What do Spain, writing and coffee have in common? Well, if you’ve read any of my previous posts about writing, you’ll know I like to write in company. Sometimes company is a small group of writers and sometimes it’s a space, such as a library, where people are around, but it’s quiet.

However, occasionally, it’s an outdoor space such as a pavement café where there’s lively energy, perhaps some hustle and bustle. Whether, I choose to write in a room with others, or to write by myself in busy places, what I find interesting is that I’m generally more productive than if I sit for hours in front of a an empty screen.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to a bookshop. This will not affect you in any way if you click through and buy a book, but it may give me a small commission that will go towards the cost of keeping this blog running.

Spain, writing and coffee

In fact this blog post started taking shape at an outdoor café in the avenue where I currently live. Fortunately, Spain, and Andalucia in particular, has a high-level tolerance when it comes to sitting at a table for long periods of time. Spaniards can sit chatting for ages over a coffee without being pushed to order anything else, meaning that you can sit relatively care-free at a table with time to write.

Am I procrastinating or producing?

This week I did something that I haven’t done for a while; I took myself and my notebook to a local bar, ordered a coffee and wrote in my notebook. After a particularly frustrating morning staring at a blank screen and wondering what to write, I decided I wanted a coffee.  Alright, I know. Just another procrastination technique, right?

Well, actually, no. We are going through a heatwave right now and my body was telling me I needed something. I decided to give in to the urge. And, in fact, it turned out to be the most productive 20-minutes of my day.

It must have been around 11.45. I like to think of this as change-over time here in Spain. It’s that part of the day when some people are still having brunch whilst others are moving on to a Rioja, a ´caña ‘ (a small glass of beer) or whatever other aperitif takes their fancy. The rising heat had brought more people out into the shade of the tree-lined avenue than normal and, by now, most of them had moved on to a ´caña ‘.

Knowing that I wanted to write, I resisted the temptation to order a glass of beer and instead ordered a coffee with a glass of ice. I love this Spanish tradition of ordering your coffee, sweetening it (or not) to suit your taste buds and then, pouring it into a fresh glass over ice cubes. Definite signs that summer is on the way include gazpacho, granizado (iced lemonade drink) and coffee on the rocks.

Getting comfy

I got comfy in my chair, took out my pen and placed my notebook on the table. For the first time in ages, I started to observe what was going on around me. I watched people. I saw the waiter weaving agilely, with the art that waiters in Mediterranean countries have, between table and table. Keeping his internal cool on a daily basis, he remembers orders, carries heavy trays of drinks and takes away up empty plates and glasses. In spite of the pace, he still finds time to be sociable with the customers, many of whom come here every day, addressing them like old friends.

I opened my notebook and started to write. Today’s background music was the buzz of people’s chatter, the clinking of coffee cups on saucers and the occasional passing car.

The first few words were odd scribbles as I relaxed into the atmosphere. My coffee arrived. I mixed in a little sugar and poured it over my ice. My pen went back to the page. As a solo customer, I realised this activity was two-fold. On the one hand, it provided me with an activity that was not screen scrolling, and on the other, it got me focused on my writing much more quickly than normal. Soon, I was in flow. As the ice melted and my coffee got deliciously colder, I took small sips and looked around me whenever I needed inspiration.

Writing simply happened

Suddenly, I realised that I had everything I needed. As if by magic, a few scribbles had turned into a potential blog post. I could have spent another two fruitless hours sitting in front of a screen. Instead, I chose to enjoy a coffee outdoors at-one with my notebook, in company yet without having to make conversation and, albeit indirectly, building relationships in my local community.

How about you? Where do you do your most productive writing? Let me know in the comment box below.

If you’d like to read similar posts about Spain, writing and coffee, sign up to my newsletter to get them delivered straight into your inbox.

If you´re interested in reading books set in Spain, check out Almudena Grande’s novel The Wind From The East set in Cádiz, SW Spain in this post.

To buy great books about life in Spain, click here .

To find out more about ordering coffee in Spain, check out this post.