I've a rectangular dining room with two doors on the long wall, one
very near the short wall, and the other about 8ft in from the other
short wall. Both lead out to rooms already having oak floors. Between
the doors is the back of a fireplace, so you can't run a chalk line all
the way across the room close to that wall. So if I start along the
8ft wall and match the wood in that doorway, then go across the entire
room as soon as those boards clear the back of the fireplace, I'd have
to go back toward that wall, and end at the doorway. Or would it be
better to start the job in pieces, going out from that wall on one side
of the fireplace, and then the other side of the fireplace until the
boards on both sides clear it, and go all the way across at that point?
Or is there yet another way?

(Now that I thnk of it, the problem would be the same for tile, too.)