There are probably people sitting in coffee houses to write because they're douchebags who want people to see that they're writing; if you're one of those douchebags, please stop. Nobody is impressed. Being a writer is like being an archaeologist or a history major or a business analyst: most people, upon finding out that you're "a writer," are just going to discover how quickly their eyes can glaze over. Unless you're, like, Stephen King or something. Which you aren't, otherwise you wouldn't be reading a blog on writing.
I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, though, and I tend to assume that writers in coffee houses are there to get away from the distraction of their homes/offices, or that they write better in crowded public spaces, or--and this is where the subject of my post comes in--they like the social aspect that they get in the coffee house. (You can sub "bar" for "coffee house" if you have to.) Public spaces are a great place to spy on human interaction. You can eavesdrop ("If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college.") and you can people-watch. I know that when I meet up with friends I haven't seen in a while, we head over to Starbucks; I imagine the case is the same for most people. While eavesdropping and people-watching, you can learn tips and tricks on characterization. You can catch snippets of conversation that could turn into story ideas. You can see how people dress, how they walk, how they treat the servers. People in coffee houses are usually casual and off their guard.
This goes for most public spaces. People behave differently in different public spaces, though. As a writer, I think one of the best things I can do for myself is to always be aware of others. I never know when some random passing stranger is going to have the look, the gait, the aura I'm going to need to inspire a new character.
Another aspect of community that is immensely useful is the writers' group. I strongly believe "new" writers (writers who have just picked up a pen or have set fingers to keyboard or writers who have never shared their recreational writing with anyone) should join these groups. Critique groups, writers' clubs, whatever you want to call them, they're good ideas. At the absolute least, they should find a few like-minded people and communicate regularly about writing. These groups are safe places to share your new piece or your WIP and to see others' work, safe places to give and receive critique. If you join a group, or make a group, where you know the people and respect (even like) them and trust their judgment, it's much easier to hear that something in your writing just isn't working. Writers' groups are also a good way to expose yourself firsthand to the differences in personal opinion. They're an excellent way to build that thick skin you absolutely must have. I think writer's groups are important for established writers, too. It never hurts to get safe fresh perspective on your writing.
Right now, I'm looking for a good young adult or paranormal group. I'm currently a member of the ERWA, a list I have found immeasurably helpful. Everyone on the list seems to be intelligent and articulate and willing to share their opinions and expertise. I'd love to find a group of writers who focus on vampires, werewolves, and the like for the 16 - early-twenties crowd, since that's what my current WIP is.
Just keep it small. I favor five to fifteen people. The ERWA is a bit larger than that, but it's not my main source of group support, so that's okay.
Readers are people. I know! Shocking, right? People like to talk. There's a reason Goodreads is such a popular site. All the promotion you do isn't going to do you any good if you can't interest people and connect in some way with community. And all of your promotion can very easily come undone if people read your work and tell their friends, "Don't read this. It's awful." As an author, the bulk of promotional duties fall to you--even if you're traditionally published by one of the Big Six, you're still going to have to do a lot of work on your own. That's where sites like Twitter and Facebook come in. If you're self-published or published through a small, independent house, you should join the site-specific forums, like the Kindle Direct Publishing forums. I also joined the MobileRead forum, which has a lot of authors but seems to have just as many readers.
You have to go where the readers are. Don't spam them, don't piss them off, but find them, find out what they want and what they have to say. Not necessarily because you want to write at them (you should always always write what the story demands and write what you like, then worry about the audience), but so you know. Information is always a good thing to have.
So now you know. Go forth! Be social! You might even make new friends and reach a new audience. At the very least, you'll probably learn something.
