Writing at the coffee shop

I've been spending my days and nights in coffee shops over the past few weeks, working on my upcoming book about Avalon. Authors such as J.K. Rowling, Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot and F. Scott Fitzgerald have written their novels from the comfort of a coffee shop, and I'm no different. The nutty whiffs of coffee in the air, the holiday-themed drinks, the twinkling Christmas decorations... Nothing enthuses me more to get some writing done. But going to a coffee shop also implies that I'll be concentrating solely on my book, and not spend my time creating blog posts, filling in e-mail interviews, or answering e-mails and blog comments.

I particularly love writing from the airport, especially at night, when departure flights are paused, and desks and halls are abandoned. Remember the scene from Stephen King's The Langoliers where, upon arrival, the airport bears no signs of life? That kind of abandoned. The airport's Starbucks is open all night, and, with only a handful of people at the most, it's an incredibly peaceful place to spin ideas for hours on end, especially around this time of the year when there are gingerbread lattes on the menu and Christmas music in the background.

The two-storey coffee shop Or in Brussels is my second favorite. I always go there in the afternoon during weekdays as it's quiet, warm, cozy, and because they serve fantastic chai tea lattes. Or is only a few blocks from my boyfriend's flat, which makes it super easy to include in my work schedule.

Finally, there's the Coffee Company in Brussels. This coffee shop is usually a bit too crowded, even on weekdays. But around Christmas, they treat their customers to a variety of seasonal specialty beverages such as Christmas lattes and hot orange juice spiced with fresh ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. That definitely compensates for the noise.

Do you also love to work and write from a coffee shop? Which one is your favorite?

Have a wonderful end of the year!

Image source: David Giral

Writing in Santa Eulària, Ibiza

Last week I visited my cousin, Kate, who lives in Santa Eulària, Ibiza. Several afternoons were spent at beach bars where I wrote and rewrote several chapters of Avalon's memoir.

Here are a few photos of those spots. In case you'll read the book when it comes out, you might want to remember that the parts about Avalon's hyperthyroidism, his appearance in a music video, his fan meetings, and his prominent role in my screenplay A Good Man have been written in the places you see here. Enjoy.

 

Photos of my previous trip to Ibiza can be found here, and a collection of photos of the cats I met on Ibiza here.

Favorite moments from the past few weeks

I'm sure you already heard, but if you didn't, Un homme bien (the French film adaptation of my screenplay A Good Man) is finally moving forward. But not quite in the way I'd expected. Seems that there's not going to be just one film, but... two. The production of the feature film had come temporarily to a halt after a couple of shooting days and the director has now turned the existing footage into a short film. I haven't seen the result just yet, but the film will premiere at the prestigious Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival on April 12 and will then be shown at Cannes. If you're curious about the story, you can read the screenplay on Amazon (ENG) and Smashwords (FR).

It's been snowing here in Belgium over the past few weeks and my way of dealing with the cold is going to a coffee shop to write and blog. One of my favorites is Or in Brussels. It's always warm in there, not too crowded and their chai tea latte is out of this world good.

Even though I love to work from coffee shops, most of my days were still spent writing and blogging from home, covered in a blanket, my cat Avalon close to me, vanilla candles and hot drinks for the mood... I'm a lucky girl.

A movie date followed by an Italian dinner...

This place serves the most delicious gingerbread latte. My love and I have been going there every Sunday over the past few weeks to treat ourselves to this deliciousness.

I'll be spending the rest of the month at the Offscreen film festival in Brussels. Come by and say hello if you have the chance ;-)

What were the highlights of your life lately?

Best Places To Write

The best places to write are warm and cozy and there is always a hot drink and some food around. Here are some of my favorite spots...

Hotel lobby or bar

Hotel lobbies and bars are irresistible writing spots. Maybe it is the din from the other hotel guests, maybe it is the jazzy sounds in the background, or maybe it is the feeling that I am on holiday that makes this one of the best places to write.

Warm bed

There is hardly anything better on a cold winter night than writing in bed, keeping the chill at bay with a warm cat, a giant cup of hot tea, extra blankets, and a radiator on maximum heat.

Sun

Once the cold has shifted into shimmering hot days, I exchange my bed for an outdoor writing place. As long as it is comfortable, almost anything will do - a garden, a terrace, the park. I often write in the company of another writer and the day almost always ends with a barbecue or a dinner in a restaurant.

Nighttime terrace

The still late-evening air lends itself perfectly for writing outside. One of the best places to do so is on the terrace of a favorite bar. A glass of wine and a portion of marinated olives next to me, the smell of fresh herbs and garlic coming from a nearby kitchen… I can sit and work for hours in a place like this.

Near the fireplace

My grandparents have a huge fireplace in their living room. You can not imagine how hot it can be near such a thing and that is exactly why I like it. There is always a glass of red wine around and a home-cooked meal for when I stop writing.

For more favorite reading and writing spots, go to my guest post over at Crazy Bookworm.


What are your favorite places to write?