Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Fashion by the sea+ When to write in coffee shops













How gorgeous is this fashion editorial? It reminds me of my recent trip to Deauville. 

Here's some more great writing advice: When to write in coffee shops. I personally find it very difficult to write in public places, I'm too easily distracted by noise, conversations and checking out what people are wearing! But for those of you that can do it, this is helpful...




When to Go:
  • When a parade of interesting characters might be inspiring -- i.e. at the start of a book.
  • At the moment when you think you might throw in the towel. The sight of other people hammering away at their keyboards might spur you on.
  • If you've just thrown out a bunch of pages. The chatter of other people can be soothing compared to the chatter in your head.
  • When you've been stuck on something in the story and a change of scenery might break the logjam.
When to Stay Home:
  • When you're trying to capture the tone or voice of a story. I think it's hard to hear the nuances in a coffee shop.
  • When you're trying to really get some pages under your belt -- you're on deadline, for example, or you're working towards a big page milestone. Stay home, turn off the phone, tell all your friends that you're "head down" and will let them know when you come up for air.
  • When you're solving problems whose answers might be on the Internet. If I have a lot of windows open and I'm whipping back and forth between websites and my text, I don't want to imagine that someone could be looking over my shoulder at the strange sites I'm visiting.
  • When you're editing for continuity and can't afford to make a mistake.
  • When you're doing a final polish and need to hear every detail in your mind.






(Images via here)

4 comments:

The Simply Luxurious Life said...

Great tips - they make complete sense and didn't think of them before. Thanks for sharing.

Kristen said...

Lovely fashion editorial! And great advice on the coffee house visit. I'm a huge fan of working at the local Starbucks to "be around other working people," but there are times when I simply cannot be distracted! Good thoughts and ideas.

Sarah Klassen said...

What a lovely post! I must say, I really enjoy your blog :)

Great photos and tips*

xo

Lorraine said...

Great advice! I've been stuck on a story I've been trying to write and I know these suggestions will help.