Pages

March 16, 2018

Coffee Shop Survival Kit For Writers



By Suzy Parish


I recently spent many days in a local coffee shop proofing galleys for Flowers from Afghanistan.

During that time I developed a survival kit for those long days away from home.

Air travel collapsible pillow: Let’s face it, hard wooden coffee shop chairs are not made to spend hours in when writing. Look in the air travel section of your local store. They have scaled down comfort items that fit perfectly in a backpack to help you be more comfortable and productive in your coffee shop office.

Noise canceling headphones: I tried earbuds, and they worked fine for listening to music and removing most distractions. The problem was no one knew I couldn’t hear them when they came up to speak to me. One day I never saw the barista who brought my coffee. I was deep in thought and never heard her. I’m sure she thought I was rude not to acknowledge her. Or maybe she understood. Anyway, I felt bad she didn’t know I had not heard her. The next day on the advice of my daughter and son-in-law I purchased a set of headphones. I felt much more comfortable knowing people got the message I couldn’t hear them.

Saline eye drops: I don’t think I have to say more than that! Hours of reading, whether in my home office or away give me dry scratchy eyes. I don’t use drops with anything other than saline because though the others may remove red eyes, they work by constricting the blood vessels in your eye and eventually you get a rebound effect.

Protein bars: Coffee shops offer tempting carb-loaded muffins and pastries. I indulge in one, but to stay productive and awake protein takes me farther.

Favorite lip balm.

Small tube of your favorite hand lotion: Long days on the keyboard cause rough, dry skin on hands.

Layer your clothing: My prime writing spot, unfortunately, happened to be right across from the door. Every time someone entered the shop, blustery air followed. I learned after the first day to pack my favorite sweater. That writing spot was so sunny and cheery it was worth the extra effort.

Consideration: If I must take a phone call, I try to do it outside. There is nothing worse than working on deadline and have some guy use the coffee shop to make sales calls. Even wearing my headphones, his voice boomed over the entire shop. Not everyone wants to hear your latest marketing plans.

Purchase their products! I filled a coffee punch card this past week. Remember: their mission is to sell coffee. An old Girl Scout motto is "Leave no trace." Adapt that to your coffee shop office. Clean up your mess as your mother taught you. Make them glad you're spending hours in their shop (taking up space another customer might like). If you follow these suggestions you just may cultivate a great relationship with your barista! __________________________________________________________________ 
Suzy Parish is an author at Pelican Book Group. Suzy wrote as a Community Columnist for the Huntsville Times. She is currently a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Her novel, Flowers from Afghanistan was a semi-finalist in the Genesis contest for 2013. Suzy discovered her love of books as a child in Richmond, Virginia when she took refuge from the summer heat in the local Bookmobile. She believes in the power of literacy to improve the lives of individuals and stewards a Little Free Library in a local park. Suzy’s debut novel, Flowers from Afghanistan will be released in 2018. Her social media links: www.suzyparish.com  twitter.com@SuzyParish  https://www.facebook.com/Parishauthor






No comments:

Post a Comment