‘Oh my god. This is quite possibly the worst coffee I’ve ever tasted. It’s actually kind of fascinating. It tastes like a… (pauses to sip the coffee) it tastes like a monkey peed in battery acid. Try some?’
—Castle
(Not long after that Castle purchased a high grade espresso machine for the precinct)
What are the similarities between J.K. Rowling and Richard Castle? They are single parents. They got custody of their teenage daughters. They both have brilliant minds. They write fictions. Although, only one of them is a “real” writer (You-Know-Who) while the other one is the lead character of a fiction TV show, Castle. On top of that, they both love coffee.
But I do know one thing different though. When Castle is not solving homicide case in the precinct and kicking some murderer’s butt–pardon my language, he is at home writing his novels. On the other hand, waaaaay before Harry Potter happens, J.K. Rowling is known for her fondness of writing in a cafe.
The idea of just wandering off to a cafe with a notebook and writing and seeing where that takes me for awhile is just bliss
–J.K. Rowling
Oh, this reminds me of what happened last week.
I went to this place with a friend of mine. It was an underground cafe located one floor below a traditional market in Kanazawa, Japan. The stair led to the doors was so narrow it was easily missed. Once I entered the cafe, I was surprised. It was different than what I had in mind. The presence of rustic wooden chairs, a hand-me-down-look couch, handwritten menus from torn carton box, small bookshelf, old piano at the corner, acoustic guitars standing on the floor, ceramic figurines on the shelves, hot coffee in the handmade Japanese pottery cup, everything just created a harmonized design.
Anyway, I never went back to the place anymore since my first and last visit. What I love the most is the fact that it is a cafe yet it feels like home.
Coffee.. Cafe.. Home.. Work.. Inspiration..
Mmm.. It got me thinking…
what if J.K. Rowling reverse the concept?
If one day I have a chance to tell her this or maybe just through a letter, here’s what I’m going to say:
Hi Ms. Rowling,
I know how much you love writing in a cafe, why don’t you try to create a cafe-inspired working space in your own house? It saves your time and opens 24/7. On top of that, you don’t have to change your pajamas when you don’t feel like it and no one will care whether you are barefoot or not. Especially nowadays when privacy is a rare thing and so much not your privilege anymore. The concept is not trying to put “the real cafe” design into your home office but only the influence. Like this:
Maybe it reflects more of my taste than yours. To be fair, I have never met you before so I do not know you personally. And if one crazy day you have this bizarre idea of flying this never-heard-before person from out-of-nowhere place to work with you, well I am more than willing to change the concept to meet your satisfaction. Of course, it also means I am going to need more time researching but, that’s okay, I won’t mind to stay a little longer 🙂 I realize renovating a room or having a detached home office built in your yard needs a lot of work and commitment. But hey, who knows, maybe you’ll end up like it.
or something like that.
This is not necessarily only for J.K. Rowling. If you are a young rising writer or blogger, this idea might also suits you. If you are not a cafe person, just find another great influence that will help you with your writing and infused it in your working space.
Hmm..I think I am going to follow my own suggestion. Right now, the only working space I have is my futon. When I am working on my design assignment, books and papers are on the futon and the laptop is on my lap. I hope this won’t stay forever. I’ll figure something out.
Thanks to Castle and J.K. Rowling for being my inspiration today. Maybe in different time and different world I would have a chance to sip a cup of coffee with such brilliant people.
A girl can only dream 😉
a chance of eclecticism 