The Library of Unwritten Books
Imagine a library that goes on forever – vast, dark and silent. Nobody walks its corridors or dusts its shelves. Millions of books are crammed side by side – adventures, romances, mysteries and comedies. They have never been read, for these are the books that do not yet exist. They sit there, waiting to become real.
There are unwritten stories everywhere, and sometimes I stumble across them. Now and then, when I tell someone I’m a writer, they get this shy, keen look in their eye. Suddenly I know what they’re going to say next.
“Um… there’s this story I’d like to write some day.”
They know I won’t make fun of them. It’s exciting to hear them talk about their secret tale, the one that only exists in their head. Just for a moment I feel like I’m sneaking a peek into the Library of Unwritten Books.
Sadly, I know that a lot of those wonderful stories will stay in that imaginary Library forever. Most of these would-be authors will never find the courage or the time to write them.
Do you have a story in your head that you’ve never written down? Imagine it waiting there in the Library of Unwritten Books, pining away amid dust and darkness. Don’t you want to rescue it, and bring it into the real world? Well, the only way to do that is to write it!
There’s one small problem. To rescue your story, you’ll have to get past the monsters that guard the library. These ‘monsters’ are the fears that freeze up your brain when you’re trying to write, or stop you trying in the first place.
Monster 1: “There’s lots of amazing authors already. I’m not good enough!”
Remember this – even your favourite authors, the scarily brilliant ones, can only write their books. They could never write the story in your head. That’s yours, and yours alone. Only you can write it.
Monster 2: “What if nobody likes my story? What if everybody laughs at me?”
This thought scares most authors. It terrifies me every time one of my books is about to be published. And you know what? All those writers whose books you love probably feel the same way.
Monster 3: “What if my story idea isn’t good enough? Should I be writing something else?”
If you’ve started something, try to finish it. Your other ideas will wait. (Unlike bananas, they don’t go off if you leave them for too long.)
Don’t let the monsters put you off. Go and rescue your story from the Library of Unwritten Books. You’re the only person who can.
Nice
Thanks – glad you like it!
Your welcome
Wowee
Maybe that is what happens to my stories
You might even have your own shelf in the library, stuffed full of stories waiting for you to write them. I wonder which section they’d be filed under. Good luck with rescuing them!
BRILLO FRIEND!
Brill advice! Go writer friends! GO rescue your unwritten book!!! i already can get mine! xx I still get those same monsters though! I don;t think they ever go away but, you could give them a plate of food to keep then hushed for a while. x
Thanks very much! I still have to face those monsters when I write. They haven’t gone away, but I’ve got a lot better at monster-fighting. Mind you, distracting them with a plate of food sounds like a good idea too – I must try that!
You have inspired me to go into the inner recess of my Library of unwritten books and dig out the one book I’ve been putting off for years! it is a beautiful library though .. and my idea is safe there…or is it?
Thank you! I am so glad that my post has inspired a book-rescue-mission! The Library would be a wonderful place to visit, I think. I could probably run around it for days, hunting down the books my favourite authors never got round to writing. Hopefully our unwritten books are safe there for the moment… unless the Library has mice or mould…
That’s a wonderful post! I have to fight off these monsters every day… especially the second one. He’s incredibly persistent!
I’m glad you liked the post – thanks for commenting! Yes, I’ve always found the second monster to be the most ferocious and tenacious. I have to do battle with him pretty regularly.
Great advice.
Thanks very much!
Great advice, seconded! (by the way, is that the Strahov Library in Prague? It looks a bit like it (I’ve been there).
Well spotted! It is indeed the Strahov Library. I thought it looked old, mysterious and intriguing enough to stand in for the Library of Unwritten Books. I would love to visit the Strahov Library, and perhaps take a closer look at that impressive-looking book on the lectern…
This is really genius
I like the idea that there is a library of unwritten books. I just got a little motivation boost from this!
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear about the motivation boost. I sometimes use the idea of the Library to spur myself on when I’m writing.
I have 4 stories that I have started but never finished. I have completed 2 books as well though! But I really do need to go back and finish the others and stop flitting after every new idea that comes into my head.
Even this post has inspired me to write an actual story about unfinished books- after entering a strange library, where none of the books are complete, and empty pages flutter, the main character finds a hidden doorway that leads into a sort of waiting room – a place where the characters from all the stories go, slowly aging and fading away as their story disappears. The young hero must try to help them finish their stories and live on in their adventures, mixing and bringing together everyone until she creates a finished story of her own and gives all the characters a new life.
I really want to write this now! Think it would make a great story. Could I use the idea and write a story from it?
That sounds like a fantastic story! I don’t mind you using the idea of the Library as the basis for your tale – that’s fine as far as I am concerned. I am rather fascinated by the idea of the waiting room for characters, and the hero’s struggle to prevent them fading away. Good luck with the story, and I hope the inspiration keeps flowing!
It’s difficult to avoid getting distracted by new ideas, isn’t it? When I am going through a stodgy, difficult patch with a book, the other stories I could be working on look much more sparkly and tempting…
Thanks!!! I really appreciate it. I’m doing NaNoWriMo this November and think this may be the story I write. I will let you know how it goes.
there is always something that will look more tempting – as you say, especially if you are stuck. Certainly tests our focus and willpower.
Reblogged this on harperpages.
Coming to this post late but thank you – great stuff! A post for writers everywhere, at every stage.
Thanks for commenting, and for the kind words! I’m really glad you like it.
I loved this for several reasons – one, because it’s true; two, because it’s brilliant, and three, because it reminds me of the Library of the Unseen University in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels (pretty much my Guide to Life). Thank you for an inspirational and pretty darn cool post.
Thank you very much! I’ve always loved the Discworld novels, ever since a friend introduced me to the Colour of Magic when I was sixteen. (Her exact words were: “It’s weird – you’ll like it.”) I know what you mean about the Unseen University’s library. Who wouldn’t want to visit a library where space is twisted, dangerous books snarl in their chains, and you can get your card stamped by a laconic orang-utan?
I simply don’t have the ability to put my stories into words. I can write essays like there’s no tomorrow, but not fiction!
I like the tiger-monster picture.
All of us find some types of writing easier than others. For example, writing stories comes naturally to me, but I can’t write poetry for toffee. An essay-writing talent is really useful, of course – it’s a sign of being able to put your thoughts in order and explain them clearly.
I do quite like the fact that the tiger-monster is a weird, sinister mixture of tiger and human. Perhaps a were-tiger…