How to Write in a Café or Coffee Shop
Writing in a coffee shop or café: Tips to make it better
I’m writing this article in (where else?) my favorite coffee shop. The coffee here is strong. The baked goods aren’t too loaded with sugar. The owners are hospitable and welcoming.
In fact, during our COVID lockdown, I knitted myself a pair of fingerless gloves so that, even in winter, I could escape my house for this café’s outdoor patio.
There, I did lots of people watching, but I also hustled to move some of my creative and wellness-writing workshops onto an virtual or online platform.
More recently, I came here to work on my latest book, a collection of transatlantic short stories set in my native Ireland and coastal Massachusetts.
New in town? New at writing? Or you just want a place to escape, where you can put some spatial and psychic distance between your day job and home?
For us writers, not all coffee shops offer the same opportunities.
6 Tips for Writing in a Café or a Coffee Shop
Music and noise: If the indoor or outdoor music is too loud, it will drive you to distraction, not creativity. If you need music or white noise while you write, it should be your chosen genre and volume. Here’s a tip: Never, ever leave home without a set of noise-blocking ear plugs. I keep mine in my wallet. Or headphones. Also, check if your potential café tables are crushed too closely together.
Layout and Tables: At this place, my local coffee haunt, they have two large tables named “The Coffice,” where there’s enough room to spread out my journal, drafts, pens and laptop. Every café is different, but, if possible, choose a table that’s well away from the counter queue.
WiFi Connection: If you’re drafting or editing, you may want to eclipse all digital distractions, including the internet. But sometimes, even when you’re in the writing ‘flow,’ you may need to quickly check some fact or research a needed detail. Bottom line: You can always put your device on “Airplane’ mode, and it’s better to have WiFi than to wish you had.
General Café Ambiance and ‘Fit:’ It can be as literary or mythical as Simone de Beauvoir’s famous Café de Flore. Or, I once had a writing student who exclusively wrote in her neighborhood fast-food chain restaurant (hint: this chain has yellow arches). So if you’re starting out, prepare to do a little Goldilocks-styled café hopping until you find one that feels just right for you.
Respecting other customers: Some writers need white noise. Others can write to the backdrop of general café chatter. Still other café customers are there not to write, but to catch up with friends or make a phone call. So let’s respect each everyone’s space and experience. Whatever your reason for visiting, I really don’t want to hear your Zoom meeting or partner spats or a recitation of your grocery list or your weekly check-in with Mum. And you wouldn’t want to hear mine.
Find Ways to Save Money: As we work other day jobs or side hustles, we need to justify all our expenditures. When it comes to café and coffee trips, that means balancing ambiance with value. Look for a place that offers frequent-buyer or loyalty discounts or freebies. Plus, before your birthday or the holidays comes around, drop some heavy hints about the gift cards you’d like most.
For some of us, coffee shops are a daily gift and a place and a space for our writing.
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Enjoyed this post? Check out my writing workshops for adults. These in-person and virtual workshops are available in the U.S., and internationally (Ireland, France, Canada and beyond). As well as being an author, I’m a trained teacher with 20+ years of curricular experience. As well as creative writing, I lead wellness writing for adults, including for healthcare professionals.