General Archives - Page 59 of 81 - Ellen Morris Prewitt

Juggling Chainsaws

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 19, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on Juggling Chainsaws

For many years I kept a comic featuring a little boy juggling chainsaws. This concept spoke to me. It was the way I lived my life. This sounds negative. It isn’t. Now, I’ve discovered, it’s the way I write. * I’ve written six novels. They have nothing in common. I’ve wondered, for the last four years, what the hell...

Vangie Street, Stuck on the Runway

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 19, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on Vangie Street, Stuck on the Runway

I want to work on my novel. They want me to buy Christmas presents. And wrap Christmas presents. And think about food for Christmas. And pack to leave town for Christmas. But Vangie Street is stuck on the runway. She keeps taking a knee—is she Teebowing? Will anyone even remember that phrase in five years?—and popping up like toast. She grins,...

The Silence of Joy

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 18, 2013. Posted in General. 2 Comments on The Silence of Joy

Writing Group is often hectic. We have, on average, 14-16 writers every Wednesday. Many of us only see one another this one hour per week. We use the time to catch up on the progress of the cancer treatments. Whether the child-custody hearings were held. How the visit with the grandbabies went. The latest on the wait for housing. What, if anything...

Are We Not Supposed to Talk About This?

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 12, 2013. Posted in General. 7 Comments on Are We Not Supposed to Talk About This?

The email notification pops up: this new person (who you don’t know from Adam’s house cat) is now following your blog! You, the email encourages, might like their blog as much as they like yours—go see what they’re up to! As instructed, I mosey on over to their blog site. Sometimes the blog actually intersects with mine. I write...

A Sister Sledge Moment

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 11, 2013. Posted in General. 2 Comments on A Sister Sledge Moment

“Like an adopted family,” A. said. We were bumping along in the church van. Ten of us crowded the back seats, plus the two church members driving the van. We’d eaten lunch, opened gifts, and enjoyed Christmas caroling. Now we were finishing up our shopping spree at Wal-Mart, returning home. As we traveled through the beautiful...

The Angel’s Beating Wings Fill the Room

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 10, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on The Angel’s Beating Wings Fill the Room

The red table runners glowed, the tiny gold trees sparkled. The voices rang out in clear, clean notes—some among us could sing—and the warmth of the group welled up in me to the point I needed to leave the room. Not because I’m ashamed to cry in public, but because, over the years, I’ve grown tired of stifling the emotions Life knocks...

Finding Your Voice, Marisa-Style

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 10, 2013. Posted in General. 1 Comment on Finding Your Voice, Marisa-Style

My friend Marisa Baker has written an excellent blog post on finding your voice, expanding the concept to include cheeseburgers. A must read! http://unwrittenwordblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/inspiration-monday-finding-your-voice.html

Sticky Stories

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 9, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on Sticky Stories

When a friend sent around a “let’s play” Facebook message about ten books that stuck with you, I made the list off the top of my head. When I finished, I realized on that list I’d included three short story collections. Golden Apples, by Eudora Welty: a collection of interlocking stories set in Morgana, Mississippi, which...

Evangeline! Evangeline! Come Talk to Me!

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 7, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on Evangeline! Evangeline! Come Talk to Me!

I have such trouble switching gears. When I’m creating new work, I want to keep creating new work. When I’m revising, re-visioning, and re-writing, all I want to do is edit. This makes transition days less than productive. When I come off ten days of re-write and arrive at the edge of my first draft, needing to plunge into continuing...

Don’t Give this Christmas – Take

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 6, 2013. Posted in General. 8 Comments on Don’t Give this Christmas – Take

I’m wading off into deep water here, but as you consider your charitable giving this Christmas, will you consider taking? Take a minute and find an organization that offers you the opportunity to actually talk to someone who is different from you. Take up your courage and go to that organization expecting nothing. Take your heart and enter...