City Cast Salt Lake logo

The Best Places To Write Your Novel in Salt Lake

Posted on November 1, 2024   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Ivana Martinez

Ivana Martinez

The best places to write in Salt Lake for NaNoWriMo. (Elena Medoks/Getty Images)

The best places to write in Salt Lake for NaNoWriMo. (Elena Medoks/Getty Images)

November is here, so let National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) commence. For those uninitiated, it’s a month-long endeavor to finish a work in progress or embark on the 50,000-word journey to writing a novel.

If you’ve been meaning to start penning the next great American novel, this is your time to shine! From one storyteller to another, here are the best places to write in Salt Lake.

🦉 For the night owls

Not only do they have great drinks, they’re open until midnight. This place has both indoor and outdoor seating and has made a name for itself for being an artist's hub.

One of the coziest places with a quirky vibe. Curl up in a nook with your laptop, and grab one of their delicious crepes while you’re here.

The haunt of college students and writers galore. With many levels, you can head to the quiet zone, write in between the stacks, or get some help from the writing center.

✨ For the Vibe

When I wrote my first novel, I had a very picturesque idea of where I’d be writing it. If I hadn’t been scribbling at the crack of dawn on my couch, I would have been grabbing a hot chai and handwriting my pages here. Heads up, no wifi.

One of the crown jewels of our city. There’s nothing like sitting on the third floor watching the sun dip below the mountains while getting your word count in.

One of my favorite neighborhood coffeehouses, Loki’s vibes are immaculate. Grab a yummy pastry and sit near the window, soaking in the sun as you plot.

I’d be remiss not to mention The Shop coworking space (a longtime sponsor of City Cast Salt Lake). Get a day pass or a membership and full access to an endless espresso and soda bar — dealer’s choice. A perk of The Shop is that it’s open 24/7 and has some cozy booths and great monitors.

Share article

Hey Salt Lake

Stay connected to City Cast Salt Lake and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

The latest in Salt Lake

Keep It LocalOctober 15

Fall Break for the Pumpkin Patch Crowd and the Party Crowd

Keep the kids busy with a no-scare haunted house and pumpkin patch, or treat yourself to scary-oke, witchy comedy, and a rooftop book fes...

Photo of a farm. Pumpkins of various sizes and colors are in the foreground. Behind the pile is a wagon with hay in it for a hayride.
Keep It LocalOctober 15

Add to Cart: October Edition

Because sometimes you want to support Utah-based small businesses from the comfort of your couch. Here’s what we’re eyeing right now.

Graphic that says Add to Cart: October with a shopping cart and computer mouse icon. In a collage behind, there is a candle in a black tin with white writing that says “Rose Park Salt Lake Clothing Co.”, a pile of pink and yellow sour candies, a red cardigan with lots of small white buttons down the front, a felt folkcraft style pumpkin, and the cover of the book Partita by Barbara Kingsolver.
Neighborhood GuidesOctober 15

A Local's Guide to Salt Lake City

Explore Salt Lake City with a local’s guide to the best coffee shops, vintage stores, restaurants, and hidden gems.

White plates with salmon lox tartine and sourdough with hummus, muhammara, and cucumber on a table.
Keep It LocalOctober 8

How Well Do You Know Salt Lake’s Haunted Spots?

Is the McCune Mansion haunted? Or the Walker Center? Test your haunted history knowledge in this scary quiz.

The Victorian-era McCune Mansion in Salt Lake City, an ornate red brick building with a conical turret, decorative tile rooflines, and a wraparound porch, set against a clear blue sky with colorful wildflowers and manicured shrubs lining the stone steps leading to the entrance.
Keep It LocalOctober 8

Trick or Treat Yourself to a Local Costume

Halloween costumes don’t have to come from a big-box store. Here are eight shops in the Salt Lake City area to source your 2026 costume.

Three photos in a collage. The first is a flat lay of a sailors costume consisting of a white shirt, blue and white striped vest, red scarf, and a pipe. The second features three masquerade masks in white, black, and pink, each with a large feather that plumes out the top. And a Lorax costume lies flat, featuring an orange shirt, yellow vest, orange tie, and a yellow beanie with the Lorax’s face and mustache.
Keep It LocalOctober 1

Spooky Season Starts at These Local Shops

From spooky home decor and creepy collectibles to vintage finds and delightfully weird odds and ends, these local shops are keeping the s...

Two photos, left photo has a store display of a vintage black cat sign and a mannequin wearing a witch hat and a T-shirt with a vintage-style graphic of a woman in a skeleton costume. The right photo shows a brown mass inside a glass box with a sign underneath that says “raccoon heart”. Text on top of both images reads, “Halloween decor: cute…or creepy?”
Keep It LocalSeptember 24

Get Inspired by Fall Gardens

Themed gardens include Water Conservation Garden, Herb Garden, Medicinal Garden, and Four Seasons Garden.

People walking along a path surrounded by small, evergreen shrubs in various shades of green. The backdrop is the Salt Lake Valley.
Keep It LocalSeptember 24

Plant Now: Your Utah Garden’s Fall Shopping Guide

But here’s a little secret: Many of the best spring plants were actually planted in the fall.

Shoppers look at plants set out on a grassy lawn.