Introducing The Coffice

~ By Shelley Munro

The life of a writer is never an easy one. If you’re new to writing you’ll discover the numerous challenges fairly quickly, and if you’ve been writing for a while, you’re probably nodding your head.

I write full time and pattern my day on my previous life in an office. Structure works for me when it comes to productivity. Well, mostly. Some days it’s impossible to sit and write. It’s enough to make me wish I brought new office furniture from officemonster.co.uk, on the days where I lack motivation, maybe having a nice office set up would be enough to get me writing. But these are the days when my characters go AWOL and the vacuum cleaning and laundry become more attractive than writing. Because I know myself well, I need to take immediate action or I risk days of low productivity and frustrated grumpiness.

The answer for me is the coffice. Maybe it’s the fact things are a little messy in my office at the moment, perhaps if I were to look for services similar to those that green facilities and the likes can provide, I might not have the want for a coffice so much? But coffee…

For those of you who haven’t heard this term before, coffice is a combination of the words coffee and office. These days with our technology that allows us mobility, many firms do away with the traditional office and their workers conduct business from cafes, hence the coffice.

I have several favorite cafes within the Auckland region where I set up camp for several hours and work without interruption. Add good coffee to the equation and there’s no way I can’t be productive. Yes, there is noise and people coming and going, but I switch off and focus on my WIP. I can’t move and risk losing my seat, so I’m forced to stay put and work. A win-win situation for me.

The advantages of a Coffice.

1. It’s cheaper than renting an office.
2. The coffee is good and is always hot.
3. The milk isn’t likely to run out.
4. You don’t need to do the dishes.
5. Most cafes offer free wifi these days.
6. A large selection available to suit individual needs.
7. High possibility of good people watching.
8. Perfect all year-round.

Of course, there are disadvantages too. Some writers simply can’t write with noise and distractions. If a café is extremely busy it’s not fair to hog a table for too long, which is why I have a backup plan. I tend to write in the morning when cafes are less busy, and I have a second café in mind should my preferred one not work out for some reason.

I’ve discovered that not only am I productive, but I have some interesting experiences too. I’ve helped a man with his spelling and writing a letter to the court. On a subsequent coffice visit, I ran into this man and he informed me the judge let him off. I didn’t ask questions, but he did tell me he’d been very naughty and might go to jail. Sometimes I eavesdrop on meetings and interviews. I don’t mean to, but sometimes the tables are close! I chat with people of all ages from children trying to read my screen to elderly people wanting to know about my netbook. Occasionally, I hand out business cards.

If you’re having problems with procrastination and a drop of productivity, I highly recommend trying a coffice.

Do you have a coffice?

Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband and a rambunctious puppy called Bella. She writes erotic romance for Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. Her latest release is Past Regrets, book two in her New Zealand-set contemporary Love and Friendship series. To learn more about Shelley and her books visit her website at http://www.shelleymunro.com.