Libraries are of course wonderful institutions which we should treasure in this age of 1-click Amazon deliveries. They were there for me when I was young and skint and they should always be there for those who can't fritter their bank balances on brand new or even second-hand books. However for a writer they serve another purpose - they are somewhere that is not your home. Now don't get me wrong, I like my home. It is, to paraphrase The Tick, where I keep all my stuff. Unfortunately all that stuff calls to me while I'm trying to write. It's bad enough trying to write on a device that, via the internet, can serve up an endless amount of entertainment at the drop of hat. Or the click of a button. I don't own a hat-operated laptop but fully expect one to be demoed at the next CES. VR is literally old hat, the future is hat-based user interfaces.
You see? I don't even have a Hat UI device yet, but it's already massively distracted me from the task at hand. This problem is only multiplied when working in a place packed with a lifetime of cool stuff. Why yes, it has been a while since I looked at those 1964-65 New York World's Fair View-Master packets. No, I don't really need to look at them now but ten minutes won't hurt. Oh, but maybe I should tidy those CDs piled on the record deck instead. When was the last time I even played a record? I've got that Dry Cleaning one from last year just propped up in the Expedit. I should put it on, I definitely won't get distracted by the lyrics.
So yes, libraries are free from such distractions, provided you ignore the fact that they are almost made out of books. Do not read the books. In fact, here are my tips for productive writing in a library environment:
- Everyone likes their own table. Or is that just me? The more isolated tables are prized locations and if you want one you need to show up early. This is a problem if, like me, you're not really into mornings as a general concept or for that matter actual reality. This can be mitigated by trading comfort for isolation. For example many libraries have a spot where it gets intolerably hot in direct sunlight, so dress in linen and take your chance to write that novel about camel breeding in Somalia you never knew you had in you.
- For the avoidance of distractions, pick a section of the library with the least appealing subject to yourself. This is difficult because all sections become intriguing when particularly stuck. Even accountancy. BS Johnson got a whole book out of it, so maybe it all works out for the best anyway.
- The British Library has some much coveted seat/desk combos at the top of the stairs on the first floor. These are great but you either have to get there when it opens or invest some time slumming it on the benches opposite like a literary vulture. Also you should never sit at the haunted one. I see people sitting there all the time and wonder how they don't know! You will note that I'm not saying which seat it is because that in itself is to risk the ghost's curse.
- Some people like to write in cafés. This works if you can either tolerate enough coffee to make your heart beat in time to your typing, or are okay buying a single drink and hogging a table all afternoon. I can't manage either. I also get quite self-conscious in a café. Everyone in the library is generally there to do some form of work. What are you doing in a café with your laptop? Showing off, that's what you're doing. Writing is not a performance art, no matter how badly you want to tell everyone your current word count. Save it for your blog.
- Current day's word count: 511. Terrible. That's including an email I sent to my dentist.
