not talk about re-working the manuscript yet, hahaha), and then present it to four editors in the hope one will bite on it.
Okay, so I'm not sure if that's how all pitch conferences work, but that's how this one went.
I went prepared to pitch two novels (you only get to pitch one, but I hadn't decided which one to focus on that weekend). I ended up going with a middle grade fantasy novel I'd originally written in 2012-- the one that made it to the semi-final round of the Amazon contest.
Long story short, those conferences aren't for the faint of heart. If you're ready and willing to let a stranger tear down what might be years of hard work, you're solid. If not... well, stay home. The first day was tough, but worth it. I think I came out with a stronger novel than when I went in. I'm already working on my rewrite, and I did end up getting a hit on the pitch. On top of that, everyone I met there was awesome. What a cool thing to be surrounded by other writers.
So, hopefully a few months from now, when I feel okay with what I've written, the fact that a major publishing house requested to see the manuscript will help me get an agent. We will see. I'm deep in prayer about it.
Five days after I got back from the pitch conference, the Dunham's hit the road again-- this time for Massachusetts. It was an interesting car ride. We not only had Declan in tow, but we brought Fenway (our dog, not the park) with us too. All I really have to say about that is... well, that happened.
It was so good to see family. They hardly ever see Declan, given that we live thirteen hours away, but we made up for lost time quickly. He's in love with Uncle Mike's beard, Ti-Ti Britt taught him his new favorite word (please), and he thinks Megan is the funniest person on this planet. We baked cookies with Nana and Papa (and were otherwise spoiled by them) and just generally enjoyed being with everyone.
Declan picked up about seven new words while being on Cape, so that may or may not say something about my family. ;)
And now... now we're just trying to adjust back to the every day grind. And also, not traveling. That's the other thing we're doing for awhile.
So, needless to say, it's been a busy, busy time full of lots of blessings and new direction. Following Christ is always an adventure, but especially lately for us. We couldn't be more thankful!
