Thanks for reading, Liz!

Thanks so much for leaving a comment here, Adrienne. It’s nice to know this essay lives on. And here’s a link to the NEA podcast that you mentioned in case others might be interested: https://www.arts.gov/audio/author-and-2014-nea-literature-fellow-rebecca-makkai.

I agree—I discovered that I liked the random and diverse noises and voices (that I call “back-fill”) as I was working. Occasionally they would be distracting if certain conversations were too loud, etc., and sometimes the distractions were nice, like adorable children nearby, etc. I loved that I could usually find good books when I needed to research as I went along, right at my fingertips, and from “my” table, before they removed some shelving, a measure of privacy yet still had the perfect view of the store, including the murals in the children’s dept.

Just as you mentioned the man who would disturb you even when you were wearing earphones, that was pretty common for me, too. I didn’t wear phones, but when a person is obviously busy, someone shouldn’t bother you more than a “Hello, how are you?” kind of thing. I am sincerely interested in people, so I also became, to quite a few people, much like the local cafe “therapist.” It did become too interfering, and often inconsiderate, but I can’t blame other people for all of it. I enjoyed many of the friends I made there, too, soooo…

Anyway, I write (though have barely been really writing in years) under different conditions—sometimes in complete silence in an uncomfortable position laying on my bed when something “strikes” me hard, or I’ll play mood-setting music, or there was the cafe. I often had dreams of having enough money to have my own house with my custom working space and wondered how I could somehow have cafe sounds in it 🙂 Then, guess what?!!! Just recently, someone I know posted this on their blog! http://coffitivity.com/ It’s not quite the same ’cause this is a cafe with a pretty noisy din, but turned down to the right volume, it has a similar effect 🙂 I was thrilled she posted it! 😀

And I love that you turn your friends’ books face out! I’ll bet the booksellers get annoyed, but I actually did that a couple of times, not ’cause I was bored, but because I saw them during my typical Barnes Browses and was compelled lol Of course, most times my friends’ books are face out when they’re new releases, and that always makes me smile 🙂 I’m such a “cover” person, and I think most people are which is why it’s such a big deal for sales! I can’t resist picking up a book with an appealing title and beautiful cover!

Oh, how wild! I think there’s something wonderful about working in a cafe-type situation (out in the world but detached)… But it so often winds up being stressful. There was one coffee shop I had to stop going to because the same man would always come up and ask what I was working on, even if I was wearing earphones. The bookstore cafe is just about the perfect writing spot… When I’m bored I walk to Fiction and turn all my friends’ books face out on the shelves.

I have to tell you, Rebecca, (and anyone else reading this) in my reading this again about the “vulture” behavior cracks me up. I was tempted to post this the first time I read your guest blog here, but didn’t have the time. I’m now going to take that time so you know you’re not that bad lol

For years (easily 8) I virtually lived at my local B&N. Once I made the move down to the cafe, I eventually determined which tables were the best, at least for me, but one in particular. As you can well imagine, I got to know most of the other “regulars” at the store, but also the majority of the working staff—from management to booksellers to cafe—and they got to know me. That “particular” table became known as “my” table. If it wasn’t available when I got there, I would sit in the best spot to grab it as soon as it became available. It became a running joke, and I even ended up with cafe staff offering to do things to save it for me, along with hanging a plaque on the support post, a sign on the table that said “reserved” or a life-size dummy to sit in the chair to occupy it till I arrived lol

There was one time when this girl was sitting there, the store was really busy that day (I think it was the holidays and there wasn’t another table available out of the 40+ that were there), and I was getting truly aggravated by her. I was hanging out at the end of the cafe counter by the coffee maker, and Jordan says to me, “Donna, why don’t you just TALK to her? You talk to EVERYbody else!” And I had to actually stop and think why I didn’t or why SHE, specifically, was irritating me like that. It was to an extreme, believe me. I then recalled that it wasn’t just that this was the same girl who’d occupied “my” table another time recently, BUT, the last time she was there, she kept packing and unpacking her stuff, at least 3 times over the course of a couple of hours, making me think she was leaving, then she’d just sit there and text on her phone, then pull out her computer again, then pack it up, then get a coffee, then unpack it again, etc. She did it repeatedly and drove me out of my mind that day ’cause I couldn’t get “settled” I mean, her indecisiveness actually made me anxiety-ridden! lol Another time down the road when she was there, I sat next to her and, of course, DID talk to her and we had a nice conversation. We talked about what she was in college for, etc. and I also confessed to her my little “table” thing. She offered to move, but we both just stayed put and enjoyed the talk. I’ll NEVER forget that! lol

Anyway, I no longer “live” at Barnes and my possessiveness is gone. My heavy involvement organizing a writer’s conference took over my life for over 8 months back in 2012, and that level of work and weighty responsibility kept me home and constantly working on it, plus I was afraid to get sick, so that kept me in more, too. That effort practically killed me (seriously), but there were things about it that were beneficial for me, too, (not just the 300+ attendees and faculty), and one of the benefits is that it truly broke my B&N addiction 🙂 I had started going there about 10 years ago, specifically to write since it was away from all the distractions at home. Over the years that became an inverted situation ’cause I knew too many people there, so RARELY got work done. Now I just go in spurts, usually to try to read (but I STILL know too many people for that to happen most times!) or do research or just be in there for the ambiance and be surrounded by books (sorry, but I NEED that!).

So, that’s my story. I hope it helps you realize you’re not quite the vulture you thought you were 😉

I have no shame in staking out tables. I’ve been known to do the “Hey, can I put my purse down here as you gather up your stuff?” act. It’s obnoxious, but then I’m often desperate…

And it did get done, I’m happy to report! (I’m a little terrified to see the galleys and find all the typos I missed, but I’ll be thrilled to have one more pass at the thing.) Thanks…