Teaser – These next four simple paragraphs could change your writing forever, but you need all four.

The atmosphere of a coffee shop is inviting to writing and other activities that involve little more than an internet connection. The smells of coffee and sweet treats. The sounds of milk being steamed. People talking to one another. There’s a magic there aside from the effects of caffeine in your extra hot, skinny, sugar-free quad shot, caramel mocha with extra whip.

What did I just do in that last paragraph? Not only did I explain atmosphere in reference to where to write, I also explained by example a tip on how to write. Placing your reader in a coffee shop engages their imagination inspiring them to read more, just as sitting in a coffee shop may inspire you to write. Or perhaps it is a park that invokes your inner genius. Whatever the venue, the point is atmosphere.

Atmosphere is the grounds in the coffee maker. Without it, you merely have a cup of hot water. It shapes people. It shapes nations. It is that feeling you get when you’re in a certain place or around a certain person.

Put your reader in your story to the point where they don’t want out. Let them feel the rain on their face and smell the fresh hay as it’s tossed into a stall with a rusty pitchfork. We have five senses in common: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Stimulating those senses in the mind of your reader by creating an atmosphere in your story keeps them wanting more. And isn’t that what every writer lives for?

So what are you waiting for? Write.

Cheers,