What’s Up with That?
Our most amazing accomplishments—
sitting up
standing on two feet
taking a step
talking in words that make sense—
we get no credit for at all.
I Can’t Blame the Agent
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 4 Comments on I Can’t Blame the Agent
If you’ve been following this blog, you know I spent about fourteen months attempting to rewrite my manuscript, Train Trip: Lucinda Mae’s Quest for Love, Honor, and the Chickens, into a novel a particular agent could successfully represent. At the end of this process, the agent declined representation.
This is not her fault....
The Spinning Plates are Real
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 2 Comments on The Spinning Plates are Real
For those of you concerned about me after my Great Public Failure (I didn’t get an agent, to put this in perspective), here’s my current game plan:
* send the Train Trip query to the paid-editor for tweaking: STATUS: DONE
* send Model for Detective (When her model partner disappears, a Memphis fashion model uses her “clothes...
As It Is Written
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 8 Comments on As It Is Written
I have failed, utterly and totally. Yet I feel irrationally exhilarated.
The agent I’ve been trying to please with a rewrite for the last year and a half (!), just sent me a final rejection, door shut, not even opened a crack. Instead of feeling stomped on, I feel relief.
This is so strange.
As a result of the revision process she...
Dedications to Suffering
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 4 Comments on Dedications to Suffering
Those I love suffer. Their pain is not something I can resolve. After all, it’s their pain, not mine.
So here’s what I do: I dedicate.
I go to church, and as I kneel on the pew, I tell God: “This service is dedicated to her. Every prayer I say, every gesture I make, every note I sing—let it go to her...
Understanding a Definition
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 2 Comments on Understanding a Definition
3:30. 4:00. 5:30. 4:00.
Q: What are these numbers?
A: My wake-up times over the last four days.
Important information: my normal wake up time is 8:30.
Please note: no naps.
This, as I understand it, is the effect of jet lag. “Jet lag” obviously means sleep deprivation. I thought jet lag meant you arrived in a foreign country and...
The Legion of Honor Resume
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The Legion of Honor Resume.
Becoming a Writer
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 4 Comments on Becoming a Writer
Way back at the beginning, I was puzzled about how 15 writers and a nonprofit could publish a book. What would be the arrangement between the authors and the nonprofit? What about the understanding among the writers, some of whom had many entries, some of whom had few? How would we make this fair? The questions overwhelmed answers.
My...
The Stink of Failure
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 10 Comments on The Stink of Failure
I have just sent—for the last time—to the interested agent Train Trip: Lucinda Mae’s Quest for Love, Honor, and the Chickens. After three (count ’em, three) prior attempts, I have either successfully managed to revise the manuscript into a “market ready” product or I have not.
I am telling y’all this because I...
We Rise as One
Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on . Posted in General. 5 Comments on We Rise as One
I saw it once. It was on TV. The man was old. He had white hair and a wrinkled face. His arm was raised. He was carrying an American flag, the tiny kind with a wooden stick, the flag no bigger than a First Aid kit. The man was running, as best as his old man legs allowed. He waved the flag.
The field through which the man ran was located in...