Writing and drinking

[david976]

Hi all. I've found one interesting thread about writing and drinking on the writersclub forum http://www.writersclub.net/medley/writing_and_drinking-t47.0.html with a poll. There is a discussion of the quote by David Ogilvy:
Many people - and I think I am one of them - are more productive when they've had a little to drink.
I find if I drink two or three brandies, I'm far better able to write.

One more interesting link on the subject:

"A friend of mine was teaching a survey course in American literature one summer session at the University of Houston. In the class were several older students, schoolteachers mostly. A teacher came up to him after class one day and said, "Listen, I just want to know why every single author on our reading list was an alcoholic!" The professor ran his eye down the list. Edgar Allen Poe. Stephen Crane. Theodore Roethke. Herman Melville. Delmore Schwartz. Scott Fitzgerald. William Faulkner. The school-teacher was right. Every writer on his list was an alcoholic."

"If he had not become such a drunk, would Truman Capote have finished Answered Prayers? If she had not turned to alcohol in such a destructive way, would Jean Stafford have finished the novel she worked on for 20 years? Would Caroline Gordon have finished her long novel about explorer Meriwether Lewis?"
http://www.unhooked.com/sep/writers.htm.

For me as a technical writer writing and drinking is unacceptable, I write operation manuals and my mistake may cost someone's life.
But I'm curious what absolutewrite's community has to say about it.

[Hillgate]

I think it's almost essential. Especially at night.

[Hillgate]

...although not to excess. I'm sure Alcoholics Anonymous is full of writers.

[CaroGirl]

Gosh. I tend to write in the early morning. If I started drinking at 8 am, I don't think I'd be very productive during the rest of my day, which includes looking after kids. Wouldn't work for me, but, then again, I've never tried it.

[Writer2011]

I don't drink anymore :( Can't since i'm taking anti-depressants... But I do write.

[swvaughn]

I don't ever drink (any more... not since high school *cough*) -- this is simply a personal choice. Many writers say it helps to "write drunk, revise sober." I don't, but I also don't knock people who drink.

Unless they drink and drive. Then I stab them repeatedly with their own damned car keys.

[Anya Smith]

I can't drink; I must be allergic to alcohol or something. If I have more than one glass of wine, the next day I feel like I want to die. Too bad, though, because sometimes I need to be more procutive.

[Shady Lane]

I've only been drunk much. It was some of my best writing.

Then again, it was a rewrite, so there wasn't anything particuraly creative in it. And I did find it harder to type.

[davids]

HIC!!!!

[Novelust]

A glass of wine hits me like a brick, makes me loopy, and makes me lose focus. I'd be more likely to fall asleep at the computer than write anything.

Now, a nice sandwich place with wi-fi access that offers free fountain drink refills - that, I can get addicted too.

[infinitus_kaze]

I may have the occasional drink, but I never drink to get drunk. Alcoholism runs in my family, so I avoid getting drunk at all costs. As far as writing better is concerned, I think it is a crock. I've talked with many people who think their writing is better when they are drunk, but when they sober up and read it they find it to be repulsive. The only type of drunk who might write better under the influence, in my opinion, is a calm and collected drunk; one who forgets all their troubles and can finally clear their mind of meaningless thoughts. Other types of drunks would just hinder the writing process.

[seun]

I haven't done so in a while but I used to drink a load and then write a load.

Unfortunately, everything I produced was utter crap. Still, at least I was prolific. :)

[wordmonkey]

I suspect that it loosens up a stiff writer and lets the imagination flow.

You could change out rock stars for authors and drugs for drink and have the same discussion.

But as has been said, without the artificial loosener, would these creatives have been better? More productive?

My take is that with years comes experience and while you may be a child prodigy, you only get better with experience. Pickle the main tool you use and shorten your lifespan and you're just short-changing yourself.

When I was at college and writing, I had this idea that I needed to be in a dark place, both physically and mentally, in order to write. Even comedy. I felt I needed to suffer to actually produce something good.

That's a crock. And when I finally realized that I was the part that was determining quality, not outside environs, I also discovered that if I was actually happier, more content, and yes, even comfortable, I was even better. Though perhps the greatest bonus was that I had a lot more fun doing it.

WE write. The booze, the drugs, the cold but romantically-idealized-garret-windowed-studio DON'T write.

[C.bronco]

I don't drink while writing. I imagine my results would be awful!

