Recently I saw a headline about why authors should write in coffee shops… while I didn’t read the whole article at the time, the headline stuck with me. Not that I need more distractions from the siren’s call that is the Internet, but I got to thinking about why coffee shop writing time could be valuable to an author’s process.
Sure it could help the author who needs the background and energy provided by both the clientele and the easy-access to caffeine and sugar. And well-spent hours in a coffee shop could help the author who needs a change of pace from the same old scene of the usual writing space. It’s a known fact that a change of pace can shake things up and inspire the creative process.
Writing in a coffee shop can keep your butt in the chair when you’d rather get up and pace, gather up a load of laundry, or poke at a sleeping cat. Keeping the butt in the chair means keeping up the productivity. So yay for coffee shop writing.
But there’s another reason to write in a public venue -at least occasionally.
No, it’s not just so you have to clean up and look respectable, or even the rich resource of people watching. Writing in a public venue when you usually don’t opens you up to questions. While that may sound counterproductive, hear me out. When I’m out writing on my alphasmart, people always ask me what it is.
I have the distinct honor at this point of not only practicing my conversational skills, but of sharing the news that I’m an author. The reactions vary from impressed to pity and are usually mixed in with some sort of ‘I could never do that’ or ‘I have always wanted to do that’.
Both responses remind me (and should remind you if you’re an author) that this gig isn’t for everyone. Not everyone can sit down and tell a vibrant, engaging story. Not everyone can offer up a picture with their words that fuels the imaginations of absolute strangers who then fall in love with the characters on the page and want to know every detail of those fictional lives.
Both responses offer a chance to be an expert – in your story, but also in your profession. No matter what you have left to learn (and there’s always more to learn) you have a talent, a gift, and an expertise that isn’t as common as you might think if you frequently associate with writers.
Just because your characters or this medium of telling tales comes relatively easy to you, doesn’t diminish the value of your talent. Getting out there, writing in a public place can be very affirming and a vital reminder of who you are as an individual.
Live the adventure!
coffee art photo by adactio
