Stretch of the Imagination

Surely, a stretch of the imagination—by far, Margaret Mitchell’s 'Gone with the Wind,' published on June 30, 1936, when the US was still suffering from the Depression. Nevertheless, this one-hit wonder spanning 1037 pages, penned by an unknown author, and eventually considered one of the Greatest American novels, was raked over the coals in a 'New York Times' review shortly after the book’s publication:

“The historical background is the chief virtue of the book, and it is the story of the times rather than the unconvincing and somewhat absurd plot that gives Miss Mitchell’s work whatever importance may be attached to it.”

https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/b...


Margaret Mitchell ended up winning the 'National Book Award for Most Distinguished Novel of 1936,' and the 'Pulitzer Prize' for Fiction in 1937.

So, there! Believe in the merits of your own work, and let no one dissuade you from your literary endeavors.

Which brings me to my own stretch of the imagination:

Working in earnest on my third novel in the genre of Contemporary, I have finished part 1 comprised of 20 chapters (23,420 words) whose plot spans a 24-hr. time period! How’s that for stretching one’s imagination?

Prior to conducting a massive proofreading/editing/tweaking session, there were 16 chapters. However, the dictates of logic mandated I stretch it out to 20. Voila!

It’s a stretch for me to predict when I’ll finish this novel due to my boundless imagination to deliver a story without cutting corners or skimping on substance—no matter how many pages it takes to get the job done.