Where Genres Collide Traci Dowe YA Author

Coffee and the Writer

Traci Kenworth

Choose your brand. Whatever flavor, brewed or instant, from Starbuck or your kitchen, it’s hard to ignore the connection between coffee and the writer. I know myself, when I wake up, I’m still trying to pry my lids open even a half-hour later. Coffee does the trick. That aroma, the warmth, the taste of heaven, gets me going every time. Now, it wasn’t always this way for me. I used to be a tea drinker (still am sometimes in the evening), its milder flavor kept me happy. Then cappuccinos came out.

Talk about bliss. Coffee sends instant brainwaves to your Muse that it’s time to (wake up) and get the throttle moving. As sleep mode vanishes, the alertness an English Toffee cappuccino packs helps me make sense of those dreams I had, whether they’re the answer to some plot twist I’ve been working on, a new story rearing its head, or just plain nothing, it’s all good. See cause coffee motivates you to break through any blockage in thought you have.

It’s like that commercial for the swiffer-jet, a pick-you-up. It gives you direction, halts some action that would’ve made your story fall apart, and makes you think harder. Now, this isn’t to say that if you constantly drink caffeine (say 12 cups) it’s good for you (except for making you a energizer bunny). It has its limits. But taken in small quantities, it can clear that fog in your mind and bring the lights on again.

I’ve heard many a discussion about what’s the best kind lately. It all boils down to taste. The truth is, it doesn’t matter, because as long as it’s doing its job (bringing you back from happy land or nightmare city) it’s worth picking up for me. So there you have it. In my opinion writing and coffee go hand-in-hand toward making progress in your work. What do you think? Should we all forget the beverage and ply ourselves with water, that all-important satisfier, or allow ourselves a sip of ecstasy in the morning (and possibly afternoon)?

As I write this, I’ve just finished taking those toothpicks out from between my lids, after my first cup and can already appreciate the quiet satisfaction of what coffee brings to my writing life.

P.S. It also makes me less of a bear.

Your favorite brand?