A little while ago there was an interview with Jim Hines on Booklife in which he talks a bit about writing on his lunch break at work. This caught my eye because I’ve recently rejiggered my lunch schedule.
For a long time I’ve tried to write 3 days a week at lunch, and spend the other two discussing politics and religion with my husband and coworkers. But…I also refuse to spend my lunch writing time anywhere except in the one breakroom with windows. My office doesn’t have a window, and I insist on seeing the outside world for at least a little bit during the day (this was more important in the winter when it was the only sun I saw). Besides, if I’m in my office, I will be interrupted, and I will probably be disturbing one coworker or the other with my eating. They already have to put up with me eating breakfast at my desk every morning.
So, to the breakroom with windows I go. Unfortunately, it has become incredibly popular recently. It’s like people like windows or something. Who knew? So I have to share a table with people and then ignore them. This makes me feel like a jerk, and I figure if I want to be a jerk at work, I should be doing something work-related, so as not to squander my allotment of jerkiness on my personal time.
So for the past two weeks I’ve moved my lunch hour back by 45 minutes to an hour. One pm is not nearly as popular a time to eat lunch. Bonus: no line for the microwave. On the downside I eat my lunch a lot faster because I’m so hungry. But I’ve been getting a lot of work done on the lunch and evening book.
You have two options: is there a library or coffee shop *very* close to your job? Or, how about a sign: “Library table: your company is welcome, and so is your silence” ? Maybe not those words, but something.
I have a writer friend at work and we tend to lunch at the same time. We’ll share a table and just do our own thing and it feels good. Maybe you have readers who want a quite place to eat and read at lunch?
That’s neat that you have someone to share lunch writing with.
Option 3) eat later has been working pretty well for me. I could also try 3b) eat earlier.
There is a coffee shop, but it’s more time walking there than I’d want to spend when I could be writing, and I’d feel obliged to buy something.
A few years ago, I did walk to the library most days to write at lunch. I’d eat my peanut butter sandwich on the walk over, sit by the magazines and scribble in my notebook, and then eat my apple on the way back. It worked really well, and if the library here were closer, I’d probably start doing that again. (Except I’d have to eat at my desk, because my usual lunches these days wouldn’t do well being eaten while walking.)