Tag Archives: Coffee Shops

Losing the glue holding society together: Coffee shops.

I have for some time contended coffee shops hold civilized society together. Coffee shops in many ways are responsible for the enlightenment. Now I suppose we need to review the history of the coffee shop to get a context for why.

Constantinople – 1475 – Kiva Han served black unfiltered coffee, made in an ibrik. The article here: https://tinyurl.com/y6dcprwt does a better job than I ever could.

When I read the words “Constantinople – 1475” I see a hazy hot day with the sun setting, streaming through the dust and the profile of an olive skinned man with black stubble just showing over a keffiyeh, squinting against the late day heat. He turns to walk into a coffee shop alive with chatter. Hand gestures emphasizing arguments, or just comments. He takes in the room with it’s maze of tables, organized as needed to accommodate patrons various groups. A subtle glance to the owner behind the bar, they nod back and turn to pull down an ibrik already starting a carafe of strong, cardamon laced Turkish coffee. Making his way to a table against a wall near the middle of the room, oddly an equal distance from each exit in the establishment. The two patrons at the table see the man, and as he arrives at the stone table, stand. One pulls out a ebon black chair out for him and as he sits, they move off to join another table of coffee shop philosophers.

Romance, intrigue, an emotional attachment is what I love about coffee shops. The words can be written anywhere, and I suppose great writers can write anywhere. After all Stephen King made his writing recovery in a laundry room. Would we have Harry Potter without a coffee shop?

But for me there is a romance, a sense of being genuine by going to a coffee shop, sitting at a table alone, arranging my tools to help plot the Martian takeover of the Lunar Empire, and drinking coffee while a write.

As you can see I have digressed, become self-indulgent, procrastinated from writing the real blog. Glue. A glue that holds our worlds together. One of the only places of common ground. Maybe next time.

Be a hero, wear a mask.
Be Well…dcd

What I learned from NaNoWriMo 2017

With a strange sense of satisfaction, I find myself writing this blog post before the end of November.  I learned a lot about myself and my writing this during NaNoWriMo this year.

Here goes:

Special Award: Mary Robinette Kowal’s “No NaNoPrep” course was invaluable.

dn0bz0cuqaa6tzm

Number One – I need more plot and structure to write.  I didn’t have enough material prepared, from incidental character names, to plot points, to the details of my characters.

Number Two: Don’t have to race to the next plot point. I worked to enjoy the scene I was writing.  There is more to improve on this. I also believe this is a weakness in my writing.

Number Three: Taking time to introduce my characters properly to the reader, makes them easier to write.

Numero Cat: I write the most words during word sprints at coffee shops, with an outline of the scene and alone.  Word sprints help me write, better, quicker, faster.  Make the  best use of my time. Having an outline of the scene or section I am writing generates greater output.  Once I start writing at a coffee shop I am highly productive. I write the best when I am alone focusing on what i need to do. While it is good fun and helpful to write with others, I am less productive. One of my goals is to have a higher output of words. Currently I average around 1200 – 1500 word an hour.  I want to get that much higher.  Once again more on this in an upcoming blog.

Number Five: Working with a soundtrack helps. I need to look at using different soundtracks for different sections. Instrumentals work best.

Number Six: Netflix is my friend. During breaks from writing, watching a TV show in the same genre helps to keep me grounded. I need to test this out more to be sure. Not movies, series. I don’t binge watch Netflix. If you binge watch, then I would suggest that this is bad tip for you.

Lucky Number Seven: Writing podcasts, like “The Prolific Writer” and “Writing Excuses” help my motivation. A LOT, LIKE A TON!

Number Eight: I don’t know how you become a writer without a writing group. The information and encouragement from a writing group should be mandatory for all writers, regardless of proficiency level. Thanks to Courtney, Lou, Melissa, Morena and Sharelene for keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Number Nine: (no not the Beatles song) Coffee shops. Lovely, pretentious,  coffee shops. My thanks go out to : http://iconoclastcoffee.com/ , http://remedycafe.ca/ , and https://www.transcendcoffee.ca/

There must be some deep psychological reason I love writing at coffee shops. A misplaced idealistic dream about what it means to be a writer? But Damn it, I love writing at coffee shops.

Be Well…dcd