Of all the things a little coffee shop could do to differentiate itself from Dunkin McStarbucks, small-business thinking seems to have won out.

Damn near 100% of my lyric writing is done in what I call my “field offices”, known to most as beaneries and coffee bars within 2 miles of my house. Since I’ve moved to a new home in Nashua, NH, I’ve been on the hunt for a new field office- some local establishment with a vibe conducive to making long strings of rhyming words. Finding one, for me, is a lot like finding a church; you have to experience the place and simply sense whether or not it’s right.

I’ve only been to the Riverwalk Cakery and Coffee House twice since I moved here, but I think I’ve found my field office. The atmosphere is typical beanery fare, the coffee’s good, but the difference lies in the people that run the place.

Last week I met with a drummer and a local friend at the Cakery and, late in the day, I wanted a pastry. That damned chocolate scone had been singing to me for about 3 hours and I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Sadly, the place had already closed down their Visa machine and I, as always, carry no cash.

“Oh, just take it,” was the response. Not even an expectation of payment next time or any kind of prior arrangement. I was not a regular- like I said, this was only the second time I’d been in that joint. Somewhere there is a sales manager at Dunkin McStarbucks shouting “you idiot, you don’t give stuff away for free!”

I don’t know where that somewhere is, but at least in Nashua, NH, the price of one chocolate scone has made me a customer for life. That’s the kind of vibe that facilitates writing.

Oh, and believe me, I will be paying for the scone next time I’m there writing lyrics.

[flickr align="left" class="alignleft" hspace="10"]photo:3062952888(square)[/flickr]Yesterday I started to cry in my studio as I produced the new song for Matthew Ebel dot net subscribers. I’m not typically an emotional guy, but for some reason the subject matter combined with the lyrics combined with the way the arrangement was unfolding… well I just couldn’t help myself. I was a little surprised. I don’t cry. I’m an American Ebel male and emotions just don’t do that to me, but there I was sitting in my chair wiping off my cheeks.

Whenever something strange like that happens, I turn to the most trusted source in mass groupthink: Twitter. Fortunately, as it turns out, this kind of thing happens all the time:

Once or twice I’ve even cried while performing an original. When singing with a choir, I’ve made puddles
-carlalynnehall

I’ve done it once or twice when composing. It is usually the really simple parts that get me the most, though.
-Firr

It’s supposed to happen that way, I think. Writing & listening, both should be affected at times. Looking forward to hearing it.
-JimFarley

So who knows? Maybe this song will be fantastic. Or maybe it just means that one of my own songs has impacted me the way some of my others have impacted some fans. I can’t count how many emails I’ve received telling me that I Will Wait For You or Tennessee Never Cried brought someone to tears. Maybe it’s just my turn.

All I know is it felt really good.

Everyone says to write what you’re passionate about, but as any long-term married couple will attest, passion comes and goes. What one is passionate about one day becomes a simple continuing fascination the next… then suddenly the flames of passion are alive again in another week. How do you keep writing when inspiration is such a fickle fairy?

I believe the answer, at least for a professional writer, is to stop writing once in a while. Don’t just take a sabbatical, go do something to turn the heat back up. If you know what areas you’re passionate about, it shouldn’t be hard to plan something to re-spark your interest. It’ll be better in the long run than simply forcing mediocre material into your lyrics or PR copy or whatever.

Just as people can smell a marketing ploy a mile away, people can tell when you’re forcing enthusiasm. Those argyle socks you REALLY wanted for Christmas? Your mom totally knows you’re lying and you hate them. So do your fans a service: Become a better writer by keeping yourself on fire about something. Are you a political writer? Go to a protest. Better yet, go to a counter-protest. Music writer? Go sit in on a jam session or some cultural recital you’re not familiar with (dude… Tongan drummers are amazing).

Even if you’re not actively writing, every once in a while you need to fire yourself back up to stay passionate. It’s not a sign that you’re losing interest, it’s a sign that you care enough to perform some regular maintenance. Trust me, your fans will thank you.