When it comes to writing, plenty of writers advise that a home office, a corner where you can put a desk, laptop and a couple or more reference books, thesauruses and dictionaries is the best place to go inside your mind and let your creativity loose. However, a lonely office doesn’t have to be the only place where you can plot your short story or a novel. A coffee shop seems to be another popular place to write – so much so that it has become a cliché these days to walk into the nearest one and see someone sitting on a corner table, seemingly lost in their own world as they write and write for hours. There is nothing unusual about sitting in a café and writing away – especially if you can isolate yourself from outside stimuli, and only becoming aware of your surroundings at odd moments. Below, we have gathered other places that are filled with stimuli where you can write – in a notebook, a tablet or a laptop, if you don’t need the isolation of an office to get creative.

1. The beach

The beach can be pretty busy during the sunlit hours – but at dawn and dusk the beach can become a magical place. Instead of blank walls, you would be looking at the expanse of the horizon, smell the ocean, and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. Even during the day, you can people watch and imagine stories about where they come from, what their lives might be like, and just observe and gather your thoughts on paper. The sound of the waves can also be pretty calming, keeping a rhythm in the background as you write.

2. A sunlit park

Writing doesn’t need to be done at home. Even if you live in an urban place away from water or nature, you can scout a park where you can relax and get your thoughts on paper or a laptop. Of course, a hard bench might be uncomfortable compared to an office chair, but the goal here is to escape the possible stuffiness of the indoors. Surrounded by trees and greenery, and still close enough to civilization should you need anything, a park can be the perfect place where you can combine creativity with the outdoors, and the results might surprise you.

3. Nature

There are writers who love to escape into the mountains or the country to write stories and novels. Here, we expand it a little further – by leaving the confines of a cabin. Grab a picnic basket and a blanket, if you’re able to, and abandon civilization for a while to be alone with your thoughts and your story. Breathe in the fresh air as you write, and look up into the trees, see the light bending around the canopies of the trees and get it on paper. However, don’t expect to be free of stimuli – while you might be away from the sounds of the city, you will be able to hear and feel the life in nature. Birds and other animals make curious sounds when they are not startled by foreign interruptions, and the peaceful environment can give you the perfect place to release your creativity in a way you wouldn’t be able to release at home.

4. A balcony

If you don’t have the luxury of the beach, the park and the countryside, you can try your own backyard or balcony. You will still have all the comforts of home, but you will also be able to write outside. Of course, if being outside happens to stifle your creativity, then this place, or any of the others mentioned previously, would only ensure that you don’t write a story. Don’t push yourself – great stories always come from your own mind. On the other hand, feeling the sun on your face and having your senses pick up the scent of the street below, the sounds of the people or cars passing by, will certainly improve how you describe places, and it will help you write better in the long run.

5. Public transportation

It goes without saying that when you have to go on a long trip by a bus, a train or an airplane, you can use the time to write. In fact, plenty of authors do some kind of work on airplanes. There is something about the motion and the fact that you will be sitting for a few hours allows you to relax, let your mind wander and write a story. The scene through the window changes constantly, and soon, you will stop noticing the time. It can make a long ride seem short, or at least, easy to bear and entertaining.

Image credit: Pixabay

Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.