Where do you write?

It's an interesting question. Where do you write best? The atmosphere of where you write has a great impact on what you actually produce. Do you prefer solitude or do you need to be surrounded by the hustle and bustle of other humans?

There is the stereotypical image of a writer hunched over a laptop in the corner of some café. They are either so enthralled in their own work that an asteroid could land on their head and they wouldn't notice, or they are hawkishly observing everything and using it as material. At the other end of the spectrum you've got the solitary writer holed up in a cabin in the woods, or possibly the mountains, where they can be alone and commune with their muse.

I am somewhere in between, as I imagine most writers are but those stereotypes are a useful frame of reference. I have a dedicated writing space at home. I have a desk with my computer on where I do the majority of my novel work. It's where I'm comfortable and can have music on as loud as I want. I find music very helpful when I sit down to write. It can't have words though, they just distract me so I need instrumental music. It can be classical or “epic trailer music” like that produced by Two Steps From Hell, you may not have heard of them but you will recognise Heart of Courage if you listen to it.

I can work in cafés, I'm writing this in one, but it isn't where I work best. I find the noise of other people rather distracting. Plus it always feel a little pretentious getting my netbook out and tapping away. I know it's a daft thing to think but there you go.

It's each to their own really. My girlfriend, who is also a writer, loves working in cafés, anything to get out of the house. She thrives in that environment. I don't mind tagging along because it means I get to have lots of tea and cakes. Only occasionally do I need to chip in with an idea or two if she asks for them. It's a lot harder to get delicious cakes at home.