I'm not exactly starving artist, but I also need to watch my funds carefully. What's the etiquette for finding a place to write? What's a good way to find someplace?
1) Find a place and time that's usually pretty quiet. 2) Buy something every 45 minutes or so. 3) Clean up after yourself. If you aren't taking up space that could go to a more profitable customer (1), you spend a respectable amount of money (2), and the staff doesn't have to expend extra time and effort to take care of you (3), most places will be okay with your presence. If you make an effort to be a good citizen and they still give you a hard time, well, the heck with them. Find another place, and make the staff at the first place villains in your work. Also, 4) if you find fame and fortune, go back to the place you wrote originally and thank them.
I'd go for coffee shops rather than cafes, as cafes expect you to buy food, whereas a single cheap drink off the menu is basically the whole reason people go in there. You can go one of two ways: buy small, cheap hot drinks (my usual plan in the winter) and space them out as long as you can possibly bear drinking cold dregs, or buy one big cold drink, and sip it at a reasonable pace throughout the afternoon. As long as you don't spread out your writing notes over, like, 2 sofas and a coffee table, you're not going to bother anyone. Don't leave your first drink empty too long before buying a new one, though. I usually give it 5-10 minutes, then if I'm planning on staying longer, go buy another.
Library. Campus cafes. For them it a part of their thing of having they costumers hang out for hours reading and studying. If you planning to become a regular at a normal coffee shop/cafe you can always talk to the owners. A regular costumer that come in a bunch of times each week is as or more important then a costumers that might come there once and spend more money per hour, but might not be coming back.
^Yeah, without a doubt, go to your library. But try to go early in the morning and get out by 2:30 at the latest. The kids come in then and boy, they are distracting. Also, never go when kids are out of school. Most moms will take them there to get out of the house.
This takes me straight to the Family Guy cutaway about people who set up in coffee shops so they can be seen writing. If you're only going to the cafe for the wireless access then I agree with most people's suggestion about the library. On the other hand, if you're going the handwritten path, if it's warm enough and the weather's agreeable, a park with a nice little picnic table will do just fine.
One of my favourite places to write is one of the cafes at my university. It's quiet, they do good coffee, and there are a multitude of other people working too, so I'm not under pressure to buy or get out. I don't know if there's a university nearby you, but if so have a think about checking some of their cafes.
I'd go with library. That way, if you find you need to do some research on a material in your book, then you're in the right place.
I'll second the library. Or some bookstores have little chairs and tables where you can sit and read/write. Edit: I guess it would actually be like fourth or fifth the library...
Do you have a room? A friend's flat? Passenger side of your car or friend's car? Any place will do, if it is writing you are wanting to do. One of the best phrases I have ever heard was "Just do."
One of my biggest vices is writing in restaurants. I just love it. I used to go to the library, but it's just not the same. I don't get nearly as much done. I have a favourite local place where I go in the afternoon sometimes and they know me. They know what I'm there for. I get a booth to myself and I order a coffee or two to start. I get into my writing and they leave me alone for a few hours. Then when they come back I order some dinner and usually a pint of something with it. I keep writing and when the food comes, I take a break to devour it. This gives me some more fuel and I have a drink to keep me company, so then I really get going. Boom -- that's when the engine starts to roar and I just start firing stuff out. I can get so much done in this phase. Finally when I start to lose steam, I usually order a double scotch and relax a bit, maybe get down a few final things before settling up and taking off. I find that I get so much more done in this atmosphere than in a library, because I feel more alive, and something about being around people but having some safe distance is really cool. Also because this place is so familiar to me, and the wait staff look after me so well, I feel like I'm in my own living room or study, and I have my own personal butler there. The bill usually comes to about $20 (the place I like is really cheap,) so I can't do this every day. Also it's not a good environment for polishing stuff up. But it's a good place to get steam and get going. So if you want to write in cafes or restaurants, I understand where you're coming from. It's one of the greatest joys in life. I just recommend finding somewhere cheap and comfortable.
