The 5 Best Places to Write Outside Your Office

by Mark Bloom | Sep 21, 2014 | Writing

When You Have to Get Out of the Office

Working from home has its advantages and disadvantages. Sure, it’s possible — although not always desirable — to work in your pajamas. We’ve found, at least through our own experience, that to be at our best, we want breakfast and a shower first. Then the words flow!

Professional writers can write anywhere!

Yes, our job is writing. While we often work in a home office, we also can work in other places. Here is a list of our top five favorite places to write outside of those rooms, out in the wilds of Asheville. Maybe you’ll find your creativity in one of them.

1. The Old Standby

The coffee shop has been a writer’s hangout for decades. Since most coffee shops now offer a free Internet connection, their popularity among writers has only grown. What do writers need to craft their magic? A laptop computer or just a pen and pad of paper, a table or desktop, a fairly comfortable chair and a good cup of coffee. A coffee shop provides all of the above.

2. Pack Square Library

The greatest advantage of working in the library is that it’s quiet. You can find a comfortable out-of-the-way spot — whether it’s in the reading room, by the main desk or even in the stacks — to do your writing. Surrounded by all those books, you don’t have to look far for inspiring words to keep you focused and busy.

3. Your Backyard

If you happen to live in a house, you may have a backyard that’s somewhat private and most likely comfortable. As long as you can find a spot that supports your body and your writing tools, you can enjoy the sunshine while doing your writing work. Because you’re outside but haven’t left home, you can go get a snack or a tissue or whatever you need without interrupting your workflow. Best of all, the bathroom is right inside.

4. The Wedge Brewery

Some writers thrive on coffee while others work best after one or two sudsy beverages. The Wedge Brewery offers lots of outdoor seating, including a few tables that are away from the crowd. As long as your laptop can stay charged without power, you can work outside. It’s best to go when it’s not swarming with clientele, but you can always disengage with an iPod and a set of earplugs.

5. Pritchard Park

Not all writers are social beings. Some prefer to write in a broom closet than out among the seething mass of humanity. But we like the occasional distraction that being out in public provides. We can disengage when we need to, but we’ve found that people don’t bother you while you’re typing intently away at the keyboard. And being in the middle of downtown has its advantages when you want something to eat or drink or when you need to find a restroom.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

Creativity in Asheville, NC

by Elle Ray | Jul 6, 2014 | Asheville

Another Reason to Live in Asheville, NC

Asheville sits at the end of the rainbow

Asheville entices retirees and dreamers to move here. The city — known as either a “Cesspool of Sin” or as a bastion of liberal politics, depending on your point of view — offers a bustling beer scene and enough gourmet restaurants to satisfy most foodies. In other words, there are many reasons to move here.

Bring Your Job

But the region’s high-technology community is in its infant phase. The economy relies heavily on tourism, health care and construction. Normal office jobs are scarce. You must bring a nest egg with you to tide you over until you figure out how to make it here. Alternatively, you must already have a job that doesn’t rely on the local economy.

If you come to Asheville expecting to find the perfect job, you may be disappointed. We personally know several people who have come here, stayed a while, and then left to find a more lucrative location. Because not only are the jobs not plentiful, the pay scale is less than in other markets.

Outside of Work

There are benefits to living here, though. The scenery is breathtaking. The nearby mountains bestow feelings of peace and fulfillment. Even if you don’t like hiking, river sports (including river tubing) or ziplining, Asheville has a lot to offer.

The downtown scene jumps and hops during the summer months. The bars, restaurants and pubs do a brisk business. The sidewalks crowd with young, old and everyone in between. Asheville is a vibrant, fun small city.

Where Creativity Never Ends

Asheville leads us to creativity

We live and work here, and as long as we’ve been in Asheville, we have not suffered writer’s block. We’re not sure if it’s the mountains, the people, the trees, the architecture, the air or the food, but we never lack ideas. We never lack inspiration. Whenever we sit down to write, we always have the words.

Asheville is a place where creativity seems to appear whenever we need it, as if by magic. We can’t explain it, but neither can we deny it. Asheville supplies us with what we need to create. The place makes working joyful, fruitful and nearly effortless.

Let Us Show You

As a result, we create quality content for our clients. Due to where we choose to live and work (at least partially), our work is always on time and on budget. Our clients appreciate not only the timeliness of our work, but also the effectiveness of our words.

Let us show you what we can do for you. Check out our portfolio to see what we’ve done for other clients. Then contact us about your needs. We can solve your website, blogging and online marketing issues. If you let us.