Writing Desk

© Photo by Leah Ranada

Over the years, I have written in many coffeehouses. There’s a few lovely places in my neighbourhood, many in adjacent cities where I used to live. When I’m travelling, I seek out the local spots. By this time, I know what to look out for. The right table height. Natural or soft lighting. Ample space to avoid guilt for hogging a table for a couple of hours. My mind thinks this is an indulgence, the cost of coffee (and the occasional treat) unnecessary for such an austere craft that one can very well practice at home or at the local library. But there are days when it feels like a necessity; writing is a kind of escape from daily life after all. And if I am mindful enough, I can take the time to be thankful for slow moments, the means to treat myself, for the hardworking people behind small businesses. Once in a while, I’d be sharing such moments here in my blog.

The photo above was taken at Pavé NYC (Midtown), early January this year. I staggered in right around when it opened at 7 AM—understand that this would have been 3 AM for my West Coast body clock. It grew increasingly busy throughout the morning, but there were plenty of tables for people like me who wanted to get work done early in the day. I revised the final chapters of my second novel.

Your Prompt: Write a scene or an entire story set in a café that you’ve only been in once. Make this setting an integral part of the piece.

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Your readers do not need your protagonist’s backstory in lengthy sections. Plan the flashbacks or timeline jumps in your outline, doling out the details your readers need to know at certain points of the story.

See previous Quick Tip.

About Writing Desk

Years ago, I gave up blogging for good. But I changed my mind and here we are. Aside from maintaining a consistent writing practice, my goal is to build a live space outside social media for content that supports the creative process, free of mindless, addictive, and AI-generated distractions.

I hope you find something helpful here.

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Found Words

“As they drank the coffee, they talked; although neither of them was what you would call loquacious. Most of their talk was an easy silence.” – Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride

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