Accountability in Public Spaces

Writing is equal parts isolation and exposure. Some days, I thrive in my office surrounded by silence. Other days, it feels like the walls are closing in and every sentence starts to echo back at me.

That is when I pack up my laptop and head somewhere alive. A coffee shop. The library. The sidelines of my son’s soccer field. Something about being surrounded by people makes me write faster, like the quiet pressure of knowing someone might glance over and wonder what I am working on.

There is a strange accountability in that energy. It keeps me grounded, connected, and honest. Because writing, at its core, is not meant to be lonely. It is meant to be shared.

Call to action:
Where do you find your writing focus? Do you need total silence, or a little background chaos?