Fellow blogger Jenny wrote about the difficulties of writing in a coffee shop awhile back. Last weekend, it was gorgeous weather but I had a million queries that I wanted to tackle and finally had the time to write them. So I struck a compromise with myself: I’d write diligently, but I’d do it in more exotic locale than my apartment.
Last Saturday I took my laptop to the Boston Public Library and wrote up a storm in the Parisian courtyard (until my battery died, then I switched to the research wing, which I call the “Harry Potter” room). I adore the old section of the library; in fact, one of my ancestors’ names is engraved on the façade. I felt very scholarly with my laptop and stack of research materials (back issues of Cosmo if you must know).
Regrettably, the library isn’t open on Sundays in the summer, so I hit a coffee shop instead. I’m fortunate that my neighborhood has three Starbucks locations and several independent places, because all of them were packed (apparently no one goes to church anymore because they’re too busy worshipping at St. Starbucks). I finally found an open seat and, not having a coat, I marked my territory with research materials (see above).
I picked up my orange mocha and returned to find another woman engrossed in my research. Not wanting to pull a Naomi Campbell, I told her she could keep the seat if she returned my magazine. I must have been pretty darn scary because she fled the coffee shop and went across the street. I spent several blissful hours writing, and the best part was that since Starbucks charges for wifi, I didn’t get sidetracked checking gmail or blog-hopping (yes, I’m that cheap). For me the challenge is not getting engrossed in people-watching, but getting people to leave so I could have their seat! Where do you like to write?
Note to other caffeine-loving freelancers: at the risk of sounding like my Mom, Starbucks and computer keyboards do not mix (trust me, I know). If you must multi-task, please use protection. After another close call, I ordered this plastic keyboard cover, and now I don't have to worry about spilling vanilla crème lattes on my computer. Beats spending several hundred bucks on a new laptop!