revising your novel Archives - Ellen Morris Prewitt

China, Words, and Hope

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 28, 2020. Posted in General, Writing. 2 Comments

I don’t know if this is appropriate or not, but I need to tell you that a really nice publishing house is, right now, reading the full manuscript on MUD ISLAND, the mystery featuring a formerly homeless young woman set in Memphis in 1997 (which I revised from being a formerly homeless old man set in 2019), and I’m trying not to think...

Trust the River

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 5, 2016. Posted in General, HOMELESSNESS, Writing. 2 Comments

I arrived at a certain point in the writing of Jazzy and the Pirate that felt like a period. An ending about to soar to a new beginning. Exciting, but also a bit daunting. I needed a break. How does a writer take a break? Revise a different novel, of course. Don’t worry. I’m not abandoning Jazzy. I’m simply letting my mind focus...

Lucky Seven

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 25, 2015. Posted in GOD, Writing. 15 Comments

It began on the veranda of the Gibson Inn in Apalachicola, Florida, the town locals call Apalach, where oysters once reigned and the river whispers of pirate ships disappearing in the streaky dawn. Boats on ol’ Apalach In the waning heat of a summer afternoon in 2008, I joined my husband on the second floor porch of the hotel whose bar...

Reading the Vision Out Loud: Part III (or Slowing Down)

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 29, 2015. Posted in GOD, Writing. 7 Comments

I’ve slowed down. Reading aloud the first eighty pages whizzed by, but now it’s dragging a bit. This is as it should be. As the story grows, more strands are woven in, and I must be more analytical to make sure I don’t drop a stitch (how’s that for a knitting metaphor by a non-knitter?). I notice things my characters,...

The Next Loop

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 27, 2015. Posted in Writing. 10 Comments

I told y’all I was going to keep you in the loop—how many times have I made such a promise then let my commitment fall by the wayside? I’m trying to have more stamina this time, so here goes. The next step in revising: I’m about to embark on reading The Bone Trench out loud. I’ve incorporated all the action points from...

Love Your Heart!

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on December 5, 2014. Posted in Writing. 12 Comments

I love this book. It’s about a young woman who goes on a cross-country train trip to clear her dead daddy’s name and winds up repairing her relationship with her mother. It’s funny—really funny—and sad. And, in parts, wise and faintly political—it decries the commercial abuse of chickens. The main character is Southern to her...

It’s a Zeugma (or na-na-na-na-naaaaa)

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 28, 2014. Posted in General. 6 Comments

It’s a zeugma!! This is a real word and it describes something I do with my writing. Here’s the definition: The use of a word to refer to two or more words, especially in different senses. Examples: “He caught a fish and a cold” or “She lost her ring and her temper.” (courtesy of Anu Garg of A.Word.A.Day,...

Three Novels in the Air

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 27, 2014. Posted in General. 12 Comments

As most of you know, three agents are currently reading the revised manuscript of Train Trip: Lucinda Mae’s Quest for Love, Honor, and the Chickens.

The Good News

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 2, 2014. Posted in General. 6 Comments

When I was young, my mother told me I’d gotten a phone call. I was whining about what terrible news it was certain to be, and she said, “How can it be good news if you don’t leave room for it to be good?” I think of this every time I’m about to open a SASE. You know, the letter that, incredibly, some very high-end...

I Can’t Blame the Agent

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on June 23, 2014. Posted in General. 4 Comments

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. Every...

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