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| My "new" standing desk. |
Recently someone on X asked if any of us actually write in coffee shops. “No one does that. It is purely performative,” responded one poster.
Are any of you coffee shop writers? Or maybe you write in a local café? A friend of mine liked to write in a nearby café. She said that she was always more productive when she did this.
I am not a café or coffee shop writer. I've tried it once. I have written in a meeting room at a retreat. And I’ve written in a public library while on retreat. I can pull it off if I can sit with my back to everyone. Coffee shop writing is much more problematic. Ooo. That looks yummy. I wonder what drink that is. That looks like a heated conversation. What is that amazing scent? Something must have just come out of the oven.
Amount of writing accomplished? Next to nothing.
When I write, I want to be at home. I prefer to write in my office. I can sit and work at my computer or stand and work at my new antique desk. When I get stuck, sometimes I sit on the patio or at the dining room table.
Although I insist that I cannot write in public, I know I can write someplace other than my home office. I’ve done it! I’ve written in public spaces at retreats. I proofed Trench Warfare leaning against the wall in the emergency room. I revised American Life in the 1970s with my laptop perched on my father’s bedside cart in the hospital and The Evolution of Mammals in the dining hall of a lakeside lodge.
How do I manage to pull this off when I insist I cannot write in public?
First things first, I have to be on deadline to write someplace other than my office. When the need arises, it is possible.
Secondly, I sometimes listen to music. I don’t know how any of you manage to wear ear buds. They are simply too uncomfortable which is even more distracting that being able to hear other people talk. But I do have a larger pair of noise canceling headphones. They fit over my ears and as long as I don’t get too warm, I’m okay. What can I say? I'm picky!
Third, I try not to sit facing other people. Let’s face it. I am very easily distracted.
Fourth, it cannot be someplace where a variety of food is served. See above about being easily distracted.
Fifth, it cannot be a high traffic area. Haven't I already said that I'm easily distracted. If it is a high traffic area, it does not matter that I’m a nonfiction writer. I will soon be making up stories about the people I see around me.
Writing in public does not come easily to me. I can do it if I have to.
What about you? Are you a café or coffee shop writer? How do you feel about writing in public?
--SueBE
Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 60 books for young readers.
- To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.
- Click here to find her newsletter.
She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:
