Writing in Public
Doug McConnell
I don’t claim to be a particularly good writer, but I’ve always enjoyed the process of writing. In my first television job, back when big American cities had maybe six stations, color was new and film was the thing, I was a researcher and writer for KTLA in Los Angeles. I was mentored by an amazing television and radio veteran and proud “hack writer,” Don Bresnahan. I’d work twelve hours a day doing all kinds of scut work for KTLA’s news department and its lead anchor, a former chief of police of the LAPD (that’s another story,) and then Don would send me home with back-breaking writing assignments. I faced a different challenge every night. He pushed me hard and tore my work to shreds day-after-day. He shed my blood, didn’t spare my feelings, and taught me more about writing for television and other media than anyone else ever has. He knew he had a willing student who privately enjoyed the painful struggle. He gave me his time, talent and encouragement, not to mention his old typewriter. Another hack writer was born. Don’s gifts opened the world to me.
I’ve always found that I work best and most quickly in public spaces: restaurants, bars, coffee shops (especially,) parks and plazas of all sorts. I don’t know exactly why, but I like being surrounded by social hub-bub while I dive into my solitary little world of words. I can and do write in quiet places, too, but I’m usually found around a coffee joint scribbling in my little pad or typing away. Maybe I’m too social to be a lonely writer. The buzz of humanity probably combines with the buzz of caffeine to keep me going. Whatever it is, I’ve been working this way since Johnson was President (Lyndon not Andrew, I’m not that old.) I’d be frightened to know how many gallons of java I’ve consumed. Don’t ask, don’t tell.
I suppose the only reason for bringing all of this up is that we feature quite a few places on OpenRoad.TV that are good eating, drinking and writing environments. If you go to the food category on the column to the right of this blog, it’ll take you to some terrific tips. We’ll be adding many more as we move along and we hope you’ll send us your best writing and dining suggestions.
By the way, I’m writing this at La Boulange in Marin County’s Strawberry Village Shopping Center. Good food. Friendly people. And fine lattes. Don, this one’s for you.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
I love this post as I like to do this too being a writer/blogger who works at home. I sometimes take my laptop to Crossroads Cafe in SF to write even though they don’t have wireless. This way I can really concentrate on writing my magazine articles and not get distracted by email or the Internet!
Maybe it’s the smell of coffee brewing and hearing some background chatter that gives me that extra push to finish writing.
December 20th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Thanks Natalie. I agree…..the smell of coffee alone does wonders for me. And with the huge growth in the number of coffee houses across the nation, more people than ever are spending time in places like Crossroads Cafe. It’s amazing to see coffee houses spring up in the most unlikely places. Of course, Starbucks has had a big impact. Just last week I almost crashed my car driving through my hometown of Gridley in the Sacramento Valley north of Yuba City and Marysville. Gridley is a small, largely agricultural community. My dad bought a Ford dealership there in 1958. My brother Ed and nephew Mike own the Chevy dealership there now. Anyway, it had been a little bit since I had been in town…..and driving towards McConnell Chevrolet….there before my very stunned eyes was a big, relatively new Starbucks. I couldn’t believe it. Gridley and Starbucks just did not compute in my brain….but there it was as plain as day. Coffee culture had come to Gridley….as it has seemingly everywhere else. That’s not a bad thing particularly, just an amazing thing that’s happened in not much more than a decade. One of these days, I’ll do a book on great writing and sipping places in the West. My very favorite in Marin County, near where I live, is Emporio Rullis on Magnolia in Larkspur. So much coffee, so little time.