As promised, to both myself and whoever reads this blog, I went out on Monday to take my first stab at writing in a new place. I ended up at my local Borders because 1) it was nearby and not a Starbucks and 2) I could get a drink at my store before I went over there.
While I got some work done, it wasn't as productive as I hoped. I think this was due to a lot of factors. Don't get me wrong, I love Borders. My checkbook cries every time I drive by it, though I've been better than I originally thought at resisting the urge to stop there every other day. The familiarity of it killed me, even though they moved all the bookshelves around - I was already there, of course I had to work.
My first spot was in the cafe, in one of the big leather chairs. Very comfy, like I could sink down into the seat and never get up again - but it didn't offer anywhere for me to prop up my notebook. Had I been home, I would have kicked off my shoes and curled my legs up, forming a table that way, but as it was, the guys next to me were giving me dirty looks. I was more comfortable at a table; my favorite is this really high, circular table in the middle of the cafe. My feet can't touch the floor, so I propped them up on the chair next to me and I could spread out my things: my cell phone, my notebook, my iPod.
Yes, I brought my iPod into Borders. It's usually in my purse, though I had thought about leaving it in the car for this excursion. I wanted to listen to the sounds of the people around me and draw inspiration from what was going on around me. There were two problems with this: First, there wasn't a whole lot going on Monday nights at Borders, and that the one group of people talking were loud. Add to this the blender from the cafe, which startled me out of a thought, and I thought I wasn't going to get anything done.
The cure? Music. I listened to Mae's The Everglow album, perfect to write to because the lyrics are deep but I don't know them so well, which keeps me from singing along with them. I gave myself a good hour to work and have a decent start to the scene, and hopefully I'll finish it up in the next day or so.
I'm not sure if writing in Borders had an impact on what came out, but I do know it gave me the time to do nothing but write, which I find is half the battle. Next time I'll pick a place that I don't know so well. Bard Coffee in downtown Portland looks like a winner. When I make the trip, I'll be sure to document how successful it goes.
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