Why I Love Writing In Cafes

A lot of my writing is done in cafes. Part of this this is because I now work in a cafe as a barista/waitstaff, so it’s a super convenient place to hang out once I’ve finished up my shift. Most of my prep for NaNoWriMo this year was done sitting in the back corner of my workplace, a cup of coffee at my elbow (my boss is super generous and lets me have me free coffee after my shift, so I mean, if there was ever an incentive to hang around after work…), probably disturbing all the other cafe patrons with the constant tap, tap, tapping of the keys as I hammered out the bare bones of a plot.

But even on days when I’m not doing a shift at my cafe, sometimes I just like to go out to a coffee shop by myself, or maybe with one of my sisters, if they feel the need to get some writing of their own done, steal a seat in a corner somewhere and settle in for an hour or so of writing. There’s just something about being in a cafe that helps me focus better and feel more creative. It’s not just the stereotype of writers and coffee, it’s more than that I think. There are a whole host of reasons why I love writing in cafes so much.

Part of it, I think, is that I’m away from my usual writing space. If I’ve just finished a shift at work, then I have two choices, either go straight home, or do some writing (I purposefully don’t pack a book to read, or even, sometimes, headphones, just in case I get distracted by watching YouTube.) And if I’ve made a trip into town specifically to do writing, well, then I can’t really afford to waste all the effort it took to get out of the house and into the cafe. At home I might be tempted to waste time surfing YouTube, or scrolling Twitter, but a change of location and scenery is often enough to jump start my creativity and focus.

I also really like the ambiance of the cafes I frequent. I like places that are a little slower, where people don’t mind you sitting for a while, and where there aren’t hundreds of people coming and going all the time. There’s usually music playing in the background, just soft enough that it’s not overpowering. The indistinct babble of the voices of the other cafe goers is a bit like white noise in the background (unless someone sits next to me and is having a very loud conversation, which I certainly do find distracting). If I get my usual seat in a back corner somewhere, I don’t even have to worry about people looking over my shoulder.

Then of course, there’s the fact that if I’m in a cafe, there is going to be at least one cup of coffee to keep me going. If I’m feeling particularly brave, there might even be a piece of cake at the end of a good writing session to reward myself for a job well done. I’ll do pretty much anything of a piece of cake, so on a particularly difficult writing day, this makes for an exceedingly good incentive to get those words down on the page.

I love writing in cafes. I love being able to settle in somewhere comforting and familiar, that isn’t my usual desk at home. I love the convenience of being able to hang around and write after work. I love the peaceful atmosphere that helps me to focus. I like being around people, but not actually with them. And of course, I love the coffee. This NaNoWriMo, I can foresee that I will be spending an awful lot of time in cafes, punching out the daily word count and bringing my book to life. And really, I can’t think of anything more delightful than that.

What is your favourite place to write outside of your own house? What’s your favourite coffee order? Do you have a favourite cafe you like to write in? Are you happy writing in public, or does it make you self conscious?