35 Comments
Jun 10, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

This was amazing, it's given me such a lovely sense of place reading this and imagining what it's like to be there. Oh how I long to write in a spot like that, to have a month-long vacation just to go and inhabit a space that has such beautiful, bustling surrounds and history.

Thanks so much for this. It's given me such a cosy feeling this morning as I sit here at my own desk in my home, which very much isn't in Paris. Not sure if you read her, but Hannah Meltzer also does lovely Paris-vibes posts (https://hannahmeltzer.substack.com/).

PS that first link to the cafe doesn't work. Goes to a 404 error page for me.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks so much; happy it had that effect! Yeah, it was easier to do that kind of thing before (having a kid especially) but not impossible to do later on! Paris was also a little less expensive 10 years ago (like everywhere!). In any case, I highly recommend it as a life goal. :)

This rec looks great; I'm now subscribed. I would like to do more writing about Paris/France as I have also lived there briefly and am a total francophile. Sometimes I'm afraid I can't quite capture what I want to say about it. I'll be in the south of France in a few weeks so will give it a go then, but Paris itself has these layers you mention that are just so extravagant for a writer.

Huh, that's strange, they seem to have taken down their website just recently -- here's the wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Palette thanks for catching that.

Expand full comment
Jun 11, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Well you definitely captured it then 😊

And yes, please do write about your southern France adventure.

I've added a month long Paris writing stint to my life goals ;)

Expand full comment
author

Thanks for encouragement! I'll do it. Maybe a whole France series...stay tuned.

Excellent taste for life goals. Why limit?!

Expand full comment

This was such a lovely post--I felt like I was in the cafe with you! If I ever make it to Paris, I’ll know what to do ;).

Expand full comment
author

Ha. Let me know and I’ll give you a few other tips :)

Thank you!

Expand full comment
Jun 10, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

I so enjoyed the richness of this piece. I have fond memories of Paris and the beautiful way you describe it really takes me there.

You have clearly missed your calling. Ever considered working for the CIA? Either that or your next book should be a spy novel. The way you infiltrated those tables!

You have really made me think about the significance of where you write and the effect it might have on how you write. I had never thought of that. I either write sitting on a sofa with laptop on knee (don't tell the woman who does the Yoga and Writing course, she'd be horrified at the posture) or at my dining table looking out onto a rather pretty field with trees, sheep and plenty of wildlife to watch when exercising the eyes. Maybe I need to shake it up a bit!

Thank you for another really lovely read.

Expand full comment
author

Thank you for the wonderful, comment!

My regular spot in Basel is also my home table which has a great view of the trees or thunderstorms. Sheep!! We have some nearby but not in view. Sounds lovely.

Very funny you should say this about 🕵️‍♀️...my current fiction project is a spy novel based in Vienna! I had not at all made the connection.

Expand full comment
Jun 10, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

I knew it! I love spy stuff so I'm looking forward to that.😊

Expand full comment
author

Awesome. I'm hoping to make it a series...!!

Expand full comment

This is something the piece also made me think of, Jules; how where we write might affect how or what sort of writing we do.

Expand full comment
Jun 11, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Yes, it's really interesting isn't it? I'm not sure how I would get on in a busy environment with lots of distractions. I've always needed peace and quiet to concentrate. Still, it's worth a try.

Expand full comment
author

Although maybe inhabiting...then retreating to write?

Not necessarily immediately following but kind of soaking in experiences or spaces as a writer then take them with you. I'm very influenced this way, but maybe I just lack an active imagination to create them myself :)

Expand full comment
Jun 11, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Ah, I see, yes. It's great to hear about different techniques. I think that it takes great imagination to absorb and reinterpret what is happening around you and write fiction as you do! I am enjoying The White Night.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks a lot, Jules!

Expand full comment
Jun 10, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Great post. An environment can creat a certain flow to your writing and this environment sounds ideal 😎

Expand full comment
author

Thank you, Jon!

Expand full comment

Really enjoyed this, Kate. It has made me yearn for Paris (and another life). Do you write your novels on paper?

Expand full comment
author

I’m now yearning for Paris as well! Thank you.

Paper: yes, well, I sketch out some parts on paper and then fill in a lot on the computer as I can then just move faster. The first edits also happen as I type and I try to put things in order (because it’s a super mess -- just floating scenes). I take a week or so only writing on paper a couple times a year, which seems to help me refocus.

What about you?

Expand full comment

I really like writing on paper and usually start with sentences / parts of sentences in my notebook. But quickly find myself crossing out and reordering so I never last long there. I always take notes on paper though which can run to pages and pages. And never transfer them to laptop.

Expand full comment
author

Yes, always notes on paper! Such a joy. Plus I just think better that way.

Expand full comment

Loving this mini-discussion on pen and paper writing! Warrants another post in itself I think, Kate... ; )

Expand full comment
author

Like it! Could be one for the new project: mindfulness / visceral experience of the word on the page...

Expand full comment

I can practically hear the cogs turning from here!! ; )

Expand full comment

I felt transported to then and there, experiencing pieces of your life through you. It's a place full of rich history, full of importance and inspiration for others, it seems too.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks so much, Nadia. This is a special place for me!

Expand full comment
Jun 19, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Paris ♥️♥️

Expand full comment
Jun 12, 2023Liked by Dr. Kathleen Waller

Your words are pure beauty, capturing the essence of writing and ritual and la joie de vivre. In my mind and on the page, I am in Paris. Merci beaucoup!

Expand full comment
author

Also, nice to find your newsletter. Wonderful project.

I spent my college years in Maine, running cross country around the state.

Expand full comment
author

Je t'en prie!

Thanks so much for the lovely comment.

Expand full comment

I love the way you became a local at the cafe. It’s how I did the same in our small village in Provence. I can assure you it was not my charming French that made me so many friends here. I just kept turning up and being nice.

Ax

Expand full comment
author

Thanks for the lovely comment! Yes I find all over France even for a brief stay, one can find these cafes. Provence life must be bliss.

Expand full comment

Yes Probably is a lifestyle for me. One I carry around every where. Summer markets are my favourite ❤️

Expand full comment

Enjoyed this post; I love to see where other writers write. I can't say my local cafe's are anywhere near as lovely as Paris! But I definitely write better, and more consistently, in cafe's and coffee shops. My favourite (for writing) is at the heart of the local University, and so has (mostly) students of all ages and stages, academics, and staff, many of them working on laptops or meeting to discuss projects. There is music playing and the view from the window (or outdoor terrace) is of movement; people walking and buildings. I think all this action and intention encourages me to become a part of it. Your piece here though has made me wonder if might like to seek out a separate cafe space, on a different day, for my more creative writing, such as the book idea I am working on, perhaps with pen and paper...

Expand full comment
author

I love that idea of certain spaces for certain projects. It might make it more manageable and FUN to juggle. Thinking of a Notes conversation with Victoria Walker (we can't tag in comments?..).

Your uni cafe sounds wonderful. Vibrant and idea-heavy, but maybe also some of that emo-undergrad stuff that's really sweet, too.

Expand full comment