She remembered as a child sitting on the screened porch, hearing stories and tales about how people were impacted by “The Yankees” in the civil war. She was in an automobile accident in 1926 and hurt her ankle. Her husband encouraged her to write a book to occupy her time while she recovered. Margaret Mitchell spent her time in bed writing and rewriting her book, taking time to rewrite over and over again her masterpiece, until it was published in 1936. It sold six million copies in its first six months of publication. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937.
Every creative person has a process, a certain way that they do what it is they do. Artists touch up, retouch, fiddle with and enhance artworks. Photographers edit, crop and adjust photos. For writers, their process includes rewriting what may already seem the perfect sentence or paragraph. Creating work means also being willing to be open to change.
As we all know, change is hard. Especially changing work we have already completed, work that we think is pretty darn good, AND work that we have become emotionally attached to. Changing it is hard. Studying writers and their process has helped me understand that the first draft is very different than the manuscript handed to an Editor. And that manuscript may be very different than the book or story we read as the public. Everyone along that path is part of the process that brings out the best words to express the ideas the author wants us to read.
Next time you have to do something over, redo, refresh or update work in your world, think of Margaret Mitchell with her healing ankle, writing and rewriting her masterpiece. EVERYONE has to revise and rewrite. Be willing to do that work to present your ideas in the best way possible. Your end product will be worth it!
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