What do you eat/drink to make the words flow? Favorite snack, special way to make your coffee, alcohol when all else fails?
From last year, there was a thread centered around this and it gave me some good inspiration for trying things out while noveling. This year I hope to find some more inspiration or maybe pass some along.
When I'm deep into the wordcount, I find that Irish coffee helps me the most, as long as I keep it under three cups. Past that, it goes downhill rapidly and I'm usually out of the count shortly thereafter. As for food . . . I tend to forget that while writing. I just keep a coffee pot nearby and a bottle of Bushmill's next to it. However sunflower seeds usually serve as a good supply of protein during the long hours. Mint tea is a great refreshment, and I find that if I can get it fresh, even better (thank Murphy there's a patch growing right outside).
Irish Coffee aka God's Blessing
Hot Coffee, generally strong and bold (Sumatra or French Roast)
Sugar, enough to meet my needs
Bushmill's Black Bush (or whatever Irish whiskey I have handy), to taste 1-2 shots per cup
Heavy cream, usually just enough to take the burning temperature down to just right
Anyone else have recipes for drinks or food they have to have to write with?
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2007: Wandering Worlds Part 1 - 50,024 words
2008: Traveling Time - 0 words
17,440 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 00 09
Fried cheese sandwiches.
Butter outside of bread, place slice of cheese in middle. Pour oil into frypan. Fry both sides of sandwich. Consume. Repeat if necessary.
----------Read my new webcomic, The Game, at http://shanewsmith.com/thegame/
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Oct 5, 2008 - 00 39
Lots of junk food, not going to lie. I try to be somewhat healthy in the beginning with granola bars and nut mixes and stuff, but then it just spirals into Doritos and potato chips.
I pretty much mainline coffee and Dr. Pepper during NaNoWriMo, and there's always at least one bottle of hard liquor around, for emergencies.
60,176 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 06 16
Sweets, and lots of 'em. They're easy to eat while writing, and provide you with sugar which helps when you're getting tired. I have a big tub which I bought for last year's NaNo which has just been filled up again a while back and should do me through November. The staples like Pringles and biscuits are also good to have around the computer.
I found last year that those microwaveable hamburgers you can get came in pretty handy. They're not the best tasting things in the world, but when you need something to eat and don't want to wait around they're pretty good.
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Oct 5, 2008 - 07 36
I don't think I've heard that one before. Or even seen them.
----------Granted, I don't live in the most . . . demographically diverse area. Most of the freezers at the supermarkets around me are simply packed with waffles, pizzas, and Swanson tv dinners.
2007: Wandering Worlds Part 1 - 50,024 words
2008: Traveling Time - 0 words
51,410 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 07 38
Yes! I forgot to mention. Very similar recipe for me too. Although I usually add a thin layer of hot sauce on top of the cheese before I fry them. Or add bacon.
Ever try the Grilled Cheese Diet? Two sandwiches a day, as much fluids as necessary, continue writing?
----------2007: Wandering Worlds Part 1 - 50,024 words
2008: Traveling Time - 0 words
51,393 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 09 20
My tastes change with my character's tastes. If I'm writing a gentle person, I'll drink a lot of water and 100% juices, sometimes with ginger ale mixed in with the juice (my favorite is white grape and ginger ale - hey, dry campus, I do what I can). If I'm working on someone a little harder, a little tougher, I'll drink coffee hot enough and strong enough to make John Wayne ask for creamer. (My roommate knows to leave the room on those days - I get a little crazy from the caffiene) This NaNo . . . I'm foreseeing a lot of both, as Rabi'a is a very complex character, with a hard-as-steel exterior and a soft-as-butter heart.
----------The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everyone else.
- Umberto Eco
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Oct 5, 2008 - 09 42
Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Also, any beer brewed by Magic Hat or Brooklyn Brewery.
I'm a vegetarian, so the food options are a little more limited. I've found that if I make up some rice and beans, and maybe some guacamole and keep it in the fridge, I can whip up a burrito in 5 minutes or so, and it takes maybe 10, 15 to eat, which is just about the right amount time for a stretch break.
