Heavy Drinkers

In every book I write, I somehow manage to have at least one scene of someone drinking coffee. Why is that? (excuse me while I take a sip of my coffee right now). Oh, sure, I occasionally change it to tea. But still, what's with all the drinking?

Well, there's a small possibility that since it comes through my brain to get on the paper, the actions are going past my thirst. It is not uncommon to find three beverages on my desk at once. There's coffee in the mornings. There is always a bottle of water somewhere. It may be brand new, or it may be down to its last few drops, but it's there.

In the afternoons the beverage collection grows to include whatever I drank with lunch. This could be iced tea, diet Coke, some flavor of Crystal Light...doesn't matter. After lunch it comes back to the desk with me. If I go to the grocery store, I always get a drink at the fountain by the Deli. There's something about that small machine ice...I don't know. So that's where the paper cup with the plastic lid comes from.

Then we have the travel mugs. My boyfriend lives 30 minutes away. I go to his place every Wednesday to cook a nice dinner for us. We usually watch a movie after dinner. Then for the long drive home, I fill one of his travel mugs with iced tea (or whatever beverage we had. Except wine. I don't put wine in a sippy cup!)and then THAT winds up on the desk when I get home.

So when I'm writing a scene that starts with people waking up, I naturally send them to the kitchen to grind the beans or put on the kettle - or both, depending on their preferences. I don't know how to avoid this. Even now, with my rich spoiled heiress heroine, it's an issue. She tries to make coffee for the hero, but winds up just staring at the beans wondering what to do.

There must be a society for this, like AA or Overeaters Anonymous. Maybe OBA? Over Beveraged Anonymous. Hello, my name is Delia, and I must have beverages!

It's a twelve-step program. Here's my pledge for today: I promise to write all day without putting liquids of any kind in the scenes.

Well, unless the characters walk past a Starbucks. That's a whole 'nother issue.