[Harper K]

I like to have a little wine or scotch in the evenings, and the evenings usually are my writing time, so I do often end up sipping on alcohol while working on my novel. But I definitely don't need the booze to enjoy writing or to be productive. If I have enough to get tipsy, I wind up getting too sleepy to continue writing.

I'll admit I can see how a person who's been too afraid to tackle the blank page for a long time could be helped by the lowered inhibitions that tipsyness or drunkeness brings about. But I find that for anything beyond a first draft, I really need my full, sober attention to get anything accomplished.

[DeadlyAccurate]

I very rarely drink anything alcoholic, so I can't say. Someone here (Jim, maybe?) said something I've kept in mind: (paraphrasing) Don't do anything while you're writing you aren't willing to keep doing. That includes drinking, drugs, smoking, eating. Because it can become a habit you have to keep doing in order to write.

Now the occasional rum & diet Coke and a first-person shooter is a whole different story. I'm a surprisingly good shot while I'm buzzing, though I'm much more likely to fall off ledges and buildings.

[MidnightMuse]

I get very creative-minded when I drink, but I can't write worth a tinker's damn. Any time I've tried writing while drinking, I end up editing out every single word. But I will say, drinking helps get my thoughts flowing, and often brings out ideas that I can use when the effect has worn off :)

ETA: I should add, though, I'm not suggesting to anyone who doesn't drink, or shouldn't drink, to try it. My father was an alcoholic my entire life, so I drink very carefully and with that in mind. And never - ever - ever drive.

[sunna]

I'll have a few drinks if it's in the evening (which is about the only time I have time to write), more to relax than to get in the 'mood' to write.
I don't think I could get anything halfway intelligible done if I was loopy, though. I tried that in college a few times, and it was usually missing some important things,like punctuation and in general the use of the spacebar.:)

[Andre_Laurent]

I don't drink...I used to enjoy it too much. :D

[Devil Ledbetter]

There's a difference between drinking and getting drunk. Some of my most creative flights come with a glass of red wine or a Corona, but just one. Anything more than that, and I'm not writing, I'm typing.

A drink is the best way to loosen my characters' tongues when interviewing them. A drink while writing turns off that stifling inner editor. You don't need to become an alkie to get there. At least, I don't.

[AllieB]

Interestingly, my writing tends to come more quickly and be more creative after I've had a drink or two. Maybe the alcohol shuts down my inner editor? I don't know.

I do remember reading an interview with Stephen King in which he fully admitted that he'd written the entire ms. of "The Tommyknockers" while flying high. While he didn't remember most of it 'til reading the published version, he liked what he'd produced, though wouldn't necessarily do it again.

Drugs of any kind affect each person differently. But yeah, it's interesting that so many artists of all kinds have been users or addicts...and that warped addiction or alternate world resulted in brilliance.

[brighty_]

Very often talented people tend to experiment with their mind and they regard alcohol or drugs as instruments to experiments with mind. Sometimes such experiments may turn into great works, but in most cases they cause health or mental problems :(

[ccarver30]

I thought Scarletpeaches was going to be the author of this post... heh heh.

[Will Lavender]

I do remember reading an interview with Stephen King in which he fully admitted that he'd written the entire ms. of "The Tommyknockers" while flying high. While he didn't remember most of it 'til reading the published version, he liked what he'd produced, though wouldn't necessarily do it again.

Cujo too. And maybe a couple of others. And while king admits that some of those books were readable and interesting on some levels, he talks at length in On Writing about what poor shape he was in during those years and how he wishes he had them back.

I've never had a drink of alcohol or done drugs, not because of some ethical decision against doing them but because I always like to have control of my own instincts and emotions. (I tend to be a little boring socially, but my writing, I'd like to think, isn't boring. :)) But it's this lack of control that I would worry about if I were to drink and write. I find it immensely pleasurable when a writer has total control over the narrative. You can feel that sort of thing when you read. I like to step into a book and know I'm in good, powerful hands.

Also, there's the issue of continuity. You can tell when the tone or the style of a book changes in the middle of a sentence; well, if you're drinking and writing only some of the time, then you're bound to fall into a different tone at some points in your novel unless...well, unless you're drinking every time you sit down at the desk.

[swvaughn]

Again, not knocking drinkers here. Nothing wrong with responsible drinking. :D

But -- I have found that a lack of sleep produces the same effects as alcohol consumption (a lowering of inhibitions, general surliness, seemingly deep thoughts as a way of attempting to compensate for the synapses that are attempting to shut down).

So I just stay awake for as long as possible. I have more time, and better flow. The later it gets, the more I blather through my fingers... and sometimes it's still salvageable in the morning. :D

[Tirjasdyn]

I like to drink...but I don't while writing.

