Guest Post by Cathalynn Labonté-Smith
Let’s go for coffee. Many of you are probably aching to say or hear that phrase right now, depending upon where your location is at in the lockdown scale. A phrase that was once taken for granted, but is now a rare treat or a much anticipated sign of normalcy returning.
I’m extraordinarily fortunate that in British Columbia, Canada, businesses are slowly beginning to re-open, including coffee shops. Most cafes have take-out service, many have moved all their seating outside onto patios or at least makeshift patios, and a few a couple of tables inside for the unseasonably cold and wet summer weather.
If you’re not a writer or don’t know one, let me tell you we are ritualistic by nature. We want to set the scene to entice our muse. If things aren’t just right, our muse might not grace us or may abandon us mid-sentence. We recreate the conditions that existed when we were in flow, just like an athlete does when they attained a personal best. Instead of wearing a jersey half tucked into our pants like a hockey player who scored goals wearing his gear that way, however, we are much more subtle. Be it the time of day, the place we sat, what music we listened to, or picking the same special journal to write in again, because we want to please the muse again.
My muse doesn’t care about anything except delicious coffee. She likes to join me at coffee shops, and especially if I have company. The more I enjoy the coffee and the company, the more likely she is to stay. My energy gets brighter as I feed off the caffeine and external energy I get from others as a temporary extrovert.
Last year I finished writing a book, The Woman Who Learned to Fly, about my experiences as a mature flight student. The book started as a series of blogs, then I submitted a book proposal to a university that needed a book for an online course in editing.
I was thinking about what to write about next. My mother always told me that whatever I needed was likely to be right in front of me. I saw myself spending all of this time in coffee shops writing on my laptop and meeting with other writers there. I looked around and saw lots of other people on their laptops writing.
I had my next project, to write about coffee shops from the POV of a writer who appreciated excellent coffee, pleasant service, good wifi, and electrical plug-ins would be a bonus. This time I had a writing partner, Jeff, who also was a strong writer and shared this vision.
I wanted us to take the blog global and find guest bloggers willing to review inspirational places to write, whether they were coffee shops, tea salons, beaches, rose gardens, forests, or other places, so writers could explore new places to invite the muse into their writing sessions. Jeff and I can only visit so many places in a lifetime, but with other writers onboard we can offer the world to our readers.
It only took a week or two or so of us writing reviews and we started to make a name for ourselves amongst the local coffee shop owners. We got a lot of traffic on our blog in February and early March 2020, so you can probably see what was on the horizon for us.
Along came COVID-19
With the closing of coffee shops worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, our coffee shop reviews were shut down. At first, I learned to make coffee house quality coffee at home from bean to cup. I took green coffee beans and roasted them, ground them and made all manner of coffees.
I also got a book deal on a manuscript that I wrote three years ago, so that has kept me busy with revamping and updating. However, many writers continue to be impacted by the pandemic as they’ve lost their mojo, along with their Americanos, mocha lattes, and daily blends.
I’ve attended many virtual writers’ group meetings where writers feel blocked because they are stuck at home instead of at coffee shops monopolizing tables where they should be. For what is a coffee shop without novelists, poets, bloggers and freelancers hunkered down in the corners sipping lattes all day? Some coffee shops cover the plugs, and shut down the wifi, but we come prepared with charged up devices and use our phones as hotspots. There will always be writers who are blissful with just a journal and pen, no electricity needed.
You Can Do This
Writers can write reviews on coffee shops that are partially open or temporarily closed from cherished memories, as we wait patiently drinking our homemade espressos from the stovetop. Our muses won’t be able to resist, as they are nostalgic creatures. The pandemic will pass and we can all go back to our favourite coffee shops or try new ones that take over from the ones that don’t return.
I hope to hear from writers all over the world excited to share pictures and stories about their favourite coffee shops and inspiring places to write. Reach out at my blog address below and leave a comment. I can do a guest blog for you in return. Eventually, I will pick the best blogs from around the globe and do a book proposal. My co-writer, Jeff Hortobagyi, and I already have been at work on it for months creating a workbook of tools, and have a working title.
How to Write a Guest Blog for The Write Cup
I’m flexible on the word count. Have a look at some of the reviews first. You can do it in Google Docs and send me the link, if that works for you. You can start with your favourite coffee shop, or do several mini-reviews of coffee shops, or places to write in your area in one blog.
If you’re unsure where to start, Google a list of the best coffee shops in your area. Bring a friend if you like that way you can try more things. There’s a shop in my village that has a flight of coffees. I wish more shops had that.
I want you to enjoy your writing, but here’s how I typically go about a review:
- An overall rating out of 5 cups, rating for their coffee out of 5 cups, rating for the place as far as writer friendliness out of 5 cups
- Location and contact information for the coffee shop. What are their COVID-19 restrictions?
- Order your usual coffee and describe how you like it, or try their house speciality. If you order something to eat, describe that. I pay for my own drinks and food, that way I can be unbiased. I do let them know I’m a coffee shop blogger and will be reviewing them.
- Interview the owner or manager, if possible and get a photo. Ask them what they did before opening the shop. The history of the shop. What their future plans are for the shop. How the pandemic has affected them.
- Do you find it an inspiring place to write? Do they have electrical outlets? Is it a comfortable place to sit? How’s the wifi? People-watching?
- Include pictures of the interior and exterior with captions.
- Come up with a writer’s prompt and a relevant quote from a famous author.
- Your bio and link to your website and/or blog.
- If you want to do a vlog, you can upload to YouTube and send me the link.
Here’s hoping that you’re soon reunited with all those you love and all that you love about your life.
Cathalynn Labonté-Smith is a blogger from Gibsons and North Vancouver, BC, Canada. Read her blogs at The Write Cup.
Share your bit on Art, Literature, Food, or Lifestyle; submit a guest post.
Pingback: Let’s Go for Coffee – The Write Cup