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http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/06/study-of-the-day-why-crowded-coffee-shops-fire-up-your-creativity/258742/

Obviously, YMMV, but it's something to think about.

Hmm, based on that, I should be good all summer with the attic fan going!

-- Erin

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LOL is it time for a new fan?

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Send everyone else to the coffee shop; I'll take the library.

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Right, because obviously all creative people work in exactly the same way.

And that's not even counting on how the smell off coffee itself is disgusting to many of us. (Sorry -- smells like skunk to me!)

My house is very quiet.

I don't seem to have any trouble with creativity. Though I do like to hear 'typewriter' sounds on my computer some days!

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Are those self-generated, Zette, or do you have an mp3 file to help prime the pump?

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An older program called Sound Pilot. It matches sounds to the key strokes and there are various themes (Morse Code, letters spoken, etc.) Unfortunately, it stopped working with later versions of Word and some other programs. I was glad to see it alive and wll in Scrivener.

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It's IN Scrivener or works with Scrivener? Because if it's IN Scrivener, I need to check that out.

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I found it on the web. Apparently a Windows only program. Bummer. It sounds like a lot of fun.

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I use keyclick on my Mac. Works marvelous. I've been looking for something similar for my Windows computer, so I'll check out Sound Pilot!

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>Right, because obviously all creative
>people work in exactly the same way.
>
>And that's not even counting on how the
>smell off coffee itself is disgusting to
>many of us. (Sorry -- smells like skunk
>to me!) *
>
>My house is very quiet.
>
>I don't seem to have any trouble with
>creativity. Though I do like to hear
>'typewriter' sounds on my computer some
>days!

When you consider that people are individuals, even when it comes to things much less complex than creativity, it always amazes me that scientists assume they can do a study like this one and come up with "the answer". (I'm not trying to beat up the OP - the article will be useful for some, I'm sure. It's the scientists who do these things who get under my skin.) Sometimes, those answers will be helpful - to me - but sometimes, they're a disaster. I'm not even going to try this one out. (Yes, some noises can be helpful - like the typewriter sounds in FocusWriter - but they have to be the right noises, and I have to be able to escape them into silence when I need to. Which noises are the "right" ones changes with the story and with many other variables. And that's me. It isn't a rule that works for everyone.)

The article did get me thinking on a side track, though. I do find, at least for myself, that it's best in terms of getting more writing done to broaden my comfort zone. The more ruts I can break out of, the more annoyances and distractions I can learn to tune out, the easier it gets to write when life forces me to do so in less than ideal conditions. So it might be worth learning to tolerate noise as much as possible - but that's a totally different issue than boosting creativity.

* If you don't mind, I do have a question about this statement. As much as I love coffee myself (it's the one drug I wallow in), I'm not questioning your taste. I just wonder if you mean that literally? I'm making an informal sort of database of things some people seem to perceive differently. (I got interested in this because if you crush a raw clove of garlic, that smells exactly to me like the rotting corpse of the small animal that died inside the wall of my closet one summer, only stronger and more pervasive.) So is that what you're saying? And do the grounds smell like that, too, or just hot coffee?

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It literally smells like a skunk to me. I can't be certain if that's the grounds as well since I plainly don't get around them. After a couple minutes, the scent is usually not so pervasive, so my brain must kick the skunk theory out of the way.

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Thanks!

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>When you consider that people are individuals, even when it comes to things much less complex than creativity, it always amazes me that scientists assume they can do a study like this one and come up with "the answer".

I have a similar dislike of the "survey results" that are done with only 1000 people. Like you can take that small of a sample and have it equal the entire population. pfft!

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>I have a similar dislike of the "survey
>results" that are done with only 1000
>people. Like you can take that small of a
>sample and have it equal the entire
>population. pfft!

Survey size is part of it. But some researchers have a mindset that, no matter what the sample size, if the results say that 60% of the people got good results from something, and 40% didn't, they'd announce it as though this were some universal truth. Now, it's useful to know what works for 60% (or 80%, or even 98% ) but as long as there are any individuals for whom "the answer" does not apply, then the only useful and accurate statement is one which indicates the actual results, including the percentage they don't apply to.

