I’ve been looking for a change of scenery for writing.
I considered a few of the coffee shops in the area, but I can see an additional ten pounds in my future if I go that route, because, you know, they sell treats to go along with their highly sugared cold coffee drinks, and sometimes, resistance is futile.
Rich and I recently went to our county library to check it out. I thought it would be a good place to take my laptop and write for a few hours several times a week. There is a large room with a half dozen tables, a sofa, and two chairs. The magazines and newspapers are in this room. There are loads of windows, and the room is bright. It seemed perfect.
The following Monday, I packed up my things, and off to the library I went.
I arrived at 11:00. I dropped some notes to myself throughout my work. I thought I’d log some thoughts of my first day at the library. Here’s the first note:
Forgot the damn book.
Forgive my French. I was all set up and ready to write only to realize I forgot to grab the most current version of my book from my laptop upstairs and transfer it to my traveling laptop downstairs. I was soooo frustrated. I picked a future scene out of my mind and began writing.
Here’s the next note to myself:
11:30 – yawning, looking at clock, wondering if I can go home yet. Feel lost without book to look back on. 223 words so far – that’s 446 per hour – 2 ½ hours to get to 1,000 words. That’s crap. Could use some M&M’s, but there’s no food allowed in library. Chair is really hard and cuts into the back of my legs.
Whine, whine, whine. And, for the record, it’s been FOR.EV.ER since I’ve grazed on M&M’s while writing.
I had my iPad with me. Fifteen minutes later, I sent this message to Rich:
45 minutes and I’m already ready to come home. I forgot to bring my current book with me. I’m struggling to remember where I left off and what to write next. Washed the car on the way down here – ha! – the trunk lid wasn’t latched. You thought it was wet in there before. And I forgot my mouse! I hate using this pad thingy. If there’s any good news, it’s that I have almost 500 words done so far. I’m making progress.
He ignores me. Several minutes later, I send this message to him:
If you whine in the forest and there’s no one to hear, is it audible?
Still no response. I buckle down and do some writing. At 12:30, this message goes his way:
1,131 words. I’m leaving at 1:00. I have to stop at the store and pick up a few things on the way home.
He still ignores me. I continue writing … and I’m on a roll.
Final note to myself:
1,857 words. The end of first day writing and two hours in the library.
Not great, but not bad. The drawbacks to writing at this library were that every time I coughed, it sounded three times as loud because of the echo effect. My clacking keyboard keys weren’t that loud, but they sure sounded loud in that room. And, I was surprised by how many people talked loudly on cell phones or just talked loudly to each other in the room. Using earbuds to listen to music on my iPad helped but didn’t quite drown everyone out. Even the library workers made a lot of noise using a microfiche machine.
I’m going to try a different library. There’s a library closer to us that isn’t quite as large. I won’t have to deal with an echo, and I think the workers are stricter when it comes to talking.
Do you have a favorite place to write? Have you tried writing outside your home? I’d love some new ideas.
Oh! And Rich wasn’t ignoring me. He was visiting with his brother-in-law and left his phone in the den. I guess my whining wasn’t audible after all.
Breezy Books 