There's a new Starbucks being built across the street from our neighborhood. When my son saw it, he said, "Cool! Now you can meet clients here instead of driving to that other one." I laughed and said, "That's true, but the other one is only five minutes up the road."
What sticks out from that short conversation is that even my 10-year-old son knows how valuable coffee shops are to my writing and editing business, Edit This®. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone, I'd say I stop in at 10 different coffee shops fairly regularly to meet with clients or get some work done.
The funny thing is, I hate coffee. But clearly, I'm having a writer's affair with coffee shops.
Here are 6 reasons why:
1. It's a convenient meeting spot — The guesswork over where to meet a client has been taken out of the equation. I just find a middle ground in town, and there's bound to be a Starbucks or smaller coffee shop in the vicinity. Clients appreciate being able to get away from the office, and coffee shops offer the perfect laid-back atmosphere.
2. It doesn't feel like my office — I love my home office. But every once in a while, I give my creative juices a jolt with a change of scenery. There's free Wi-Fi, plenty of beverage options — other than coffee, of course — no one bothers me, and there's still plenty of room to work.
3. It's easier for me to work on bigger projects — Sticking to the previous point on feeling more creative in a coffee shop setting, I often save my bigger writing projects (website content writing, enterprise features, etc.) for my trips to the coffee shop. I end up accomplishing more in a shorter amount of time, and it doesn't feel like work.
4. I like to people watch — Sounds totally creepy, I know. But all creative writers need a muse or different elements happening around them for added inspiration. Occasionally, I'll just watch and listen to everything going on around me. You never know when a good story will pop up. If you don't believe me, just give it a try.
5. I can give myself a time limit — How long is it acceptable to hang out at Starbucks? I guess if you're purchasing a few items here and there and it's clear you're working, you can't be accused of loitering. But surely you don't want to spend all day there. I know I don't. I typically set a time limit of two or three hours, and that helps me stay on task.
6. It's a tradition, isn't it? — Just like all cowboys wear boots and drive pickup trucks, aren't all writers supposed to love working in a coffee shop? I may not appreciate coffee, but the coffee shop — for a writer, anyway — is everything it's cracked up to be.
Thanks for reading! If you're in need of an extra set of eyes to look over your next corporate message, blog, website, article, resume, term paper, etc., call Edit This.
*STEVE GAMEL is the Owner/President of Edit This®, a writing and editing services company located in Denton, TX. Along with being a sports writer for the Denton Record-Chronicle, Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.