Writing In Coffee Shops

Treyfan said:

Oooo! Awesome! That's like...15min away from my apartment. Cool beans and rice. Once I'm done with class (*cue groans and face-to-palms*) I'll see if I can stop by. I JUST got a full request yesterday and I need to speed-polish before I send it off today! Gah!

Don't know what you look like...but you'll know me if you see me. I'll be the pretty girl with the 'fro! LOL. Maybe I'll see you, maybe I won't! Thanks for the tip, anyways!

Happy writing!

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That's my pic (avatar) except I shaved.

@DWSTXS

This place is AWESOME! How am I just hearing about it now?! It's very quiet...the iced chai is GREAT and (best of all) internet access if FREE and wireless!

Oh yeah! I'm one happy camper! You'll probably see me now from time to time! Thanks for introducing me to this place! Instant love!

look at that! a writerly connection. coolies.

no writers in my cafe! sigh.

Coffee shops are my real office.

I love the vibes. I don't mind the noise since when I'm focused I tune it out anyway. But I like the fact that a) I have to "go somewhere" -- so it's like going to work, and b) I have free refills so $1.95 lasts me a LONG TIME, and c) it's great for people watching when I need to take a break, and d) I get free wifi, and e) I know the staff so well that they give me freebies and also chat up with me when I want to... kind of like a water cooler without being at a real office. I'm mostly a people person, so I really do enjoy the vibes and the atmosphere of having people around.

I tried working at libraries but the quietness freaked me out. I need ambient noise.

As for people looking over my shoulders, etc. -- that's why I pick the corner tables. Also, most people are so busy with their own shit and stuck in their own universes that they're the LEAST interested in what I'm doing.

It's basically an office for me without it being an office (meaning, I'm not stuck there). I can't work at home -- to much distraction (laundry, dishes, TV, bed, household stuff, pets, etc.) I need a routine, and going to and working at a coffee shop fits the bill really well. For me.

Sometimes (tho only recently) here:

I could never write in public. *shudder* I absolutely hate having face-to-face contact with living people, and can't imagine concentrating on anything with people around. The only place I'll write other than my house is in my car when I'm parked and waiting for my mom to get out of an appointment.

I don't get cabin fever. When the weather was bad this winter I think I went 3 or 4 weeks without leaving my apartment. It was nice.

I've been writing in coffee shops regularly since last summer. I alternate between three Starbucks, but the staff in all three locations know me by sight and there are a few regular staff members I chat to when I'm ordering. I was sad when they introduced the free wifi in Ireland because I used to get loads done when I couldn't go online (and having no internet connection was one of the reasons I started writing in Starbucks), and now it's temptation lurking in the background. I also strangely enough find it easier to block out background noise there than I would at home.

I probably wouldn't write as much in coffee shops if I could fit a desk in my room, but I can comfortably get a lot done in a two-hour session (and it helps knowing I only have two hours if I'm fitting this into a work day) so I have no reason to moan.

In my local Barnes and Noble we have a lovely little Starbucks. They don't play annoying music. There isn't a problem with screaming babies or kids (well not so far anyway.) I do a fair amount of writing there. I can sit for hours with no-one to bother me. I probably wrote more than half of my first draft in that coffee shop.

Our library has a closed off room on the second floor that actually would be ideal for writing if it weren’t for the fact that the public book drop is located right underneath it on the first floor. So your writing session goes something like this:

She looked up in horror at the black shadow advancing - - -

KCHUNK!
KCHUNK!
KCHUNK!

Okay, concentrate!
She looked up in horror - - -

KCHUNK!
KCHUNK!
KCHUNK!
KCHUNK!

I never realized how busy that book drop was until I tried writing in that “writing room.”

However, I am loving Gillhoughly’s idea of writing at home in the recliner with my Neo propped up on a lap table. Very nice. After getting everything situated, it’s just too much trouble to get up and take care of distractions, and I can put my cell phone on a table right next to the recliner if I get a call. I’ve gotten quite a bit of writing done this way.

On the other hand, getting out of the house is nice too. Maybe I’ll find a coffee shop…

MrWrite said:

In my local Barnes and Noble we have a lovely little Starbucks. They don't play annoying music. There isn't a problem with screaming babies or kids (well not so far anyway.) I do a fair amount of writing there. I can sit for hours with no-one to bother me. I probably wrote more than half of my first draft in that coffee shop.

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Yes, I love B&N for that very reason, except, their chairs kill my hiney. I hate that. My lower back can't take it.

I love writing in public. I don't care if someone interrupts me and often it's just to talk to me for a moment. I've yet to have someone walk up when I have my head down glued to the screen typing away at a freakishly scary pace.

It's when I look up and around, make eye contact and smile that I see someone say, "So what you doing that has you so intent on your work?"

People are nice to be around, ya know? (okay for the most part).