Creative writing in different locations

As part of my online short course in writing fiction I have been set a number of small writing challenges. I found that this one really made me think and I had some good feedback about my work.

The activity involved writing a short paragraph describing the worst place you can imagine trying to write and another describing your ideal writing haven... this is what I came up with!

The canteen is noisy and the air is filled with the smell of today's dishes. The ceiling fans flutter the pages of her notebook with each rotation and all around are students bickering and joking. As they move around the room,they nudge the table with their college bags full of books as they race each other to find a seat. Each time her pen reaches the paper as a fragment of an idea forms in her head, a new group of rowdy lads enter the room; pushing and shoving each other and yelling to make themselves heard. 

The inside of the coffee shop is warm and welcoming, there is a smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sweet aroma of warm baked scones. Although small, the inside of the building is quite magnificent, an old chapel. The room is cosy and the furniture vintage and mismatched, everything is well worn but charming, each sagging cushion has a story of its own. She sits with a pot of tea and a cake and begins to write, the shop is quiet apart from the hum of chatter of the couples and business people sat nearby. Gentle music plays and she is lost in a wave of inspiration.