-speaking rapidly, in a hushed voice- "Rare but serious side effects, including death, may occur" Gee, isn't that important enough to do more than gloss over? (That particular quote was lifted for an ad for some drug - I forget what, but it wasn't even for a life-threatening condition. ) I understand the motivations behind such omissions, but I think it's important to remember there is very little "pure" science out there anymore. Behind it all, there lurks some pattern of interests, even if that's just the drive to capture enough public attention to gain more funding. And it makes it harder for us when we research the things we need to know, but we do need to be aware of those influences. And at the same time, it makes me crazy.

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It's an interesting observation, and perhaps, for a creative task you're stumped on, the stimulation of the unknown happening to help spark a creative solution to a problem might be enhanced in a busy coffee shop over a quiet library.

My experience with trying to work in coffee shops has been less than inspiring. I've had reasonably good experience with NaNo write ins. Not quite as good working solo. I think there are too many distractions, too many things to keep me from disappearing into my work and getting comfortable -- I'm always checking to see if I'm taking up too much space if the place is getting busy.

For me, as much as I'd like to sometimes, I just can't "settle in" and get work done.

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I do want to point out one thing associated with this article. The point is that the noise level, up to a point, stimulates creativity. I suspect it's also the reason that a lot of creative types use music at what may fit in the decibel range.

However, productivity is a separate issue, as a discussion between myself and my husband made completely clear. I know for myself, productivity and creativity are yoked, and I do well in noisy environments such as malls, restaurants, and coffee houses. Other people, not so much. I once knew a screenplay writer who could not get anything done except in the dead of night with his wife at work and the AC/furnace/refrigerator turned off. Absolute silence. Barking dogs ruined his night's work.

It all comes back to knowing where you work the best. The article tells me that what I experience isn't just me, that there's a reason I work well in those places. At the very least, I now know that when I'm stuck, it's time to visit a noisy public place.

Oh yes, this does point to that question:

What is the link between inspiration and prductivity?

Do most people think of the two as different aspects of writing? To me, every line you write has to come from some level of inspiration, not just the 'big ideas' or the plot problems. The more inspired you are, the more you can write. (Not that you will -- you have to also want to do the work.)

Also, I know a number of writers who, when having problems, head for the shower or the bathtub. Maybe the coffee shop/mall, etc. has a touch of the same 'it's not the office/work space' and a person can relax here.

And the obvious point that if you study people in coffee shops you are going to find people who are attracted to coffee shops and not others.

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I actually found a summary of the research in a different article. Basically, what they did was put groups of people in different environments, including coffee houses with different noise levels, and then asked them to come up with creative uses for a brick. The people who consistantly came up with the most uses as well as the most creative (iirc) were the ones within the noise range under 75 decibels. So the study itself was a controlled study, not an observational or elect-in study. A downside to the study is that they worked in groups, so it's not necessarily an accurate reflection of solo work.

I think the study is a good thing ro remind us that not only what we're working on is important, but where we work on it.

As to inspiration vs. productivity, well, I think there are levels of each. At some points in the process, inspiration and those leaps and connections are more important than reaching a quantity. But when shifting to actual writing prose work, I see that as more production work with inspiration aiding the crafting process. But also remember that I'm a total outliner, plotter, whatever. For me, these processes don't necessarily happen the same way as someone who is organic/pantser. Or even someone in between. Such a YMMV issue.

To some extent, this is useful information. It is good to know these things, and to consider what we're doing and how we might (or might not) be able to improve it.

But my problem with studies of this sort is simply that they're always presented in terms of "this is the best way to do X", when that is not the literal result. The literal result would be better expressed (setting aside the issue this study examined group behaviour, not solitary creativity) as "X percent of people find this the best way to do Y". In that form, it is useful, because it reminds you that you might fall in either group. But whenever something is presented as the answer, it makes my teeth itch.

Obviously, if you don't already know how you as an individual would respond to the suggested method, it's worth a try. It is worth thinking about these things. I just dislike the tendency of researchers to overstate the significance of their results.

