Joe Flood's Blog, page 50
June 21, 2013
Writing a Novel? Get Thee to a Coffee Shop
Writing a Novel? Get Thee to a Coffee Shop
It is a truth almost universally acknowledged that everything is better with coffee. And even better in a coffee shop.
I wrote Murder in Ocean Hall in a coffee shop. I reported every morning, as if I was going to work, and sat there writing away from 8-12, telling myself that I was not allowed to leave until my time was up.
I aimed for 2000 words a day but most of the time wrote 1100 or so. But the important thing was to be there, to be present, and to keep going.
Why are coffee shops so productive for me? A recent New York Times article says it’s all about the background noise:
In a series of experiments that looked at the effects of noise on creative thinking, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had participants brainstorm ideas for new products while they were exposed to varying levels of background noise. Their results, published in The Journal of Consumer Research, found that a level of ambient noise typical of a bustling coffee shop or a television playing in a living room, about 70 decibels, enhanced performance compared with the relative quiet of 50 decibels.
The article goes on to profile Coffitivity, a web site that provides the sounds of a busy coffee house anywhere.
But it’s not just sound that makes coffee shops productive places. When I would report to Caribou (and I thought of it that way – reporting to work), seeing all those people all typing away on laptops made me think that I better get to work. Call it peer pressure or socialization. Seeing others work made me think that I better get to work. I better start working on that novel.
And don’t underestimate the power of caffeine. It’s not alcohol that makes writers – it’s coffee, with the cheery, well-focused buzz it gives you. Coffee houses have given birth to sprawling novels, symphonies and Western Civilization. Not bad for a simple bean.
When people ask me how to write a novel, I tell them to go to a coffee shop. My advice:
Pick a store populated with grad students or freelancers – you want lots of people sitting alone at tables, with a minimum of talking.
Slow or no wifi is a good thing, because you’re supposed to be writing.
Put yourself on a schedule and commit to it.
Reward yourself with as much coffee as you want.
Habit is a powerful thing. If you spend one hour a day writing, imagine how much you could accomplish in a year. Plus, you get to drink coffee. Writing and drinking coffee – is there any better way to spend your time?
June 18, 2013
First Post for Medium: We Need a Facebook for Failures
First Post for Medium: We Need a Facebook for Failures
I am profoundly ambivalent about Facebook. It’s an interesting peek into the lives of others. But it’s also a source of much angst and drama, an extension of our high school lives into adulthood. I really hate it at times.
Which is why I wrote We Need a Facebook for Failures. In this short article, I call for people to be honest on Facebook rather than showing only the best of all possible worlds.
I wrote the piece for Medium, a new blogging site by Ev Williams, co-founder of Twitter. It’s a collaborative blogging environment with a distraction-free design that lets you focus on words.
June 11, 2013
The Wallace Line Selected as Nelson Algren Finalist
June 10, 2013
The Wallace Line Selected as Nelson Algren Finalist
My short story “The Wallace Line,” has been selected as a finalist in the 2013 Nelson Algren Awards sponsored by The Chicago Tribune.
I was one of four finalists selected out of more than 1,000 writers. I get $1000 – more than I’ve ever made in a lifetime of literary work – and “The Wallace Line” will be published in a special supplement later this summer by the Tribune. As someone who grew up reading the Trib in the suburbs of Chicago, this is a huge honor.
“The Wallace Line” is about a Nature Conservancy manager who takes a wealthy donor to the island of Komodo – and then things go horribly wrong. Here’s a sample:
Harold marveled at how quickly it had all gone to shit.
The approach to the beach had been perfect, as Anak expertly guided the longboat over the swell. Behind them, the sun climbed above the tranquil waters of the Flores Sea. Ahead, the pink sands of Komodo were radiant in the morning light. A warm breeze blew across the boat. January in Indonesia, when it was hot but not too hot, and while the East Coast of America was locked in ice.
A moment you could not forget, and would be forever grateful to receive. As had been planned. These expeditions were carefully organized for maximum effect. The trip had been in the works for nearly a year. Countless emails had been exchanged; permits obtained; supplies purchased; forms filled out on onionskin paper wilting in the heat of Jakarta; signatures obtained by Directors, Department Heads, Deputies and other interested parties (with the occasional bit of friendly bribery to grease the way – nothing major – an iPhone, a bottle of bourbon, the promise to write a letter of recommendation for a nephew.)
The climax, the finale, was this grand arrival onto the mysterious island of Komodo, a lost world, a paradise that remained undiscovered by white men until 1910. One of 17,000 islands in Indonesia, this particular speck of land was the most unique of all for it was home to dragons.
Komodo dragons. A billionaire had flown halfway around the world to see them and Harold was there to provide him a show he would not forget.
I was a web editor at The Nature Conservancy for three years. While I never went to Komodo, I worked a lot with TNC’s Asia-Pacific program and have long been fascinated by Indonesia. I wrote articles, email newsletters and designed web features – all to protect places like Komodo. Conservation marketing is really interesting – it’s a mix of art (pretty pictures of animals) and science (preserving ecosystems) – which is background to my story.
“The Wallace Line” is the first chapter of an unfinished new novel. The theme is that the borders between ideas and people are disappearing in this interconnected world.
Look for a link to “The Wallace Line”when it’s published in the Trib later this summer (follow me on Twitter if you don’t already). In the meantime, check out my other novels Murder in Ocean Hall or Don’t Mess Up My Block.
June 7, 2013
Friday Photo: Directions Edition
Friday Photo: Directions Edition
A pair of costumed riders pause for a moment during the Tour de Fat bike parade. We weren’t really heading for the interstate but passed underneath it on the way back to Yards Park. Shot with an iPhone, edited in Flickr mobile app using Mammoth filter.
June 5, 2013
Tour de Fat Rolls into DC
Tour de Fat Rolls into DC

