Saturday, August 20, 2016

Writers Write


June and July are two of the busiest months of the year at my library.  During these months, most of my time is spent facilitating and implementing programs for children and teens.  So when I arrive at work, I rarely have time to shelve books the hour before we open.  But in August, I get to spend more time with the books.  I get to dream.

Yesterday as I shelved books and gazed at all the books one YA author had written, I assumed writing was her only profession.  I pictured her sitting in her writer's nook for eight hours a day, handwriting her lengthy novels. 

Her "Writers Read" mug, filled with lukewarm coffee, sits on her desk. Occasionally, her fluffy white cat meanders across her lap because he needs just a little attention.   She snuggles Whiskers for a moment, but quickly returns to creating her next masterpiece.

Of course, this isn't the author's reality.  It's probably unrealistic for most aspiring or new writers to have eight hours dedicated to daily writing. The writers I know personally have to carve out time to write.  They write before their children go to sleep. They write before their children wake up. They write during lunch breaks.  They write at the library.  Despite their responsibilities, their jobs, their lifestyles, they have a goal, so they write. 

Shelving books encourages me to write.  Perhaps one day, a librarian will be shelving my books and be inspired to finally put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.