Real Writers Drink Coffee.
I think I read that on a T-shirt somewhere. Or maybe a coffee mug. Maybe even a mousepad. Anyway, it's kind of common knowledge - or maybe legend - that writers mainline coffee and bon-bons, wear feather boas while working, don't sleep for days on end, and get mad when anyone suggests our masterpiece might need the teensiest of edits. Well, I do have a feather boa and I have worn it while writing (it was a dare) and I do like bon bons from time to time and I do cringe when those edits come in but then I pull up my big girl pants and get to work. Now, about the coffee part of the legend...That part might be true for a lot writers.
I know. I'm a weirdo.
So, what do I drink when I'm writing? Water, first and foremost. And ice-cold Coke, not diet and not that nasty 'zero' stuff, which tastes worse than diet (at least, in my opinion. I love an ice cold Coke, it does something to my brain. Loosens up the words a little, gets my fingers moving a litter faster on the keyboard. I probably drink a little (or a lot) too much of it, to be honest, and I've tried cutting it out completely because I know that high-fructose corn syrup is awful, awful, awful for our bodies. I have cut my intake down to one (sometimes, though, two) per day.
But I just can't let it go completely.
It's part of my writing routine. The sound of the top opening, the fizzing over ice cubes, the sound it the ice makes as it clinks around when I'm drinking it. Some writers have a routine they use to get into the writing - it's a lit candle or the right music or a blanket and a chair. I'm not going to lie, I do the candle thing and the music, too, but that Coke is also part of my writing ritual. When I'm stuck, I'll head to the kitchen to pour a glass and see what comes of it. When things are going well I'll realize I'm parched and off to the kitchen to fix that dehydration issue I've been ignoring while my fingers flew over the keys. When I'm deciding yes, no, or maybe to a particularly hard editing pass, it's Coke that gets me through the rough patches. When I'm celebrating a book release or a new contract, RadioMan and I will toast with Coke in wine glasses.
Do you have a go-to drink for writing?
I'm a coffee-and-tea girl during the day, for sure, but in the evening, I drink soda (pop, coke, etc.) It's one more way in which I'm not a purist. As long as it's on ice, I can drink any of it (and, like you, probably too much.) My favorite is always diet cherry cola. Since Coke deserted me in that endeavor, I drink Pepsi and Kroger brand--Big K? Always diet, always cherry, and always on ice. I love your mugs, Kristi!
ReplyDeleteCoffee in the morning--Husband and I split a pot every day. After lunch, it's water until I quit for the day, then maybe a glass of wine, but mostly more water. If I get cold during the day, I might make tea, but although I love hot tea, I really prefer my tea iced. ;-) Don't sweat the high fructose corn syrup, Kristi--it's natural and real and won't hurt you, unless you're counting calories.
ReplyDeleteCaffeine disrupts my sleep, even the caffeine in coke. So I try to stick to water and decaffeinated coffee and tea. And wine. No caffeine in wine.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit; I'm a candle-lighting-music-playing writing kind of gal! What I want to know is are these rituals really superstitious actions we take to ENSURE our latest work will be a bestseller. Food - or Coke - for thought. ;)
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