Perfect Writing Spot?

Mine used to be the airport. Comfy chairs, sense of excited energy, people leave you alone. Beer and food nearby.

Since 9/11 put the kibosh on comfy airport loitering, I find I write best here at my desk -- with the wife and kids gone.

Corollary question: what is your best writing process? For me, I do best when I put in a full day, bouncing between 30 to 60 minute sessions of writing and something other than writing....

A desk of some kind, with music and only one or two people around maximum

Any place where I am left to my own devices, comfortable and has a computer with a full-sized keyboard.

Morton Rainey said:

@Darchen: How do you get any writing done on a computer? I find I get distracted too easily. There's either a game I can be playing or music to constantly keep changing, or I find an e-book that I forgot I was reading.

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I have a laptop with no internet connection for that very reason. I don't always have to do it, but on some days....

Y'all who miss the pre-9/11 days of airport loitering: Are there any small airports near you? Say, a municipal or metro airport? You still can't go past the commercial gate unless you're ticketed, but there's usually other places to be.

I'm thinking first of the Rocky Mountain Metro Airport in Broomfield, Colorado (formerly known as the Jefferson County Airport, but then Broomfield stopped being part of Jefferson County when Broomfield County was formed). You can drive right up Airport Road, circle the traffic control tower, park at one of the buildings, walk upstairs, and have a meal and a writing session in the Parkway Diner. The view of the runway is fun: little Cessnas and big King Airs take off and land all day long. The other diners are in large part pilots, crew, and student pilots catching a bite before their next flight or studying flight maps with their instructors. Also the tables all have sectional maps under the glass, which are fun to look at.

And then at the Boulder Municipal Airport, in the main FBO, no one will blink at you if you settle down on the couch with a cup of coffee and your computer. They might ask if you're there for a lesson, but if the answer is no, I doubt they'd chase you out. Remember to leave a buck in the community coffee jar, though.

I suppose if I wanted to pay the parking fees I could run off to the Denver International Airport and hang out in the fast food restaurants near ticketing. For inspiration, there's an art gallery on your way to the security gate down the hallway to Concourse A.

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My own favorite places to write: at the big oak desk I've been lugging around with me since college, currently stationed in our spare bedroom; at certain of Boulder's coffee-and-tea shops, with special great love for Pekoe Steelyards, Atlas Purveyors, and Ku Cha House of Tea; sitting up in my freshy-made bed with my computer set up on a cheap Bed Bath & Beyond lap desk. I try to enjoy writing at the library, but something always distracts me there. I think it's the books.

Lately, I find I'm getting the most work done on my commute to/from work on the bus with my Alphasmart. Seriously. Definitely more so in the morning because the bus is usually quieter and I can therefore snag a seat.

Otherwise, I like to sit curled up on my couch under a blanket with either my laptop or my Alphasmart, depending on how easily distracted I am at any given moment.

Place doesn't matter so much to me. Once I'm in the zone, I'm not really mentally present at all. I do ask for uninterrupted time and as little financial stress as possible, but that's just nitpicking.

Filigree said:

Place doesn't matter so much to me. Once I'm in the zone, I'm not really mentally present at all. I do ask for uninterrupted time and as little financial stress as possible, but that's just nitpicking.

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x2. When I hit the zone, I hit the zone.

angeluscado said:

Lately, I find I'm getting the most work done on my commute to/from work on the bus with my Alphasmart. Seriously. Definitely more so in the morning because the bus is usually quieter and I can therefore snag a seat.

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I've been thinking of getting one of those Alphasmarts, just to get away from my computer and avoid the temptation of stuff like what I'm doing right now when I should be writing.

I like the bathtub. I first tried writing in there because it's the only room in our apartment with a door that locks, but it's actually pretty comfortable. My guy thinks it's nuts though, so I don't actually do it too much.

Anywhere that's not at home! I get distracted by the siren call of procrastination far too easily, so usually I do my best writing in places like cafes or libraries.

Stellan said:

Anywhere that's not at home! I get distracted by the siren call of procrastination far too easily, so usually I do my best writing in places like cafes or libraries.

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I am exactly the same as you! Best writing away from home, either that or I can write well at home when it's later at night (9pm onwards) and I'm bored with everything at home (exhausted the internet, nothing is on tv, unit is clean and I'm bored of my current crafty project).

When I'm in a crowded cafe` I just get lost in good coffee and my novel, and usually write my best chunks. Because I can only go after work, I can usually only stay for a hour and a half, two at most before it shuts. This means I know I don't have to write forever so I'm not so daunted and end up writing for the whole time non-stop.

I have two. My college's library has this beautiful reading room that people go study in. One of the chairs faces a stream and a miniature forest.
And the other one is up a canyon by where I used to live. I can only go there when the weather is above 50 degrees in the valley, since it's much colder in the canyon. But there is this beautiful stream that runs down the canyon, and if I sit anywhere within sound range, I can get beautiful poetry.