Where to Write?

First of all, don’t wait for the perfect place or time. Write when you get the chance, no matter where you are. I can cram in a lot writing in a hurry at airports with people and luggage milling about. I love Panera’s coffee shop, and I often scribble scene notes on the back of sheets from conferences or meetings I am attending.

Many people (and beginning writers) think you need a perfect quiet writing space in order to be creative. I think the exact opposite is the truth. Jean-Paul Sartre said, “The lost little cabin in the woods – no neighbors for miles, no disruption – is the novice’s dream but the working writer’s nightmare. In such a setting a real writer soon goes stark, raving mad.” (taken from a recent article in The Writer.)

In truth, the world’s preeminent writers headed to busy cafes. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and J.K. Rowlings grabbed their pads and pens and headed for coffee shops, bars or pubs filled with people, noise and bustle. This is where the magic begins. I have a great writing office with a dogwood tree waving out the window. This is where I re-write, review my “story board”, do research, etc. But I do my best creative work elsewhere.

And writers WRITE! They don’t sit and stare out windows; they put pen to paper (or laptops) and crank. You don’t need (or really want) a private, silent, empty writing office/room. Go find a coffee house and get creative. (please see an article in Dec The Writer, which inspired this post)