Routine often works when you’re writing well. Each morning, I get up, let my dog out, feed her, and come upstairs to write. My husband kindly provides me with cups of tea. I usually write for about three hours.
Sometimes I find that writing just doesn’t come to me. When this is the case, writing in the same place, day after day, at the same time, can become boring and draining.
Even moving to a different room in my house can help. Sometimes I take my laptop down into the sitting room and sit on the sofa, propping it up on my knees on top of a pile of cushions. We have a little caravan, and on a muggy day, this makes a pleasant place to write with the door open. I can hear the birds singing, people passing by on the pavement, and my neighbours coming back and forth.
Sitting in a variety of cafés can inspire thought. I find it grounding to be in different atmospheres, with a low hum of conversation and background noise. Some cafés are happy for you to sit for an hour or two if you buy drinks. Others are not – they feel you’re taking space from more profitable customers. I have three that I feel comfortable in. Pubs also work well. Seeing others working around me provides natural encouragement. Cafés and bars impose deadlines – you buy one drink, you’ll need to buy another when you’ve finished it to stay.
As I write this, I’m sitting in a Manchester pub on a hot spring day with the doors open. There’s a man at the bar talking to the Irish barman. I can hear the trams and cars passing by on the road.
After a long swim at the gym, I take my laptop into the café and buy a coconut latte and biscuits. I work for at least an hour. It is worth noting that visits to cafés and pubs can become expensive! Public libraries also provide excellent spaces to work without the need to buy a drink.