I have 9 wonderful distractions in my house. Nine wonderful distractions who jump in my lap and make nose art on my laptop. They spill my drinks and have to go out. And come in. And go out. And come in. Andwhydoyouhavetogooutagain? Youwerejustout5freakingminutesago! Writing becomes the fine art of not getting so irritated that I forget where I am.
I love being outside when I’m writing, but if I’m writing in my yard, my dogs are with me, and if my dogs are with me, it’s a really really really good time to play ball or frisbee. Only they don’t want to bring me the ball or frisbee so I can throw it. They want to play keep-away with it until I sit back down and start to work. Then it’s a good time to drop a slimy, sticky ball in my lap.
One of my friends (who is also a writer, check her out at Be Nice And Follow The Rules) mentioned that she goes to Starbucks to get writing done. I never really thought about doing that, but I realized that at a coffee shop, I don’t have to do dishes or take dogs out to walk. I won’t be distracted by the bills that need to be paid or think about vacuuming. When I used to work in Mobile Crisis, we’d sit at a coffee shop sometimes between calls, and I was super productive there.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m moving from Arizona to Austin in the next couple months. Austin appears to be a wonderful place for indie coffee shops and bookstores, so my hope is to find one that appeals where I can park it for a few hours a week and get some productive writing done. In the Phoenix area, my favorite coffee shop was Copper Star coffee. It’s a local place with cool local artwork and a laid back feel. Though it was always busy, there was almost always at least some seating available.
Where’s your favorite place to write or get creative?
Doree Weller 