Also for food, any cheap vegetarian restaurant in the village is an amazing opportunity to get out and distract myself during long sessions of schoolwork or writing.
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burn, burn, burn
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Oct 5, 2008 - 12 09
Well, I don't know about anyone else, but eating junk food while writing, well, it just doesn't work. The grease on your fingers gets onto the keys, or pen, or whatever it is you're using to write, and it just blah... Doesn't work for me. The thing I like best for myself, is lollipops. They keep your mouth occupied, but not your hands, and they especially don't get your fingers greasy!
Also, to help in the whee-hours of the night, I drink coffee, but, in a sort of weird way. Honestly, I've never tried "Irish Coffee", so I don't know how it will taste, but I doubt I would like it personally, because, well, I hate the taste of alcohol, and I hate the taste of coffee. See, told you I was weird. When I have coffee, I have to have enough sugar and enough Coffee-Mates French Vanilla or Hazelnut creamer to make it so I can't taste the actual coffee. Also, coffee tends to fill me up, so as I'm not very hungry afterwards. Of course, it also makes me have to go to the bathroom about 15 minutes after drinking it...
Of course, I do NOT recommend drinking coffee, or anything, while sucking on a lolli. I just don't think that would end very well...
----------"While Man worked all those years to discover the secrets of life, he never managed to escape his overpowering fascination with death" - Allanon, Druid
http://rdkitsune.blogspot.com
50,109 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 12 23
vegetables cut into sticks or strips, as the case may be, work very nicely. i keep a keg of ranch dressing on hand for these. sandwiches are also a godsend. and my favored writing beverage is vanilla chai.
also, RE: new york: THE village? the only village in the world? in THE city, of course.
----------"the difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."
- mark twain
http://noweekwillbewasted.proboards.com/
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Oct 5, 2008 - 12 38
Good & Plenty + Coke-a-cola apparently equals insperation. ^_^ Well at least it shuts me up while I wrestle with my characters to do what I want them to. lol
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Oct 5, 2008 - 13 33
Iced coffee, made too strong to drink quickly. Tastes horrible, which forces me to drink it slower, which makes it more of a sustained trickle of caffeine - any weaker and I'd drink it too fast, ride high for an hour, then pass out.
----------Rookie year!
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Oct 5, 2008 - 13 47
Pepsi Max- all that caffeine refuses to let me lay my head on a pillow for even a second. Last time I drank an entire bottle of it, I was up until 3am working out an entire family tree for an MC of mine... first/last names, dates of birth, when they had their first kids... a tree stretching back 4 generations!
*faint* it works.
----------The Woodsmoke Blog! http://woodsmoke22.wordpress.com/
2007: The Darkest Twist
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Oct 5, 2008 - 14 54
Endless tea. Love it. I found a new favourite tea the other day - Chai. It's spicy, and smells like the Christmas biscuits that my mum used to buy when I was little. Also coffee. Nano is the one time of year I drink more than one cup of coffee a day.
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Oct 5, 2008 - 18 21
I like tea, cocoa and popcorn and tons of left over Halloween candy....foods I can eat with one hand and type with the other...no wasted energy.
Trina
----------2008 -My Slightly Obsessive Fascination with Caleb Martin
2007-Antisocial: adj (winner!)
2006- Kizzy's Chaos (winner!)
50,391 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 18 22
Starburst, chicken soup, beef jerky, and tea. (Not all together, though--eurgh!)
Starburst - sugary kick, sweet tastes covered.
Chicken soup - eases allergies, soothing, salt balance for frequent tea consumption.
Beef Jerky - salty and savory and (if done right) enough chew to keep my mouth busy without the need to socialize to exercise my jaw. (Not a big fan of gum, though I've tried that before.)
Tea - frequent hydration in six-million-and-onederful flavors to suit the mood and tastes of my choice.
Anything else is whatever the hubby felt like having and sharing.
