"After all… tomorrow is another day!”

I've been pretty busy writing and working, and didn't have a chance to put a blog post together this week. I am re-posting an old blog post from last March 22, 2011. I've never re-posted before. This is the first time. I hope you will enjoy it - again. This post is about an author and her one giant story...


"After all… tomorrow is another day!”

I recently watched the epic movie, Gone With The Wind. Over the span of my life, I would say that this viewing would land somewhere around number 20 for me. The movie is a marathon, so I watched it in three separate sittings. The last time I watched the entire movie all at one time was on a transatlantic flight from Brussels, a year and a half ago. Even though I’ve seen the picture many times, I still love to dip into the lives of Scarlett, Rhett, Ashley, Melanie, and Mammy…over and over again. A familiar setting and familiar characters. 

“Dreams, dreams always dreams with you, never common sense.”

Even though I’m a northern gal, I always get chills when I read the words...Margaret Mitchell’s story of the old south...as the infamous main theme rises and the sweeping, windy-looking letters crawl across the screen…Gone…With…The…Wind...

“Oh Fiddledee dee!”

Twice I’ve read this incredible novel of the Civil War old south. The book was written by Margaret Mitchell and published in 1936. The book was such an enormous success that George Platt Brett, President of Macmillan Publishing, gave all of his employees an 18% bonus that year! Incredible! In 1937, Ms. Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel. Amazing success! The movie version was released in 1939. The film was a huge sensation and took home many Oscars that year including, Best Picture, Best Actress - Vivian Leigh, Best Supporting Actress - Hattie McDaniel, Best Director - Victor Fleming…and competed against other great movies that year such as, Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and the Wizard of Oz.

"Whatever happens, I'll love you just as I do now until I die."

As the story behind the story goes, Margaret Mitchell had broken her ankle and while bedridden, wrote the manuscript. Now imagine if she hadn’t broken her ankle. I wonder if there would have been a story at all. Or would there be a different story? I find it interesting that she was given a time to write, a season, or perhaps we could call it a blessing in disguise. In any case, she took it on, writing one of the top selling classics of all time.

“You still think you're the cutest trick in shoe leather.”

They say that GWTW is the only book that she ever wrote, although an unpublished manuscript was found later in with some old letters in her things. How could she ever top GWTW?? She had this one giant story, this epic tale of war and romance in her - and perhaps it wouldn’t have been told, or told quite differently had she not broken her ankle.

“It ain't fittin'... it ain't fittin'. It jes' ain't fittin'... It ain't fittin'.”

Sadly, in 1949, Margaret Mitchell was struck by a car and died 5 days later. The man who hit her was a taxi driver but driving his own car. He was cited for drunken driving and served time in jail on manslaughter charges. Some say, Ms. Mitchell stepped off of the curb without looking.   

“As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again!”

As an author, Ms. Mitchell’s first and only published novel was her one big novel…her magnum opus as Charlotte (yes, I talking about the spider) would call it. She had been given a time to write and used it well.


Have you been given a time or a season to write? Would you rather have one gigantic triumphant book or several modestly successful novels? I would love to hear from you. 

Between you, me and the gatepost,

Loree 

Don't forget to stop by next week for the Civil War Bivouac! Have a great week!