I recently attended Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in lovely Black Mountain, North Carolina. This event is like Disney World for a writer like me, and it is always great to catch with old friends, make new ones, and, oh yeah, get some writing instruction.
For many years I have attended BRMCWC. Could we get a few more letters in that abbreviation?
“Pat, I’d like to buy a vowel.”
Anyway, this year, more than any other, I noticed the hot place to be (pun intended) was Clouds Coffee Shop on the Ridgecrest campus. Every time I passed the shop it was packed with writerly types, and, if they weren’t in the actual place, the attendees were walking around with Clouds cups in their hands.
I have a confession to make . . . I don’t like coffee.
YIKES! Are you really a writer??
Many times I have read that writers thrive on coffee. They drink it all day long. They craft bestsellers while sitting in their favorite coffee shop.
I just don’t get it. If I drank coffee like some of these people, I’d be up all night and in the restroom all day (Sorry, TMI).
If I tried to write in a coffee shop, I would be incredibly distracted by the people, the decorations, the baristas, you name it.
I’ll have a large cup of Adult ADHD, with a touch of extroverted sass thrown in.
Coffee shops, especially at a writers conference, are gathering places—sites to laugh with friends, to pitch new ideas, to dissect lessons learned in and out of classes. I get that, and I actually met some friends right outside the shop to socialize on a few occasions.
I also realize God calls different types of people to write. We are all made in his image yet are unique. I may not write in the same genre as you nor drink the same beverage as you, but, like you, I’m dedicated to sharing the Good News with a hurting world that desperately needs it.
I hold nothing against you coffee drinkers, as long as I don’t have to drink your favorite beverage. More power (and caffeine) to you!
Now, does anyone have vending machine change? The Diet Pepsi is calling my name.
We love helping your growing in your writing career.
I was with you all the way, Carlton, until that last line. I don’t like Diet Pepsi either. As you say, God calls all types. Now, pass the water, and hold the ice.