If tea is a sophisticated drink for calm and practical
people, then coffee is tea’s crazy second cousin for the passionate and the
caffeine-driven. Okay, so anybody can drink coffee, but let’s face it, if
you’re a writer and you enjoy coffee, then there’s a 79% chance you’re
enthusiastic. Or you’re just not a morning person. Take your pick.
But how, might you ask, can a tea drinker like coffee just
as much? On the contrary, my friend, I… I have no idea. I just do.
My evolution of liking coffee is a strange story. Back when
I was a kid, I used to hang out with my writing club at Starbucks where we’d
buy Frappuccino’s, and for years, I wouldn’t drink anything other than
sugar-slathered drinks. Then one year, my friend Sarah came to visit me in
Europe, and we took a trip down to Italy where I tried my first sugar-infused
cappuccino. It was marvelous. Then I started drinking cappuccinos on a regular
basis, without sugar. Then I went straight for strong, black coffee.
Yes, I’m a bizarre creature. Whoever said writers were
supposed to be normal? I still drink cappuccinos. In fact, they’re my caffeine
drink of choice, though I haven’t been able to find a decent one since leaving
in Italy. (Oh, the good old days!)
Whether you’re like me or not—if you’re a writer who likes
coffee, this post is for you!
Coffee comes in many,
many varieties.
From chocolate-covered coffee beans and espressos to cappuccinos
and iced lattes, there are plenty of coffees to enjoy on the go or at a
leisurely pace. Personally, I like chocolate covered coffee beans for road
trips, and they’re great for those dull times when your imagination just needs
a boost. Road trips can be great for reading if you’re not the driver, and they
can be great for world-building or character development whoever you are! When
it comes to sitting and having a writing-related discussion, I like a good
cappuccino. If I need some serious motivation, I’ll switch to strong black
coffee.
It’s all based off personal preferences, but there’s a
coffee for nearly any occasional. There’s even decaf, but…
The caffeine in coffee is a great motivator.
It comes from a bean, so coffee has to be so much better for
you than energy drinks. Besides, it has
so many uses!
Feeling groggy because it’s morning and you can’t quite wake
up enough to think let alone write? Have a cup of coffee. Staying up late
writing for NaNoWriMo or some other project and you need the energy? Drink
coffee!
Just the smell of coffee
is inspirational.
There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly brewed
coffee, filling the room and promising to awaken your senses. Can we get a
coffee-scented candle already? Or coffee-scented perfume? Or maybe I just need
to make more coffee!
Need I say more?
Coffee stains make
your stories look 1000x more awesome.
Let’s face it. If you’re like me, and printing out your
story (or handwriting it) helps you out, then there’s a 75% chance it’s going
to come in contact with your drink of choice. And coffee stains are almost a
given. But come on. They’re not a hindrance. They’re a badge of dedication and
hard work. They say, “Look! On this page, I needed caffeine, and I had
caffeine, and oh, my goodness, it’s such a relief to see something other than
red ink drowning my words.”
Besides, if you’re finished with your pristine, perfect
new draft manuscript, you can douse it with coffee instead of burning it.
After all, coffee smells good! But whatever you do, don’t douse it with coffee
and then burn it. The smell of burnt coffee is not so inspirational.
Drinking coffee is a good excuse to collect a bunch of writerly or geeky mugs.
Okay, so you could do this with tea as well, but I’m not
writing about tea, am I? My own collection of mugs, though quite small, makes
drinking coffee twice as enjoyable. Not only am I having a caffeinated drink,
but I’m also getting an inspirational snippet as well. Sounds like a win-win
deal to me!
Coffee is just nice,
plain and simple.
Or complicated and sugary if you prefer. So don’t let
anybody tell you not to drink it if they don’t like it. Everybody’s entitled to
his or her opinion. So, drink ten cups of coffee like Lorelai Gilmore. Or sip a
cappuccino like me. Or just, you know, enjoy a cup of coffee, however you like
it, just like you do.
Then get to writing and enjoy your craft!
***
Liked this post? You might also
enjoy: The Proper Care and Feeding of a Writer: Some of the Basics and
The Tea Drinker’s Guide to Writing.
Drinking coffee while writing is SUCH an aesthetic thing for me, ahhhh. The smell is so great!
ReplyDeleteEllie | On the Other Side of Reality
Isn't it though! Thanks for the comment. :)
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