So last week I posted about my top 5 best places to write. Living in a small town of about 1200 residents, with nature literally in my back yard, really lends itself to some lovely, inspiring outdoor spaces.
This week, I’m going to share my worst places to write. Some of these could be anywhere, one of them is from my past city life, and one is specific to what’s available in the town where I live.
And before I share my list, I just need to say that I’m not someone who finds noise cancelling headphones comfortable or even all that helpful. I still become distracted by all the visual activity around me, and I don’t like the idea that I can’t hear what’s going on around me. I know many writers who can sit in a coffee shop for hours writing with their headphones on. Not me.
Parks With Playgrounds
Don’t get me wrong, writing in parks can be great, especially larger parks where there are different designated areas. But as soon as I see play equipment, or a basketball net, I run the other way because inevitably, these areas will be crowded with lots of loud, happy people enjoying being active outdoors. Not only are there lots of loud noises, but the visuals distract me every time.
The Mall
When I lived in a city of approximately 110,000 residents, there were different shopping malls in different locations around the city. Most had a food court, or coffee shops available, but for me, the atmosphere of multitudes of folks rushing from store to store, workers looking for places to grab a quick lunch, children riding coin operated animals, and just the general bustle of activity is far too distracting for me to write anything other than possibly people watching/future character details. And then, there’s also that niggling urge to shop.
The Kitchen Table
I love my kitchen table. It’s a big, solid wood structure with comfortable chairs. There’s lots of light because it’s on the wall with the big window. All the drinks and snacks are in close proximity. But for me, I feel like I should be cooking, or tidying, instead of writing. I would imagine, for those who live in a busy household, this room would also hold the distractions of folks coming in and out to satisfy their thirst and hunger needs. I think it just feels like too open a space and my kitchen definitely doesn’t have a creative vibe.
Anywhere where I can hear the TV (or radio)
I’m okay with background noise to some degree when I’m writing. The snowblower cleaning the neighbor’s driving. A dog barking. A train whistle in the distance. But if there’s music, especially music with lyrics, I’m singing along. Even instrumental music (I especially love Vivaldi) will have me humming along. Can’t help it – it just is. If there’s television playing, I find myself straining to listen. What’s the program? What did they just say? I feel like I’m missing out. Oddly enough, if others in the house are having a conversation, the urge to listen in doesn’t have the same draw at all. TV on = Netflix is calling.
The Coffee Shop in my town
I’ve written in coffee shops before – the ones where you can find a table in a corner in the back, spread out your laptop, notebooks, pens/pencils, and whatever else you need for your sessions. But in my town, the one coffee shop happens to be located in the lobby of one of the motels. There are 5 tables with chairs for 18 patrons, and they are usually full. The space is small, and the customers coming in and out are many, as this coffee shop is also located on our Main St., which is also the highway. And in a small town, you always run into someone you know, and I’m much more likely to grab a coffee and join into the chats than try to tune them out and write something.
Everyone’s different. I know folks who swear by noise cancelling headphones. The can and do literally write everywhere. I don’t know how they handle the visual distractions, though. Maybe I need to ask them for a future post.
If you’ve tried different spots that didn’t work for you, send me a message in my contact form.
Until next time, keep writing.