Coffee Shop Writer

I've started something new with my writing. Last week I had an appointment at Toyota to get my car’s oil changed and tires rotated. I knew I would probably be there at least an hour so I decided to bring my iPad along. 

I've gotten in the habit of writing a chapter a week on my novel. Thursday is dedicated to writing the rough draft, and because I needed to grocery shop after the appointment, I decided to try writing at Toyota. 

It worked beautifully.  So on Tuesday of this week when I accompanied Chuck to town to have breakfast with my sister, I decided to try it again. 

This time I spent about an hour and a half at the Grapevine Public Library.  I was able to get a head start on the next chapter because I knew on Thursday I'd be grocery shopping and doing laundry. Along with getting my rough draft written, I enjoyed the atmosphere of their library. 

I have missed hanging out at a big, beautiful library since moving to the country. I stopped to chat with one of the librarians and reminded her not to take her library for granted. 

This Thursday I decided to stop by a coffee shop and write for about an hour before running my errands. I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and began editing the chapter I had written on Tuesday. 

Next Thursday I've got another cool place in mind to do my writing. 

Along with writing in different places, I enjoy writing outside when the weather is cooperative. This summer when the boys were at VBS, I sat on the front porch at my daughter’s to write. 

I’m going to challenge myself to look for new and unique places to write going forward. 

Writer

 So what have I been doing lately?

Writing a novel. 

Back in the spring a friend from high school asked me to join her writer’s group. At the time I was reading a book entitled, What to do With the Rest of Your Life. What were the chances at that exact moment that I would get a text out of the blue from her?  Considering the serendipity of the moment I couldn’t turn her down. 

I had already written a children’s chapter book back in 2019. It had metaphorically sat on the shelf for all these years. I thought the story had promise, but quickly learned how to make it even better. 

I brought a chapter for critique each week. I was amazed at how much I was learning. My usual hesitancy for criticism was no longer standing in the way. I wanted to be a better writer, and the group members guided me along the way. 

I knew after finishing the last chapter of Abby and the Bearded Dragon I needed to consider my next book. I had already accumulated several possibilities over the years. 

I found that I was good at starting a story, but not so much at developing and ending one. After discussing a few options one of my ideas sounded interesting to the group. 

It was then that I began writing an adult novel that was based on a true event in Texas history. I had first considered the possibility almost ten years ago, but I really didn't know how to develop the plot. 

After joining this group I’ve learned so much and am continuing to grow each week. What I especially love about being a part of this writing group is the accountability it brings me. 

I’ve established a weekly writing routine, and am focusing on a chapter a week. I’ve been amazed at how the ideas have just flown one after another.

I keep notes on my phone and any time inspiration hits I jot it down. Since my novel is based on a historical time period I am taking advantage of the wonders of the internet and AI to check my facts. 

I have reflected on the idea that if I had started this story ten years ago I would have spent hours in the library poring over books looking for one thing at a time. Having access to information at my fingertips has allowed me to stay motivated. 

I’ve recently added Grammarly to the mix which is helping me address my grammatical errors, which is my weakness. I minored in history, not English, so I’m pretty clueless about correct comma usage. 

This is an exciting season in my life, and each week I look forward to bringing my writing forward for critique. The group has steered me in the right direction as I work to improve my writing. 

Wish me luck, and hopefully some day my novel will be published and available to those who are interested in reading it.