Tag: Writing

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,...

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...

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...

The Endearing Parts

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 28, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on The Endearing Parts

I hate to admit failure. So what I do is re-define reality. No, I didn’t fail to place as highly in the contest as I’d hoped. What I did was to learn a major truth about my revision process. I am trying to shift my novel-writing from voice-driven, told story to scene-based, plotted story. I say “shift” but it’s more...

The Dance between Intellect and Creative Impulse

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 8, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on The Dance between Intellect and Creative Impulse

“Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art.” Susan Sontag, courtesy of A-Word-A-Day “Revision must honor the creative impulse that led to the words that strived—neck stretched—to achieve something the intellect—sitting in the bleachers, watching the race—can only glimpse.” Ellen Morris Prewitt Listen to “Ain’t...

When People Don’t Like Your Work

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on June 17, 2013. Posted in General. No Comments on When People Don’t Like Your Work

At Beth’s Bookstore, I slipped a paperback from the shelf. I read the first line. That’s how I chose a book: the first line, then the first paragraph. Sometimes if I’m unsure, I continue further down the page. Then I either buy the book or I put it back. I’ve been burned using this method—occasionally, a book doesn’t live up to the opening—but...

It’s Different

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on March 30, 2013. Posted in General. 4 Comments on It’s Different

“Begin with yourself,” said several of the panelists at today’s Memphis United People’s Conference on Race and Equality. They were talking about racism. “Begin with yourself and ripple out from there: to your household, your family, your neighborhood, your community.” This ls a paraphrase, but the concept was repeated many times. This is where...

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 last,...

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...

Why I Have Decided to Podcast My Short Stories

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 22, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on Why I Have Decided to Podcast My Short Stories

In filing new query letters for my short story collection, I came across an old document. The year was 2007. The list identified agents who asked for stories or the entire manuscript. There were many. I chose one. The agent I picked was not good for me. I piddled around with him for four years, only to ultimately part ways, my fiction unsold. I’m...