It is a truth universally acknowledged that writers love their coffee. Whether it's part of the routine that gets you ready to start putting words on the page, or a reward for finishing another chapter, we're fuelled by the stuff.
But what's the right hot beverage for your current project? What will inspire the perfect mood to help you write? Look no further than this guide:
Black coffee/Americano
Standard, straight forward and brewed strong, this is the perfect coffee for ploughing on with your gritty thriller. Guaranteed to inspire that bitter aftertaste as you shock your readers by killing off a character.
Caramel cappuccino
Sweet and frothy, if your romantic novel needs a heartwarming resolution, this is the ideal choice to capture that feel good factor. Bonus points if the foam is decorated with chocolate sprinkles in a heart shape.
Double espresso
If your plot is starting to drag and you need to kick it into life with some energy and wild ideas, get yourself a double espresso. Hey, maybe even a quadruple espresso. Suddenly the pace picks up. Is it time to kill a character? Uncover a conspiracy? What if this guy was the villain in disguise all along? You won’t know if your racing heart rate is from the gripping story or the caffeine hit.
Handground coffee from a mountainside farm in Ecuador, roasted by some bearded guys in the next town, brewed in your favourite aeropress, savoured to appreciate those smokey/peach/citrus/honey/sushi flavours
If you are drinking this, it’s clear you are working on the next great masterpiece of literary fiction. You are destined for all the book prizes (except the populist mainstream ones of course). You tried emulating your protagonist, a typewriter-using chain smoking disillusioned ex-journalist, for a couple of weeks but the typewriter kept jamming. The only risk is that your book will be too clever for your readers who may not appreciate how you are subverting the genre.
Tea
Ever the rebel, you’ve written something that doesn’t quite fit any of the usual genres, so will be marketed as contemporary fiction. A good old fashioned cup of English Breakfast tea will fuel the plot of your story while avoiding any sensationalism and keeping you grounded in themes that really matter.
Peppermint Tea
For the writer with no deadlines, peppermint tea will keep you chilled and your prose mellow. Let that scenery description flow, gaze out of the window for half an hour, then take another sip and ponder until you fix upon exactly the right word. There’s no sense rushing something as beautiful as this.