Of course, even if as an individual the study has little to offer me, it is useful in the broader sense of understanding how my characters might work. Perhaps I should show more of their creative moments occurring as they sit in coffee shops, taverns, or whatever the local equivalent may be. The point being that there is more than one use for any nugget of information when you're a writer.

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I can't get myself to work at home. I am really only productive in a cafe.

As for coffee and skunks, to me a light whiff of skunk reminds me of burnt coffee.

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Don't want to make your home into a place of work?

On my side, I'm glad I don't have to depend on anyone/anywhere else to write. At some point that's bound to fail because of an inability to get there. I also can write any time I have a few minutes, which is very handy in my life. Writing is a place in my head, an attitude. I like quiet, but I've written anywhere I happen to find the time and have some sort of writing implement in hand.

And good to know the skunk connection is out there with more than just me! I just must catch the scent earlier than the burn stage!

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Spain has a very different culture. Home is to eat and sleep. Everything else is done out. (plus when home is 250sq ft, it makes sense).

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I'd be miserable in Spain! Grin.

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We spend more time at home than the average person but we connect to the Internet so the house doesn't feel that small.

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I live on the internet. Maybe I'd survive.

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What do Aspies do? (How do they maintain their sanity, in other words?)

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That is a good question. Aspergers isn't talked about here so unfortunately I think the answer is "they suffer"

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I would say I'm split. I love working in coffee shops A) for the coffee B) for the coffee smell and C) to people watch. When my brain needs a 10 second or 10 minute break, I can look up and watch people. It usually helps my creativity/inspires me.

I also love working at home when I'm alone. I make my own coffee and can sit comfortably on my couch and just write write write. And when I need a break I can walk around, sometimes in circles, without people thinking I'm going crazy. (Which I probably am, but which of us isn't?)

I've been thinking a lot about this (and, incidentally, the skunk digression). There are certain things I prefer to do by hand: revision notes, editing notes, planning, characterisation, freewriting, brainstorming, writing to get unstuck, critiques, and . . . probably other things. There are some things I prefer to do on the computer, mainly actual drafting, as well as typing in the actual changes that come as a result of the revision and editing notes. I do occasionally do some drafting by hand as well, especially that "writing to get unstuck" thing, but mainly, since I hate typing in stuff I've already written, I prefer to just draft on the computer. I prefer the *sensation* of writing by hand, and if publishing companies took handwritten work, I'd probably hand write a lot more, but that typing thing irritates me every time I have to do it.

How does this relate to coffee shops?

Anything I do by hand, I prefer to do in a coffee house or restaurant. Or outside. Somewhere where there is a lot of light, the possibility of coffee, and also a large enough table to spread papers out on.

Even though I have a laptop, though, I prefer to do all the computer stuff at home. I don't do very well at NaNo write-ins, either.

What's interesting about the skunk thing is that although I don't think skunk smells like coffee, I do actually like BOTH the smell of skunk (from a distance) and coffee. So, maybe there's something to that. . . they could easily have something in common.

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>What's interesting about the skunk thing
>is that although I don't think skunk
>smells like coffee, I do actually like
>BOTH the smell of skunk (from a distance)
>and coffee. So, maybe there's something
>to that. . . they could easily have
>something in common.

I decided to look this up. And - to my shock - they do seem to have something in common. One of the many compounds which gives coffee its scent is 3-Methyl-2-buten-1-thiol - which is either identical or very similar to one of the three compounds that skunks blast off at you in a mixture when they're upset.

I should note, as far as my shock, that I was perfectly willing to believe this was what coffee smelled like to Zette. I just assumed it was a quirk of her perception, and never would have guessed at any commonality between eau-de-skunk and coffee, but it does seem to be there.

Look! A plot bunny!

Edited to add: this is actually why I've learned to pursue these things. You never know when a plot bunny is going to pop out of the underbrush...

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I wonder if that could get into sweat; thiol being a sulphur compound and I think its smell is something like rotten eggs.

Weird Jim

"Good reading is the only test of good writing"
Robertson Davies. A voice from the attic 1960