Costumes encouraged at Tour de Fat
Who wouldn’t want to parade around DC on bikes and then drink Fat Tire?
Well, maybe not cycle-hating Dorothy Rabinowitz, lest her wig get disturbed, but every other normal human loves biking and drinking beer. And we had a great Saturday to do it at the annual Tour de Fat.
Sponsored by my favorite New Belgium Brewing (maker of Fat Tire, Shift, Ranger and Dig – all great beers), Tour de Fat was a big, whimsical bike festival that benefited local biking advocacy organizations like WABA.
The day began at 11 AM at Yards Park, a beautiful new park along the Anacostia in Southwest. Spurred on by the Tour de Fat Danger Zone and the rocking Brazilian drummers of Batala, hundreds of bikers of all ages set off on a mass ride.

Danger Zone performers get the parade started

Batala drummers, amazing as always
Volunteer marshals blocked off streets as this giant, slow-moving peloton headed for Capitol Hill. It was a lovely view as we climbed Jersey Avenue, before making a right and idling toward Eastern Market.

I just love this view of the Capitol
Riding with that many people was inspiring – people waved as we passed, kids pointed in puzzlement and one person even hosed down the riders on this hot day. Costumes were encouraged and every type of bike and rider imaginable participated in the parade.

The nice ladies in very vintage clothing were from the League of Women Voters
The best part was doing a big loop around Lincoln Park – so cool to see bikes going around all four sides of the park while reggae music blared from a bike hauling speakers.

The boombox bike kept the music going during the parade
We then worked our way back to Yards Park, where the party was getting started. Wacky variety acts kept people entertained while they enjoyed $5 beers and lunch from food trucks.

Honeymoon Cabaret performs, a new age vaudeville act
The bike pit, filled with impossible cycles to try out, enticed many a risk-taker.

Bike pit or Circus Maximus?

Well, at least he's wearing a helmet
I heard someone married his bike at Tour de Fat. I’m sure it made sense at the time. It was that kind of day.
Check out lots more photos from me and other photogs on the WABA site!