Over the years, my fellow writers at The Winged Pen have become so much more to me than CPs. Behind the scenes, we chat about all kinds of crazy stuff. One day, the topic was snacks! Why snacks, you ask? Okay, maybe you didn’t ask, but bear with me anyway.
While writing, our brains are like a muscle doing thousands of crunches per hour––squeezing out killer plots, turning clever phrases, and churning out FANTASTIC sentences. Like an athlete, to maximize performance, you’ve got to give your brain the fuel it needs!
I’m partial to nuts, apples, pears, and carrots for eats and hot lemon water or green tea, but I stray to chocolate chips from time to time. Boring, right? Certainly, my writing partners in word crimes must eat more interesting snacks that me! So, I asked my dear Winged Pen Friends, “Hey, tell me what you’re eating/drinking.”
Kristi W. ––Coffee.
MUST.
HAVE.
COFFEE
Gabrielle B.––Coffee. Coffee. Popcorn with sriracha. Coffee. Crackers and cheese. Coffee. If things get (as my mother would say) real and earnest–green curry.
Jessica V.–– I don’t snack when I’m writing (too distracting), although the one day a week that I’m at Panera I do splurge and have a hot chocolate.
Julie A.–– I always have a tea pot on my desk, typically with Earl Grey, Jasmine Green, or
some sort of fun herbal tea in it. I also often have a kombucha sitting next to my mug of tea. 😉 I do eat as I write! Favorites snacks are olives, macadamia nuts, or apples with almond butter. Dark chocolate with sea salt gets me through the tougher sessions (or on rejection days). ;-(
Rebecca A.–– Pistachios, lattes. and water.
Kate M.––You guys are so much healthier than me! I constantly chew gum (different flavors based on which book I’m writing) and when I really need to rev up, I get a blowpop.
Michelle jumps in to ask about this flavored bubble gum thing!!! That’s interesting, Kate. I’ve heard that some writers put on a particular white noise, something different for each thing they write. When they hear it, they know it’s time to focus on their manuscript. Maybe you’re doing the same thing with gum and blow-pops?
Kate M.: I actually do use the gum that way. The scent and flavor of it get me into the right frame of mind for the story I’m writing. I wrote a recent Mixed-Up Files post on it, here: ://www.fromthemixedupfiles.com/…/finding-writing…/. The blowpops are just a sugar hit. ;-D
Richelle M.–– This is so funny! I can’t eat when I am writing! And if I did, it wouldn’t be nearly as healthy as you all
Gita T.––Tea, all day long. I like Earl Grey, but also drink bancha tea and various herbals. And Green & Black’s 70% dark chocolate on the side.
Halli G.–– Coffee in the morning and mixed nuts as a midmorning snack. Coffee in the afternoon (a cold one if the weather is warm). As a reward, when I finish revisions or a particular draft, it is coffee (see a pattern here?) AND double-stuff Oreos.
Michelle: Love your structured reward system, Halli!
Amy S.––I write a lot at work during my lunchtime and in restaurants. So, it’s veggie fajitas, grilled chicken salad, kimchee pancakes, and street tacos. Nothing dampens my appetite. 🙂
Michelle: Yep! A writer’s gotta eat!
Eva F.–– Earl grey tea and peanut M&Ms.
Did she say M&Ms?
Oooh! I shudder in pleasure as I pick vegan chocolate biscotti crumbs out of the keyboard––my latest guilty pleasure. If I use dates for the sugar, that makes it healthy, right?! ;-D
Tell us about YOUR Yummy Writing Snacks in the comments!!
MICHELLE LEONARD is a chocolate biscotti baker, a math and science nerd, and a SCBWI member who writes middle-grade fiction and non-fiction. Connect with her on Twitter !