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Oct 5, 2008 - 18 43
Pumpkin Spice coffee with Irish Cream creamer
If they don't sell pumpkin spice coffee where you are, you have my sympathy. You can fake it by adding a cinnamon stick, a pinch of nutmeg, and a clove to the coffee grounds before brewing.
To wind down before bed, I switch to chamomile tea with a splash of brandy. Anything I eat is usually warm, as I get cold easily when I write for too long. My crockpot and I get very friendly during the NaNo season. It's got three sizes, "my husband and I for a day or two", "Us plus a few friends", and "LAN party". For NaNo, I pull out a recipe I call, "Gamer Chow".
Two Pounds of Whatever Meat was cheap, pre-cooked
A can of corn
A can of peas
A can of beans
Two cups water (add more to make it stretch)
Combine in a crockpot, cook on high for two hours, keep on warm as long as necessary.
----------"Soldiers get killed, sewing is only slightly less lethal."
--Sophia Templeton, "The Amber Rose"
60,000 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2008 - 18 52
Tea!
Also: hard cider, local Texas beers
I can't eat and type. I don't know why, I just can't.
----------2005-2007: If at first you don't succeed . . .
2008: Winter White Lights
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Oct 6, 2008 - 01 15
-M&Ms and Swedish Fish. Easy to eat at the keyboard.
-Tea, especially chai for that dose of caffeine, or floofy coffee beverages (the kind that come with chocolate as an integral part of the beverage).
54,553 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 03 16
Junk food is very high on my list. This NaNo I'm going to be keeping on hand a Tupperware container of peanut butter M&M's, Hershey's Kisses, Jaffas, Maltesers, Freckles, plain chocolate M&M's, jellybeans, and Smarties. When I'm away from my laptop, Gobstoppers will be the way to go. I'm also going to be stocking up on instant soup, and quick fixes for sandwiches.
As for drinks, I always keep at least two litres of pineapple juice in the fridge. Sometimes I'll keep a litre and a half of tomato juice in there. I also plan on grabbing a couple of litres of chocolate milk once a week for something different.
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Oct 6, 2008 - 05 16
Green tea, caramel flavored coffee and Chex Mix. :)
TAKE THE REINS (a 2006 NaNoNovel!) Jan 2009 from Simon & Schuster's Aladdin M!X
----------http://www.jessicaburkhart.com
http://www.canterwoodcrest.com
http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com
TAKE THE REINS (a 2006 NaNoNovel!) Jan 2009 from Simon & Schuster's Aladdin M!X
http://www.jessicaburkhart.com
http://www.canterwoodcrest.com
http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com
51,410 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 06 27
I think I'm going to have to use my crock pot this year as well. Sounds like a great idea.
And pumpkin spice coffee is great indeed. That's my mellowing flavor of coffee. I usually stick with a sumatra blend because it's got one heck of a kick to it.
----------2007: Wandering Worlds Part 1 - 50,024 words
2008: Traveling Time - 0 words
19,801 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 07 28
also, RE: new york: THE village? the only village in the world? in THE city, of course.
Of course! All other places pale in comparison to NYC and Greenwich Village! Tremble in fear of our majestic presence!
Nah, seriously, it's just a habit you get into, living here. There's nowhere else for miles around (even in parts of CT and NJ, NYC is "the city") that qualifies as big enough to deserve the title.
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burn, burn, burn
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burn, burn, burn
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Oct 6, 2008 - 11 16
Mmm... I love grilled cheese sammiches... Though, I don't think the oil is needed also. Wouldn't the butter cover that part of it?
Also, homemade oven fries are made of win. Carbs for the brain and salt for the sweet tooth. It's the way to go! :-)
1,668 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 11 48
Pretzel sticks. Not twisted pretzels, not pretzel nuggets...just pretzel STICKS. The kind that are a few millimeters thick and a few inches long (yeah, i'm mixing my units, sue me). Pop one in the mouth, chomp once to break in half, then push one half to one side of the mouth and one half to the other, chomp those in half, repeat.
