This post is all about how writing in a café helps writers be more productive, focused, inspired, and happier while writing.
Writing in a café can completely transform your writing routine. From increased focus and motivation to fun little writing adventures and uncovering a fresh set of ideas, café writing might actually be the strategy you were looking for to boost your writing productivity.
Writing at a coffee shop can help you write more, while reducing your stress and rekindling your passion for writing, all without the pressure of strict discipline or burnout.
If you prefer the video version, check out the YouTube video below to discover the benefits of writing in a café and see how to turn café writing into a playful, productive, and fun activity.
Writing in a cafè sparks creativity
You’re a writer. So what do you usually do for work? You sit down at your desk and type. And you repeat this process every day.
And it’s great! Having a routine is good for the brain because it signals when it’s time to write. Having a routine boosts your productivity and ensures consistent progress on your book.
But after a while, this process starts to feel like a job. Doing the same thing, in the same place, every single day no longer feels stimulating, and then you start noticing a decline in creativity.
While routines are great for productivity, novelty is what you need for your creativity to flourish. That’s why changing your workspace from time to time can be great for sparking new ideas, especially when you feel stuck.
Changing your writing environment from time to time brings a sense of excitement and adventure back into your writing process. The background noise, the soft music, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and warm croissants, and even the conversations happening at the next table, can help stimulate your brain and spark fresh ideas for your novel.
So next time you don’t feel like sitting down at your desk to write, or you’re dealing with writer’s block, try writing in a café. You’ll feel more relaxed, more energized (especially with a cup of coffee by your side), and before you know it, your ideas will start flowing back to your refreshed brain.
We’ve seen in a previous post how J. K. Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter books in cafés. The amazing wizarding world she created is proof that writing in a coffee shop can do wonders for your creativity.
RELATED POST: The Writing Habits of Famous Authors
Background noise improves writing focus
The sound of the espresso machine, the soft conversations at the table next to you, and the music playing in the background can work wonders for your focus.
You’d naturally assume that all these sounds should be distracting. And they probably would be if they were directly involving you. But the coffee machine isn’t your responsibility, you’re not the one preparing the drinks. And the conversations taking place at nearby tables don’t have anything to do with you either.
Unless you’re wearing a funny costume for your café writing session. That might change the topic of a few conversations. And if you’re wearing that, you probably don’t care what others say about you anyway. Good for you!
When it comes to café music, I found that both soft and upbeat music can help with my focus, just in different ways. The soft, relaxing music calms your mind and supports creativity, while the more upbeat music energizes you and helps with a faster flow of ideas.
Now, you might be the kind of writer who needs total silence when writing. And that’s perfectly okay. We each have our own way of getting into creative mode. If you like silence, you can still write from a café, you just need to remember to bring your noise-canceling headphones with you. That way, you still benefit from the change of environment and enjoy the cozy café writing atmosphere while blocking out all the external noise.
The coffee shop atmosphere becomes your accountability partner
Writing at home certainly has a lot of advantages, but it also comes with certain disadvantages. And one of the biggest ones is that writing from home makes it incredibly easy to procrastinate.
You suddenly remember that there are some dishes in the sink that urgently need washing, even though they’ve been sitting there for days. Or you need to get a snack. And when that’s done, you need another one. And then another one.
Or you just need to quickly look something up online, and two hours later you realize you’re reading a Wikipedia article about the platypus. Now, don’t get me wrong. The platypus is an absolutely fascinating creature. But do you even remember how you ended up on that page, so far from the topic of your novel? And if you are writing a book about platypuses, do let me know. I love those little guys!
The point is that working from home comes with endless distractions that prevent you from actually writing. But when you’re going to a café to write, that is your sole objective while you’re there. You’re there to write, so you use that time intentionally to work on your novel.
Writing in a café creates accountability, giving you a clear purpose and a focused writing period dedicated entirely to your novel, free from all the tempting distractions you have at home.
Cafè writing makes writing more fun
I wrote the script for this video and blog post in a café. And I had so much fun while writing it!
First, I love the background music, and I was dancing at the table while writing. What do I care what other people think of me? I was productive and having lots of fun at the same time! That’s a great writing session for me.
Second, café writing makes it easy to play with your writing sprints. Instead of setting your writing sprint to precisely 25 minutes, you can have fun adjusting the duration to match the café atmosphere. Write for the length of a song. Or until the next person walks into the café. Or for as long as it takes you to drink a coffee.
Just be careful with this last one so you don’t drink too much coffee. Health first! Always!
Third, when you’re writing in a café you can have a fun little competition with other people from the café, people who don’t even have a clue that they are competing with you. See if you can achieve your writing goal before the person working at the table next to yours finishes their task.
With so many people working on their own projects in cafés, it’s easy to find a friendly “competitor.” Will you be able to complete your scene before they close their laptop? This kind of playful competition increases your productivity and makes the writing process a lot more fun.
Cafès are a source of inspiration for your novels
I mentioned earlier that the conversations taking place at nearby tables have nothing to do with you. And usually, that’s true. But they can, however, provide fresh ideas for your novels.
Every person has an interesting story to tell based on their life experiences. So when you overhear even small snippets of their stories from their conversations, I’m pretty sure they will spark some ideas for your next book.
It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as the plot of Ocean’s Eleven, Die Hard, or Red Notice, but you can still find inspiration for your stories from the lived experiences of those around you. People are fascinating, so why not use them as inspiration for your future novel?
And maybe there’s not a big conversation happening next to you. Maybe it’s just one person quietly sipping his coffee. You can try to imagine what his story might be. What was the greatest adventure of his life? The biggest regret and the proudest achievement?
And you know what? You don’t have to stop at imagining. Why not start a conversation? That way you actually get to hear someone’s story, get fresh ideas, and maybe even make a new friend along the way.
Writing in a cafè connects you with the writing community
You know what makes writing even more fun? Writing together with other writers.
When I moved to Vancouver, I didn’t know almost anyone here. So joining a writing group was great both for socializing and for boosting my writing productivity.
When we meet to work in a coffee shop, each of us focused on our own project, it significantly boosts my writing productivity. Whether I’m brainstorming new ideas, plotting a novel, or writing a blog post, being surrounded by other writers in a café makes me feel completely energized — almost like my creativity is supercharged.
On the one hand, there’s the café itself, with all the writing benefits I mentioned before. And on the other hand, there’s the community. It’s a powerful combination for a productive, happy writer.
When you’re with other writers and interact with people facing similar challenges and writing struggles, it makes those struggles feel more bearable. It reminds you that you’re not alone in this journey. You support and encourage each other, making the writing process lighter and you have more fun writing.
This post was all about the benefits of writing in a café. If you enjoyed it, you might also enjoy this post:
How to Get Book Ideas – Discover Where Authors Get Their Creative Inspiration
Now it’s your turn. Let me know in the comments if you enjoy writing in a café? Do you have a favorite café where you feel more inspired to write?
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