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The Writing Life: Coffee, Chaos, and Characters I Can’t Control

szumlo17




Ah, writing. That magical, mystical process where we, the humble authors, sit down, summon all our creativity, and effortlessly produce genius-level prose that leaves the world breathless. At least, that’s what non-writers think we do, right? Spoiler alert: not exactly. In reality, the writing life looks a lot more like this:


Step 1: Make coffee. A lot of it.  

Step 2: Sit down with every intention of writing the Next Great Novel.  

Step 3: Stare at a blank page for an uncomfortable amount of time.  

Step 4: Question all your life choices up to this point.  

Step 5: Remember that your characters have minds of their own and, on top of that, they probably hate you.


Writing is less like being a creator and more like trying to herd cats. One minute you’re the all-powerful deity of your fictional world, dictating the fate of everyone within it. The next, your characters are running off into the sunset with plot lines you didn’t plan, leaving you in the dust, confused, caffeinated, and maybe just a little betrayed.


But let’s be honest: we wouldn’t have it any other way.


There’s something wonderfully weird about writing. You may spend hours painstakingly crafting the perfect piece of dialogue, only for your main character to chime in with, “Nah, that’s not what I’d say,” and suddenly, you’re rewriting an entire chapter because they decided to go rogue. The audacity of these fictional people, I tell you. It's as if they’ve got their own agenda—and spoiler: that agenda does not include making your life easier.


And don’t even get me started on writer’s block. That unwelcome guest shows up like that one distant cousin who brings nothing to the party except awkward conversations and an empty tupperware container they expect you to fill. You think you’ve got everything under control, you’re in the zone, words are flowing…. and then BAM! Writer’s block strolls in, takes a seat, and refuses to leave. Before you know it, you’ve been staring at the same sentence for thirty minutes and are now contemplating the meaning of life… or at least whether you really need to describe yet another sunset.


At this point, you may be wondering, “Why do writers put themselves through this? It sounds like a slow descent into madness!” And, well, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. Writing is a little messy, a little chaotic, and more than a little unpredictable. Some days, the words just pour out of you, and it feels like the universe is handing you golden nuggets of literary brilliance. Other days, you’d rather do literally anything else, including alphabetizing your spice rack or taking up competitive sock folding. (Yes, it’s a thing. Look it up).


But here's the kicker: when you finally wrestle those unruly characters into submission, tie up those plot lines, and say to yourself, “Wow, I wrote that?” That's when the magic happens. The, doubts, the coffee-fueled chaos, and the rebellions of your fictional children suddenly become worth it. Writing, at its core, is like falling in love. It’s wild, confusing, and often makes no sense. One minute you’re on cloud nine, convinced you’ve cracked the code to storytelling. The next minute, you’re face down in a pile of crumpled drafts, wondering why you ever thought you could do this in the first place. It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and yet, we keep coming back for more.


At the end of the day, there’s something addictive about creating. Even when it’s hard. Even when your characters refuse to behave. Even when your plot makes as much sense as pineapple on pizza. There’s a deep satisfaction in building a world from scratch, filling it with complex, sometimes ridiculous characters, and weaving together a story that’s uniquely yours.


So yeah, writing may be a chaotic mess most of the time, but it’s our chaotic mess. And honestly? That’s half the fun.


Now, if you’ll excuse me, my characters are calling. They’ve decided to rebel against my perfectly crafted plot... again.


Back to my coffee.

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