This is the largest Little Free Library near me. This is also the first time I've ever seen it so empty. Three tiers, and only one of them is half-full.
Whenever I've walked, biked, or rollerbladed by in the past, this LFL was stuffed with different genres. It is, however, located about a half-mile down a trail. Unless people already know it's there, stocking it would be tricky.
Well, I know it's there. I plan to go by it again soon, just to check and make sure new books have been added. If not, I'll grab a bunch of sale books from the charity and fill a shelf.
This is part of what I love about Little Free Libraries. Finding one in an expected place is like a treasure hunt. I enjoy being part of the excitement for a fellow reader and passing on free books with no return date hanging overhead.
These little treasures are also a reminder that every book inside was written by an author who went through similar struggles to get published. Publication is not a short or easy road for most of us.
But the authors of the books inside the LFL carried on. One day, I would love to find one of my own books in a LFL. That goal could be ten or twenty years off, or never happen at all, but it's worth it to me to keep at it.
That said, I'm nearing completion of the first draft of my seventh novel. Will this eventually become the book that catches an agent's attention? Have I honed my skills to the point that a publisher will give this first-time author a shot? Only God knows.
The excitement can be overwhelming. Here I am at the climax of yet another book, hoping I tie everything up in the most satisfying way possible. Make sure the good guys are in dire straights before the bad guy goes down. Don't make it easy on them. Do I kill off a character? Does the guy get the girl? Can the characters overcome their differences and find a way to live peacefully in the aftermath? Is anyone even interested in this but me?
No pressure. Right.
If this process vibes with you, let me encourage you to keep going! You can't break and fix something if you don't build it to begin with. The first draft is supposed to be a hectic mass of twisting plotlines—some of which need to be scrapped in the final revision process. It's normal and healthy. But first, finish the novel, short story, etc.
Just finish it.
This is just as much advice to myself as it is to other authors. Perseverance is what gets us published traditionally. Though it's tempting to give up, flip the table, and/or delete the wreck of a plot we've created, if we wade through it long enough, we may stumble upon a treasure along that mucky trail.
Keep on smilin'!
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