The one time I tried writing a horror scene in a coffee shop and it backfired hard

I was at a busy Starbucks downtown around 5pm, typing out a scene where a ghost crawls out of a closet. Some guy at the next table leaned over and said 'uh, you okay man? you look really pale.' I didn't even realize I was gripping my laptop so tight my knuckles turned white. The entire mood was ruined because I got too into my own writing and scared myself. Has anyone else had a real-world moment totally wreck their creative flow?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessicaw1110d ago

Getting scared by your own writing doesn't ruin the flow, that proves the flow was working. You were in that liminal space where the story becomes real to you, and some stranger yanked you out of it. That's not the writing failing, that's the coffee shop failing. Next time just tell them you're method acting or something.

the_miles9d ago

One time I was writing a scene where a dog finds a dead body in the woods and got so creeped out I had to get up and walk around my apartment. My cat kept staring at the corner of the room the whole time and I swear I almost packed a bag and left. The guy at Starbucks probably saved you from walking home looking over your shoulder every five seconds.