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As artists, it's imperative we have our own creative space. This is no new idea. In fact, we've gotten a bit of a reputation over the years for being introverts or even recluses because we often require a hideaway set off from the masses where we can create. Yes, we’ve seen this concept before. Virginia Woolf brought it to light with her enduring1929 essay A Room of One's Own. "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." A creative space provides the writer the necessary room to synthesize ideas away from the distractions of daily life. It is within this space our product is free from the influences of others and the impressions of the constant technological buzz that hovers just above our ear. The times and the meaning behind things have certainly changed since the days of Woolf, but the need for a "room of one's own" has not. As individuals within the modern age, we have an inherent need to exert our individuality over our space, to personalize it and make it uniquely ours. As writers, we’re even more fastidious. Writers need a writing space that will be ours, armed and ready. It can be easy to create that much-needed private space, set apart from stressors and distractions, if you're willing to do a little DIY.
Here's how to create the perfect writer's room:
The Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar Comfortable couches, free Wi-Fi and fair trade, organic coffee make The Drunken Monkey "A Coffee Junkie's paradise," and also an ideal writing spot. Their food is always fresh, homemade, and delicious. They have plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, so everyone leaves happy. Austin’s Coffee & Film This is one Winter Park coffee shop where patrons can spend the whole day in a caffeinated comfort. Austin's Coffee is open 24 hours, 7 days a week, so it's the perfect place to spend those early morning hours. Write, read and relax throughout the day, and then enjoy live bands, art shows, independent films, live comedy and poetry once the sun goes down. Stardust Coffee & Video Stardust has been a staple of the Winter Park community since its founding in 1970. The Winter Park coffeehouse, cocktail lounge and indie performance venue plays host to all kinds of events and oddities. Stardust is a great spot to grab a cup of coffee or a beer and write or chat with friends. Dandelion Communitea Cafe Dandelion offers a gathering place for tea drinkers within a quaint 1920's house. It’s difficult to not be inspired while at Dandelion; the building housing the restaurant has a story of its own, the ceiling drips with something that could be stardust, the staff fosters a community spirit and local art hangs from the walls. Founder Julie Norris has somehow created a space that is both inspired and inspiring. The menu features organic, vegetarian and celiac-friendly options, so patrons are sure to feel great upon leaving. Downtown Credo This donations-only coffee shop in Orlando’s College Park leaves patrons feeling inspired and empowered as soon as they walk through the doors. Downtown Credo aims to develop an authentic community, inspire people to "live with meaning" and to improve the city of Orlando through its various projects and creative endeavors. Relax with a book or work on your writing thanks to Credo’s low-key, welcoming atmosphere. Bikes Beans and Bordeaux Bikes Beans and Bordeaux, the bike-themed cafe situated in Audubon Park, is a sanctuary for cyclists among the negligent streets of the greater Orlando area. Fine beans, top brews and soothing tunes make B3 another top café, though the lively atmosphere may deter those seeking aesthetic asylum and a quiet place to think. Vespr Craft Coffee & Allures If refuge is what one seeks, then the soothing, inspiring ambiance of this East Orlando coffeehouse will serve her well. Vespr is a hidden gem along Alafaya Trail, offering solace to those seeking a place to work and drink an imaginative, delicious drink. I was never a big fan of Twitter. I’ve been told numerous times it’s a “must” for writers. I’ve also never been a fan of things being referred to as a “must.” It’s not that I have a problem with authority— no, I grew out of that pseudo-anarchist stage by the time my breasts had already come and gone with that welcomed loss of pinchable “baby fat.” There I go with the quotation marks again, but that was a time where everyone kept telling me, “Don’t worry, it’s only baby fat. I guess the boobs were baby fat too, though.
