The Pros And Cons of Writing Your Screenplay In a Cafe – Part 1
Submitted by Christopher on March 17, 2010 – 1:40 amNo Comment
If you’re anything like me, you probably find yourself doing most of your writing away from home — either at a cafe here, a bookstore there, or wherever you find yourself most inspired — check out the 7 Place to Write Your Screenplay for ideas.Setting can be a tricky thing though.
While you might be surrounded by hundreds of years of literature or the local coffee enthusiasts, there’s a line in each setting that when crossed the situation is no longer inspiring and it probably doesn’t make much sense to attempt to stick around to write.
I’d like to spend a couple posts exploring this line — more specifically, the pros and cons of going out to write.
Let’s start with the cons:
There Aren’t Any Open Tables
This is one of the worst case scenarios. If you’re knew to the whole going out to write thing, then you probably realize it all too late. The key is to scope the cafe for an available seat before you buy your coffee — that way you’re not stuck hovering on the sidelines waiting for someone to leave.
That said, sometimes the floor is really inspiring — a throwback to your days in elementary school if you will.
You’re Obligated to Buy a Drink
It's more common courtesy than anything, so don't stress it too much -- unless you're taking up a table and someone with a coffee doesn't have a place to sit, then you might want to offer your table.
Interruptions
Going out to write will inevitably lead to interruptions — and not the inspiring kind. It’s not anything to be upset about, but just know that it will happen so be careful not to blow up in some other customer’s face when they ask, “are you you using this chair?”
Who knows, you might just bump into the inspiration for your next character.
Distraction
This can be considered a pro or con depending on the writer — if you’re quickly sidetracked and you’re hoping to distance yourself from the distractions at home, you might look at it as more of a con.
Unlike your Stephen King style writing desk in the corner, writing in a cafe places you in the middle of the action — there will be plenty of people to watch and empty space to gaze into as you think — so it might be more difficult to focus on your task at hand, which is writing your screenplay.
Bumping into Friends
Again, another point you might consider either a pro or con depending on your style and point of view is the fact that there’s a chance you might hbump into people you know.
While some might find this inspiring, we’re going to focus on the flip side — the perspective that greeting people you know and chatting casually for a moment or two is counter-productive.
There you have it — just 5 reasons why it’s not a good idea to go out and write at the cafe.
What are some of the cons of writing in a cafe that you’ve noticed?
