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If sleeping is how you recharge when stationary then eating is how you get energy while on the move. That may have made more sense in my head. People have probably figured out that I do enjoy eating. I talk about pizza a lot and use it as a reward for meeting milestones such as finishing or publishing a book. I’m always up for a specialty slice as long as there aren’t veggies on it. There are other foods on the menu, but I’m not going to start listing all of them . . . I have a post to get to.
Unlike sleeping, eating doesn’t take you away from writing. We can have a drink or a meal while working on our book. The only danger is spilling something on the notes or laptop, so we do have to be careful. Soda is an infamous culprit of destruction. Part of this is because we may write with one hand while blindly reaching over for a glass, taking a drink, and then putting it back. All of this is done without looking and it can get even trickier if you use a coaster like me. Nothing can bring out the swearing like putting a cup of seltzer halfway on a coaster and it tipping over as you let go. You can try to grab it in a panic, but that just smacks the thing away and sends the drink everywhere. The horror!
I wonder if I’m the only author who uses meals as finish lines for writing sections. After breakfast, as long as it isn’t a work day, I dive into my WIP to write one chapter section by lunch. I may have a drink and one snack, but that meal is my reward for focusing for a few hours. Eating is a time to relax and prepare myself for the next section, which is supposed to take me close to dinner. Not sure why this run is harder and I end up grabbing snacks or feeling lethargic. Maybe it’s the food? Still, I mark my first two sections of the day with meals and the last one with sleep. This is probably why I pay so much attention to these two activities.
As I said before, you can also do other things while eating. Nothing that active because you would look silly riding a stationary bike while trying to cut up a steak. Just asking for trouble there. Writing, outlining, editing, blogging, social media, tweeting, catching up on TV shows, and reading are a few things you can do while eating. This means it doesn’t really get in the way and, at worst, slows you down. Of course, you have to be careful due to the previously mentioned risks, but you can still do it.
Finally, I’ve noticed a strange thing with authors that many of us have signature foods/meals. I talk about pizza. Many talk about coffee. Some bring up beer and others ice cream. We always seem to gravitate towards a favorite meal that slips into our public identity. There have also been times when I’ve seen an author post about getting a giftcard that allows them to enjoy their signature food. This is usually Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks since coffee is the big one. It’s kind of funny that this aspect of our lives comes out more often than anything else. We hide our fears, doubts, family life, and names of loved ones, but we will scream our love of a food from the rooftops. Guess there really isn’t any way to use that against us. I hope.
So, what do other authors think about food and writing? Do you talk about your favorite meal to the point where it’s part of your author persona?
Legends of Windemere 