Anyways, as a young writer, Twitter is an apparent must, or at least according to my teachers, my marketing professors, my writing friends and colleagues. So I have one, and it’s not that bad once you get to know it. I’m grateful to the Twitterverse because I stumbled upon a retweet of a retweet that told me David Sedaris was doing an AMA on Reddit. Now, for those of you who aren't as well-versed in internet acronyms, AMA stands for "Ask Me Anything." These forums provide a place where the mundane becomes fascinating, where the faceless masses of Web 2.0 can band together and marvel at the uncommon and the little things that make a person interesting. As a young, aspiring writer and also a fan of Mr. Sedaris, my interest was sparked by the AMA, titled, "I am ‘America’s Most Beloved Author’ David Sedaris. AMA." So naturally, I stopped what I was doing to record my thoughts as I read through the various questions and comments of the adoring masses.. 2:21 pm: Start I wonder what he's promoting? 2:22pm Ohhh, gotcha. It's a book tour. In that case, maybe I can spend Thanksgiving weekend with David Sedaris. Just kidding, he’ll be here in Florida, and it’s sold out. Drats. 2:24pm Why does everyone in this AMA begin their "questions" the same way? [Insert compliment about how you're my favorite author ever] [Question #1] [Question #2] There I go with the quotation marks again. I don’t normally use them so much. I must be feeling quite sarcastic today. It’s probably because I’m sitting on Reddit. RealDavidSedaris: I taught myself to type. And I always thought I would start with one finger, and then advance to the other 9, but I never did. AND I've been typing for... let's see...uh, 77,87,97,107, okay, 38 years, and I still have to look at the keyboard. 2:25p.m. Well, at least it isn’t his publicist typing, (for those of us who remember the Morgan Freeman incident of 2013), it’s "America’s Most Beloved Typist." 2:32p.m. ====== I wonder if he knows how parallel we are. Yes, I just used the word "parallel" to compare myself to "America’s Most Beloved Author." I wonder if there's a way David Sedaris could possibly know that I knew what dysfunction meant before I could spell it. That my family is full of-- something else. Let's call it a bitter want for normalcy. That even though something pushed me 1,000 miles south at seventeen, I still feel something pushing me forth. Back and forth. Onward, ho! Record the world around you. Read, write, be. But make it home for dinner once in a while. And bring that hammer. For everyone knows, "A house divided cannot stand." Just keep on moving. Parallel. I mean it in the way that you want to know them and understand them. Hell, I’ve been trying to my whole life. 2:40 p.m. Control F+ “real” That’s how I find him, the “RealDavidSedaris.” I find myself searching for “real,” and scanning for yellow highlights among the thousands of other users filling the forum with questions on everything from his stories and writing advice to missed moments at book signings and dating advice. I’m searching for something real within the notorious mob mentality and fan accounts of the interwebs; the catfish and the trolling of the Reddit black hole. I press control+f to find the "real" man (or rather his typist, but hey, it’s not his fault he suffers from one-fingeredness). So I search for real because America’s most loved author is real. And that’s why we love him. Hell, he’s the Real David Sedaris. He’s all honestly, self-deprecation and dysfunction. America’s Most Beloved Author. 2:46p.m. Writer's block and flying lawnmowers RealDavidSedaris: Sometimes when I'm stuck, I'll open an English textbook, and do the homework. There are a lot of college writing textbooks that will include essays and short stories, and after reading the story or essay, there will be questions such as "Have YOU Had any experience with a pedophile in YOUR family?" or "When was the last time you saw YOUR mother drunk?" and they're just really good at prompting stories. You answer the question, and sometimes that can spring into a story. You know, this is really good advice: I mean, I don't have advice to offer on many things, but THAT is good advice, and you're NOT gonna hear it from a lot of other places. Sometimes, I listen to... jazz. It can't be... music with words in it. But lately, I'm on a... let's see, I'm on a Bobby Enriquez kick. It doesn't have anything to do with writer's block. Well, where we live in Sussex, sometimes there are gliders over our house, and gliders don't make any noise, but the planes that tow them into the sky do, but I like to cover up the sound of the planes. It's like a flying lawnmower. That’s one way to make use of all those old textbooks filling up my bookshelves. But really, has anyone else noticed how wonderfully Victoria (his typist) captures his voice? And now off to write about the last time I saw MY mother drunk... 3:00pm On death Yasistahsass: What's the meanest thing you've ever said to anyone including yourself? RealDavidSedaris: "I hope you die alone." I said that to my father when I was 13. And I've thought about it ever since. I don't think he remembers it, because as a parent of 6 kids, you're gonna hear a lot of things like that. But my fear is that my father will die alone. And...I'll be forced, for the rest of my life, to think about that terrible thing that I said. Does anyone know a woman who might want to marry my father and stay by his side night and day? He's 92. I told you we were parallel. We run together but apart. There’s a whole world of time and ocean and experience between us— words yet to be written and families functioning on differing frequencies. But I’m not going to tell this to the Reddit world. Faceless screens only enable malice. And angsty teens are the cruelest of all. “I hope you crash and die tonight,” I told her as she left the house. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t want the seven of us to be left motherless, to be the burden of our milky-eyed, big-bellied, diabetic father. But I was mad, and I said something that has stayed with me. It has the weight of possibility, the grind of four wheels and my lonely father. For now I'll keep wondering and writing and jotting down my thoughts as I read random AMAs. Speaking of which, here's a list of upcoming AMAs. It seems like as a millennial you can’t really win in the eyes of our older counterparts. You know how it goes, “we’re entitled, we’re lazy, we lack work ethic, we’re technology-dependent.”
Or, we’re undefeatable; we work too much to conquer every possible skill so we’re ready for any position, any job. As millennials, many of us simultaneously work our day jobs and also moonlight as bloggers, social networkers, interns, volunteers and students. And of course there are also plenty of hobbies and extracurricular activities to fill the already sparse hours left in the day. In today’s job market, does a stack of degrees and a Linked In skill set a page long make you seem like you can’t commit to anything, or that you’re the ultimate Jack, or in this case, Jane of all trades? These days it’s important to be able to do a little bit of everything, as long as you can do it all well. Any employer is going to expect you to perform a skill if it’s listed on a resume or a Linked In, and they will expect it to be done professionally. If you can’t use Photoshop then don’t list it. Young adults, especially college-aged adults, have gotten a bad reputation in the past thanks to disgruntled parents complaining about the “five year plan.” They grumble about their children jumping from endeavor to endeavor, degree to degree, and never quite finishing anything. Well, I’m here to tell you, that sometimes it takes five years—or in my case four and a half—to accomplish something that will help you in the long run. What matters is that you find what you love along the way, and absorb as much of the information possible to utilize for your benefit. |
Alyssa ShainaWriter, reader, believer. Archives
September 2016
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