Writer Ellen Morris Prewitt Blog

Open to All

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 25, 2013. Posted in General. 6 Comments on Open to All

There is a religion in New Orleans that I don’t know. In this religion the windows open outward. The joy vibrates and you are asked, “Are you Italian?” No?” Then you are told about the blessed bean. In this religion, hands wave, the food is spread and waiting. Sometimes the religion is about the saints. Sometimes it’s about the floats you...

Don’t Talk—Edit

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 22, 2013. Posted in General. 2 Comments on Don’t Talk—Edit

Oh my goodness—I just typed “THE END” on the Door of Hope writing group’s book! It’s not the end. But the hard part is over. The assembling of five years of handwritten pieces; the typing of those pieces by volunteer typists. The merging of all that work into a single document that can be called a manuscript. And...

Squids, quicksand, and the baby chicks apeeping

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 20, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on Squids, quicksand, and the baby chicks apeeping

I am refilling a manuscript with a contest I entered last year at this time. To do so, I must justify the refilling, describing how the manuscript has changed. Thus, I’ve had occasion to review what last year I thought was a nearly complete version of The Bone Trench, this novel I can’t seem to give up on. This earlier version of the...

This is the House of the Lord

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 15, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on This is the House of the Lord

In my mother and father’s house, a neighbor brings the morning newspaper to the back door. Six-thirty and the paper leans in the dark against the steps. Another neighbor, every trash day, rolls the garbage can to the curb. Yet another carts the mail down the long driveway. If this neighbor finds herself busy with life, she has a...

Watching the Oyster Shells

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on February 28, 2013. Posted in General. 5 Comments on Watching the Oyster Shells

I live in Memphis, Tennessee. In the mornings I walk to the yoga studio. In class we address the channel of the Wolf River Harbor, the initial source of water for us Memphians. When we relax on our mats, we are trusting the land beneath us that is a sandbar, accreted from a wreck until it was firm enough to build our houses and the yoga...

The Next Big Thing Blog Roll

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on February 27, 2013. Posted in General. 5 Comments on The Next Big Thing Blog Roll

Thank you to Susan Cushman for including me in this The Next Big Thing Blog Roll project. Susan has been an inspiration to my writing career in many ways, the primary one being her graciousness in inviting me into the writing community. To me—who is so focused on community—her immediate welcome has meant a lot. Like so many participating in...

Stay Tuned: Can’t Do Nothing with Love

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on February 26, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on Stay Tuned: Can’t Do Nothing with Love

The Bilbo Dilemma

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on February 8, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on The Bilbo Dilemma

My mother used to tell the story of a relative who served on a delegation from the Mississippi State Legislature that went to France to pick out a statue for a famous Mississippi politician. It was an honor to be in the Mississippi Legislature, an even greater honor to be selected for the statue delegation: traveling overseas, entrusted to...

It’s only a $9.95 check . . .

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on February 4, 2013. Posted in General. 6 Comments on It’s only a $9.95 check . . .

At one point, I was on fire to be a published author. I transitioned out of practicing law and began learning how to write. I went to writers conferences (Sewanne for fiction, Kenyon Review for nonfiction). I read goo-gobs of books. I submitted my work to literary journals, keeping a methodical record of what I sent where, who requested more...

My New Definition of Worthwhile

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 27, 2013. Posted in General. 3 Comments on My New Definition of Worthwhile

Last night, we stood in line with hordes of parade goers, waiting for the ‘’Tit R~x Parade to get underway. In my hand I held a hastily-constructed stand of tiny spectators, proportionately appropriate for the tiny floats making up the parade that parodies the grandaddy of all Mardi Gras parades, the Krewe of Rex. I’d read that the creator...