This is the first post in my Top 5 Tuesday series.

Why Top 5 Tuesdays? you may be asking. Meredith, the hashtag is #Top10Tuesday!

Here’s my reasoning. Ten is just too much. I mean, we just got through Monday . . . we’re not even half-way through the work week (or school week) . . . we’re too dang tired for ten of anything.

Really, isn’t using ten as the default number for these types of lists only a result of our culture’s base-ten numbering system? There’s nothing inherently special about ten. (Some cultures only have three or four numbers. Nice! Others have number systems that will blow your mind.)

Five is smaller.

Smaller is doable.

Doable increases the odds that I will finish writing the blog post and you will finish reading it. It gives you more time to refill your coffee cup and more energy to deal with the rest of the day (or to read the linked article about numbering systems!)

So, without further ado, here are my Top 5 unusual writing places. It’s applicable to non-fiction and fiction, but I write novels. So. . .

1. Write on your commute to work or school.

I’ll admit, I haven’t done this but I have a great excuse: there’s no public transportation system in our area. I live in the suburbs. Our local law enforcement frowns upon simultaneously writing and driving a vehicle. Can’t imagine why.

But other people have had good luck with this. The late P.D. James, author of the Adam Dalgliesh series, wrote on her daily commute. A late literature professor of mine told me that whenever his family took a vacation, he had his wife drive so he could read and write. Admittedly, he was a workaholic, and it probably wasn’t a whole lot of fun for the kids and his wife.

Tip: Use your best judgment. No writing and driving! Don’t ignore your family and friends on a summer vacation to write your novel unless they’re okay with it and understand the necessity.

2. Write in the carpool line.

This is sort of like the above, only the vehicle is actually stopped. I wrote the opening for my 4th novel in the carpool line at my daughters’ elementary school. It ended up being scrapped, but the writing wasn’t wasted.

The character showed up and absolutely insisted on telling her story in 1st person point of view. Scared the heck out of me to write in 1st person. I’d never done that before. But when the character is that determined, who am I to stand in her way?

Tip: Carry that pad of paper or cheap writer’s journal everywhere. You never know when your characters might start talking.

3. Write in a fast-food restaurant.

A lot of writers swear by writing at coffee houses, but that’s never appealed to me. It’s too obvious, too cliched, too filled with professionals and their laptops and don’t-disturb-me-I’m-working vibes. Besides, if you’re not a coffee-drinker (or tea drinker, either), what are you going to drink? Water? What fun is that?

Fast food places, by contrast, are livelier. The staff is less used to seeing writers there, so they’re curious and ask questions and show interest in my writing. That’s either disruptive or encouraging. I prefer to see it as the latter.

Plus it’s a lot of fun to people watch or eavesdrop on conversations. (Unintentionally, of course.) I’ve gotten to watch moms and kids, listen to teenagers, talk to older retirees or out-of-work folks. That kind of interaction is good for me as a writer. It’s good to see people in their native environments and hear how normal people speak. Great for dialogue writing skills!

As a bonus, greasy food helps stimulate creativity. No scientific studies back me up on this–yet. I’ve written at Burger King, MacDonald’s, Bruegger’s Bagels, Chickfila, Subway, a local fried chicken and fries joint, and probably others. All have slightly different vibes.

Tip: Find a wall-hugging booth or corner table and “hide” in plain sight.

4. Write in a mall food court.

This is like the above, only amplified. It’s perfect for your satire on American consumerism and capitalism. Just saying. I’ve done this a few times.

Tip: As long as you can resist the lure of that terrific sale at your favorite store, the mall is another great place for people watching.

5. Write in an empty church sanctuary.

(If you’re not a member of a house of worship, you can skip this idea or modify it.)

Pastors, you can relax: I don’t mean break into the nearest church on a weekday, okay?

Church people, notice that I said “empty.” Don’t do this during a service.

Here’s what I’ve done. Our church periodically holds potluck breakfast/brunches during our Sunday school hour. During this time, the fellowship hall (a.k.a., tiny church gym) is packed with people, tables, kids running around, plates of food, etc. There are no corners or wall-hugging tables, just a swirling mass of activity around me. I’m forced to socialize with whoever is sitting at my table. While I don’t mind socializing, it’s the forced part of it that’s hard.

Crowds+food+forced socialization=Meredith having a panic attack.

So I hide in the empty sanctuary. Peaceful. Quiet. And I have time to write in my writer’s journal, though I wouldn’t break out my laptop and try to make a particular word count. But the quiet helps with creative brainstorming or writing character sketches, that sort of thing.

(The only time I’ve ever been “disturbed” by “noise” was when a young special-needs man’s wheelchair was being pushed up and down the aisles by his caretaker. The young man has a rare degenerative condition; he cannot talk so he moans, and he needs 24/7 skilled nursing care.

This didn’t disturb me because it wasn’t noise. It was his way of communicating. I’ve talked to his mom; she rarely leaves the house because of her son’s needs. Even when I’m at my most panic-attack-y/depressive points, I’m not going to begrudge the family for coming to church. So I was thankful the young man’s weary parents had a break to socialize, and I was thankful to see that our assistant pastor reached out to the hired nurse to see if he would like food or drink.)

Tip: Be mindful that this is a place of worship. My church seems okay with my reading or writing here (it’s a small facility and there are few places to go to escape the crowd), but others may not be.

Okay, readers, it’s your turn! If you’re a writer, where is the most unusual place you’ve ever written? Non-writers, do you have any ideas for us?