Writing in Public

[Chessie]

My math could be off but...about 98% of the time, I write at home. It's super peaceful here and I'm home alone all day because my husband is off at work. Our home is high up a mountain road, surrounded by forests and ridges, the ocean off in the distance. Meaning, it's beautiful here so I often sit outside on the deck and write. The cats keep me company with their cuteness.

The other 2% of the time I mix it up. Sometimes I go to the neighborhood park which is usually pretty quiet and sit on the grass if it's nice out. And the other times I go to either the library or our church's coffee shop because it's lovely in there and has a fireplace.

I do prefer to write at home though. The distractions are bad enough here at home, but everywhere else it's worse. Like for example yesterday, I went to the library and came back home after an hour because I selected a seat next to a man that wouldn't stop coughing and that got on my nerves big time.

 

[Miskatonic]

I've gone to the local library before, hoping it would put me in the right state of mind. Doesn't ever seem to be miraculous.

I am getting a new tablet today with a keyboard attachment, so maybe I should try going there again. I tend to get distracted when on my laptop.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I only write at home. Never in public. And apart from the fact that I would feel self-conscious and probably have difficulty concentrating, I'd also have this recurring noghtmare playing through my head - what the hell would I do if my laptop got stolen or broken?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[SM-Dreamer]

Up until recently I was working with a special needs adult, and that meant being out in public a lot. Libraries, McDonald's, bookstores, the mall, parks. And I would use every spare moment to write, even if it just meant jotting a few lines in between walking. Also did a lot of homework that way, lol.

I didnt notice any special attention from others. Most people were doing their own work, business or school, so I was one of many.

For me, it wasnt any netter or worse than working at home. Just different.

 

[Tom]

I write in public a lot. Not to say I like it (which I don't), but that's it's often necessity. I'm on the go almost every day, and if I wrote exclusively at home I wouldn't get much done.

Writing in public can be hard, especially since I have ADD and sensory over-stimulation issues, but it can also be pretty rewarding. I can gather inspiration for dialogue from listening to snatches of the conversations going on around me, and observing the behavior and appearances of passerby makes for better characterization skills.

Part of writing in public is conquering self-consciousness. Which I haven't done yet. I still tilt my laptop so people walking by can't see what I'm writing. But I'm making progress.

 

[Darron]

I've had the urge to get out and try to write in public, but to echo some earlier posts I 1) don't want anyone to ask what I'm doing because I don't have the elevator speech down yet and 2) I write on an older computer that's 1-2 more accidental bumps from failing and I don't want to risk carting it around.

So when I do get out to a library or cafe I'll whip out my iPhone and type away on that. People just think I'm texting or something and leave you alone. Then I'll email it to myself when I'm done to add to my WIP later.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I always have pen and paper with me when I take my kids to the park. My best ideas seem to come to me while playing with my kids. I will also on occasion go to the library to write. Aside from the relaxed, quiet atmosphere I hope that some of the brilliance from other writers will leap off their pages and enter my mind through osmosis. :wink:

 

[Saigonnus]

I use my tablet with MS Office on it to write in public. The wife and I are usually together and on some errand or other, so it doesn't happen often. Usually it is at work, waiting for my class to start on those days when I arrive a bit early.

I usually feel uncomfortable, but I am overcoming that slowly.


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[Pythagoras]

I enjoy writing in public. I don't get much done at home. I like the hustle and bustle. It works as a nice white noise while I'm in the zone, and as an interesting distraction when I need a mental breather.

I don't understand self-consciousness about this. In today's world, the dude in the corner of the social hub with his laptop is just one of many, whether they're writing or just casually browsing the web. Anyone who's not face-deep in their hand-held technological wonder is most likely otherwise engaged, either socializing like a normal person (I know those "normies" are probably few and far between around here), or wrapped up in their own issues (or tasty beverage). Or just people-watching. I'm guilty of that, too, and I'm of the opinion that asking what someone else is doing on their personal laptop is more awkward for the asker than the answerer.

The only time anyone asks me anything is when I'm writing the old-fashioned way. But even then, all I've ever gotten was a "what've you got there?" in reference to my book, to which I say only "my notebook." No one ever pushes it further than that. I suppose the idea of an actual notebook is just so novel these days that some people can't help themselves.

I actually prefer my notebook, because I can doodle, and while it is intrinsically more valuable to me, no one's going to steal a notebook in a room full of smartphones and laptops. I'm not very technologically inclined anyway.

But I digress. Public writing is great for me. But my motto is "to each his own," and some people just aren't wired like I am.

And if being a cliche is all you're worried about, you should probably just chill out. Cliches exist for a reason, after all. And unless you're that snooty guy in a knit scarf who makes it a point to let everyone within earshot know that he's working on his novel, no one's likely to pin that stereotype to you.

Who knows, maybe once you're a regular with your laptop, that cute chick with a book will take notice of you. She's a curious person, and she finds brains sexy. Does attention always have to be unwelcome?

 

[thecoldembrace]

I have days when I NEED to write in public.... to get away from all the distractions and temptations at home.... like tv.... food... games.... work..
But then there are times, when it is virtually impossible for me to do work outside of home, because the outside becomes just as distracting.

I try to do writing at work, sometimes that helps and flows easily.

 

[Tom]

So when I do get out to a library or cafe I'll whip out my iPhone and type away on that. People just think I'm texting or something and leave you alone. Then I'll email it to myself when I'm done to add to my WIP later.

I have a Windows phone that's equipped with the OneNote app. When I write on it, it stores the files in OneDrive, which I can access from my laptop. It's a great system that makes transferring my writing quick and easy.

At first I hated writing on my phone, for the way you have to type with only your thumbs. (My friggin' thumb joints lock like rusty hinges! How am I supposed to friggin' type with them?) But then I got the hang of it. It's a lot faster than typing on a laptop, especially on the go.

 

[Saigonnus]

My tablet and phone both have microsoft office... So if and when i write down ideas or whatever, i just upload to dropbox and open it on my laptop later.


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