My Edmonton is defined along paths which I use to travel to and from, to and from, to and from. The road from my house to the University is well-worn by the wheels of the number 4. The sleepy shop windows of Whyte Avenue become my favorite movies, watched over and over and over again.
It is the loop down 109 Street, past Wizard Comics, The Garneau Theatre, Transcend Remedy and Da Capo, that swerves neatly around past The Sugarbowl and the High Level Diner. It encompasses a good part of the North Campus and completes itself at the junction of Whyte Ave and 109.
I spend a lot of time in theatres. Something about sitting in the dark watching people perform make-believe is equal parts haunting and hypnotic. This is my medium, as well, so whenever I am watching theatre, I have to let go of the “Hey, I know that person,” and let the character win me over. Whether small or large, old or new, absurd or realist, I am never more at home than I am sitting in the dark in front of a stage.
I also spend a lot of time in coffee shops, and there, I spend the most time writing I’m always searching for new coffee shops to write in, a bench or a corner I can appropriate for an hour or two. But it must have good coffee. I’ve never felt comfortable writing at home. I likened it once to having sex in your parent’s house; at any moment, they can walk in and you’re caught, naked and vulnerable at the height of your orgasm.
Though it’s unlikely, the potential always exists, and this is why I write in coffee shops.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on what you mentioned about coffee shops and writing, and although I can't specifically relate to your metaphor (which was very good by the way), I know exactly what you mean by it.
ReplyDeleteOften times when I find myself writing at home, I'll be at the pinnacle of emotion and concentration with my work, and then all of a sudden my brother will abruptly enter the room without knocking and start rambling about a sandwich he just made, or annoyingly ask multiple times what I've got minimized on my screen. It just... doesn't work.
Writing at coffee shops, in my opinion, is an unrivaled experience for aspiring authors, and one that I really enjoy. It gives you this nomadic sense of accomplishment whenever you complete something away from home. Plus, I'm not sure about you, but I think that you can learn a lot about yourself and your city in the process. All kinds of people pass you by as they come and go, all in the while, observations about your surroundings sometimes contribute to new thoughts for your work. It's like home away from home. And yes, good coffee, like you said, is always a must. :)