It gets to be a comforting rhythm for when writing, and only calls for one hand's involvement, every now and then.
----------"Trust me, I'm an expert!": Ask me about Linguistics or being an EMT.
****
2003: "By the Book" - winner
2004: untitled - fail
2006: "Spilled Blood" - winner
2007: "Help Wanted" - fail
51,047 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 12 40
Sushi is a very easy finger food, and the fish is good for the brain (Wahoo Fish Burgers are a tasty and possibly cheaper alternative). Bananas are also great for keeping energy up and firing up the old brain. If you can get them, try Luna Bars as a snack, or vegtable chips. All the crunchy nummyness of "junk food" potato chips, with none of the guilt!
Another tip for those of us in colder climates: Keep hot soup (or Campbell's Soup In Hand) in a mug nearby. That way, you beat the thirst and hunger bugs in one fell swoop!
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Oct 6, 2008 - 12 46
I can't survive without my hot cocoa!
Chocolate is a must as well, usually just plain hershey's or some M&Ms or something like that.
For snacks I'll have some chips and dip, and baby carrots to munch on.
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Oct 6, 2008 - 14 48
Chocolate milk and hot cocoa!
As for food I like beef sticks or buffalo wings that I get at the local butcher in town.
----------51,410 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 17 09
Man, I wish I had a local butcher. . . that'd be so handy.
----------2007: Wandering Worlds Part 1 - 50,024 words
2008: Traveling Time - 0 words
13,514 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 17 42
Whenever I'm writing, NaNo or no, I tend to stick to junk snacks: potato chips, Goldfish crackers, wafer cookies, etcetera. Also tend to stick to drinking soda and hot cocoa, since coffee and me have not been on good terms these past few years. Maybe I'll make the attempt agan this year...
For actual food that works well with writing, I suggest anything that sits in a bowl and is eaten with a spoon. Cereal and ice cream is quick and easy, and you can reward yourself with a spoonful after every paragraph. If you want something heated, oatmeal, soup, and noodle mixes like Hamburger Helper work well, especially if you're doing writing sprints. In the time between stirs while it cooks, you can spend the whole time writing as fast as you can. Once its done, you can take a very small break as often as you wish to get a bite, and then get back to it. Just be careful not to spill!
----------'03 Winner: A Harmony of Grays
'04 Loser: Mastigophobia
'05 Winner: Power to Lose
'06 Winner: False Influence
'08 Contender: Maelstrom and Undertow
My Blog: http://coup-de-plume.blogspot.com
50,976 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2008 - 18 59
Last year, my NaNo was fuelled by root beer. Mind you, I -hate- root beer, but it was my MC's favourite soda, and he gave me cravings for it. (Hey, it's healther than partaking in the cigarette cravings my favourite villain tends to give me; I plan on staying a non-smoker, thanks.) It was also fuelled by sour gummi worms and ungodly amounts of ice cream and blueberry pie filling, plus snack mix and leftover Halloween candy. My best friend and I had a grocery sack FULL of candy that sat between us during our nightly write-ins in my dorm.
This year, I plan to go a little healthier. I've gone partially vegetarian, but that's not enough to stop me from buying a ton of White Castle burgers to pop in my freezer--I live on microwavables, anyway. To any other vegetarians out there: Amy's brand frozen foods are amazing. I tend to live on their burritos and spinach wraps. Chocolate milk is also going in my fridge. For me, I like coffee, but I don't drink it because I always crash pretty quickly, and the buzz doesn't do much but give me ADHD. So I drink hot tea and cocoa. Chai is my favourite.
Oh, and I will be eating lots and lots at San Fransisco Bread Company, because it is a wonderful place to chow, and in the chilly months, their clam chowder gets me through.
Of course, for all my talk of 'healthy', I will still be consuming ungodly amounts of sugar. I live on candy.
----------ML for Russellville, AR
Novel: Fatal Hilarity
Fandom Count: 9
Characters killed/revived: 1/0
Characters injured: 5
Taco Bell/SFBC runs made: 4/3
Current Wordcount: 51,667