I am sitting in a café across the road from a Sydney beach. This stretch of road has a whole row of cafes side by side facing the sea. This is my favourite kind of writing place: one where I can sit comfortably for a long period of time and where the owners of the café know me and welcome me. This café is owned by a Brazilian man and his wife and has comfortable upholstered bench chairs with a direct view of the Pacific Ocean. For my two-hour writing session my choice could be a traditional Brazilian dish such as Coxinha, Feijoda or Moqueca. Or a cocktail like Caipirinha or Caipiroska. I must order something and it must be more that a Long Black, because I plan to be here for some time. I want the owners of the café to know I appreciate the time and the space they are allowing me.
However, today I’ll be very boring and order poached eggs on gluten-free bread
Why go to all this trouble to find a place to write? Why not just stay home and work? Because it’s good to get out and have a change of scene. I find I need to be happy and relaxed when I’m creating on the page and sitting in a café with a pleasant vibe works for me. Other writers need silence in order to concentrate, but I need to feel I am out and about in a beautiful place having a good time before the creative juices flow.
Strangely, working in a café can help to increase concentration. The busy café atmosphere keeps the sensory part of you occupied and content, so that the hidden, quieter part of you that composes and focuses is allowed to do its work. It is something like being cunning when trying to get a spoonful of food into a resistant toddler’s mouth . You pretend to be an aeroplane with all the sound effects and movements before landing the food-laden plane inside the child’s mouth. Mission accomplished.
What about you? Do you need to be at your desk in total silence in order to write, or do you like to experience the swell of humanity around you—to be surrounded by other human beings? Or at home listening to a particular kind of music?
Libby Sommer, Author 
Yes! … I do a lot of my writing in a cafe … The Box Office Cafe, the atmosphere is rustically casual, and ‘doggie friendly’ 📘😍🐶
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Sounds wonderful, Ivor. Well done you.
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Yes, it’s a satisfying way to write, Libby
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I love working in coffee shops! Since our move to Northern Alabama more than a decade ago, I haven’t been able to find the right shop though. I miss my little NOLA cafe, which was a few minutes drive from my house.
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That’s a shame, Chandra. There surely must be the right coffee shop for you in Northern Alabama. Please keep searching for it. 🙏
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I sit in the comfort of home listening to smooth jazz or blues without vocals. This sets my muse free.
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It’s great, Ernie, that you have discovered what works for you when calling on the writing muse.
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I love to write in little cafes and coffee shops
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A woman of my own heart, Beth. Good for you. 👍
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I’ve absolutely been doing to coffee shops more. Something about the ambiance and sounds make it much easier to focus & flow.
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Yes. That’s how it is for me too. Easier to focus and flow.
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Great post! I enjoy writing in cafés and coffee shops on occasion.
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Thanks for letting me know, Michele. Good to hear. 👍
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😊
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I appreciate being away from home to write. I choose the sanctity of a library, but getting out, into a space devoid of distractions, helps me focus on just writing.
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Good to know that the sanctity of a library works so well for you, Jason. Great place to focus on your writing. 🙂
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It depends on the day. Sometimes I like staying cozy, but other days I love cafes and libraries. I always bring my music though. Changing your environment helps you think in different ways.
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I absolutely agree, a change of environment helps us think in different ways – so necessary when we are creating and editing our work.
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I can only ever do some writing when I’m out of the house, so cafés are ideal environments for me! And the vibe is just better than being in an office haha
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Yes, there’s something about the vibe in a café that is more relaxing and conducive to creativity and to concentration than struggling to write at home or in an office.
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good idea. thank you for sharing
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I’m glad you like the idea. Happy writing.
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