New Writing Technique: The coffee crawl

I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to get distracted just as I am about to sit down and do some serious writing.  I turn the computer on, tea in hand, glasses on and... oh, maybe I should check Facebook.  Fast forward three hours, all my dishes will clean and I've leveled up my sith assassin in The Old Republic but very little (translate as: none) writing got done.

It's so strange because I actually like writing.

So I've adopted a new technique: the coffee crawl.  The premis is relatively simple: you go to a coffee shop, order a coffee, get out your computer and write. For me, this works like a charm.  The sheer fact that I am in a non-home environment is distraction enough.  So I automatically focus on the task at hand.

There's also the social pressure going on in this kind of environment.  You can't go to a coffee shop with a computer and only work on said computer for 10 measly minutes.  No, you're committed to that spot for at least an hour or you lose some major street cred.

The cherry on top is that your productivity and trendiness levels increase.  Writing your short story in a coffee shop is extremely hard core.  I mean, you can't get much more artsy than that.

So if you're having problems focusing, I highly recommend this technique.  If nothing else, it gives you an excuse to shower and get out of the house.

Comments

  1. Purity JonesApril 12, 2012 at 9:35 PM

    But does the atmosphere of the coffee shop influence the quality or tone of your writing? I haven't edited for you lately. Are you straying?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Alain GomezApril 13, 2012 at 1:35 AM

    For me I feel like the coffee shop doesn't really influence *what* I write. It merely affects *how much* I write. However, all writing so far as been stories that were already in progress. It might be a different story (pun!) if I was trying to come up with ideas. Then I fear there is a great danger to head down the path of the depressed artist.

    Of course I wouldn't stray! I've been focusing on Muzik Chronicles lately. I need to get back into my western novella though. That thing really needs to be done before the turn of the decade.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Purity JonesApril 13, 2012 at 12:50 PM

    Well, if I see any hipster literature from you I'll know what happened.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Alain GomezApril 13, 2012 at 2:09 PM

    Perhaps you haven't heard of my latest release: "Renesmee: The half dog, half human, half vampire chick who sparkles"

    ReplyDelete

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