I actually make my own mead, which is really my drink of choice.

[giaaddison]

writing does seem easier with a few drinks in me, but if i drink to much i can't read my own writing

[Siddow]

I don't write well while drinking. I can't type. If I don't get my writing done by 5pm, it's not going to happen at all, because 5pm is Happy Hour.

I do think quite creatively while drinking, though, and have come across many scrawled notes that I don't remember writing. I have one right here. It says:
shoes dad death running scared failing

Perhaps it's good that I don't drink and write, no matter what my user title says.

[Prawn]

It seems like there are great Muslim and Mormon writers, so drinking doesn't have to be a prerequisite to excellence.

[NeuroFizz]

Anyone who thinks the way to increase creativity is by imbibing a central nervous system depressant is rolling loaded dice in terms of overall creativity. More important, it's picking up a very rickety crutch with full expectation that it can support one's weight.

About the list of alcoholics who were successful writers. To put that in proper context, it's necessary to also list successful writers who were not alcoholics or even drinkers. Any bets on which would be the longer list? And, then one can look at writers who are not longer alcoholics or drinkers to see if their productivity changed for the worse without the alcohol. I think King would be a good case study here. One could also look for examples in which alcohol caused a writer's career to tank.

[Kay_XX]

As much as I like to drink, I don't think I'd be capable of writing anything. Dancing, making a fool of myself, while drunk I can do. Writing, not so much.

[C.bronco]

I do remember reading an interview with Stephen King in which he fully admitted that he'd written the entire ms. of "The Tommyknockers" while flying high. While he didn't remember most of it 'til reading the published version, he liked what he'd produced, though wouldn't necessarily do it again.
That's very interesting because the book was about alcohol and addiction.

[ccarver30]

BTW - I have not tried to drink and write. I think that would be bad for me...

[dreamsofnever]

You know, I think that the reason why there are so many alcoholic writers is the same reason why there are so many 'tortured' artist types. I think creative types are more prone to depression, which in turn would lead to being more prone to addictions. I'm not sure why this is-maybe because the creative mind sometimes tends to think about things too much or over-complicated.

Of course, the other argument could be that there are just as many alcoholics and mentally unstables in other professions, but we hear more about the writers, artists, and musicians because their creative works transcend time.

There are some cultures that believe taking some sort of hallucinogen can increase a person's creative state, or put them in touch with a higher plane, etc, etc.

As for me, I don't typically drink and write, though I have done it occasionally. I find the words flow more quickly, but I don't always put as much thought into what I'm writing. Or, I have already done my thinking when I was sober. As a general rule, I'm more creative and focused when I'm completely sober. But then again, I'm not published yet and perhaps this is why ;)

[Nakhlasmoke]

Anything I've written while in my cups is garbled rubbish, anything written while sober is garbled rubbish with remarkably fewer typos.

[Jamesaritchie]

Hi all. I've found one interesting thread about writing and drinking on the writersclub forum http://www.writersclub.net/medley/writing_and_drinking-t47.0.html with a poll. There is a discussion of the quote by David Ogilvy:
Many people - and I think I am one of them - are more productive when they've had a little to drink.
I find if I drink two or three brandies, I'm far better able to write.

One more interesting link on the subject:

"A friend of mine was teaching a survey course in American literature one summer session at the University of Houston. In the class were several older students, schoolteachers mostly. A teacher came up to him after class one day and said, "Listen, I just want to know why every single author on our reading list was an alcoholic!" The professor ran his eye down the list. Edgar Allen Poe. Stephen Crane. Theodore Roethke. Herman Melville. Delmore Schwartz. Scott Fitzgerald. William Faulkner. The school-teacher was right. Every writer on his list was an alcoholic."

"If he had not become such a drunk, would Truman Capote have finished Answered Prayers? If she had not turned to alcohol in such a destructive way, would Jean Stafford have finished the novel she worked on for 20 years? Would Caroline Gordon have finished her long novel about explorer Meriwether Lewis?"
http://www.unhooked.com/sep/writers.htm.

For me as a technical writer writing and drinking is unacceptable, I write operation manuals and my mistake may cost someone's life.
But I'm curious what absolutewrite's community has to say about it.

I think it's pure BS. Alcohol is not your brain's friend, and those who think they write better when drinking are just finding an excuse to drink. Funny how no one ever lists the thousands and thousands of writers who weren't/aren't drunks.

I don't care who you are, your brain works better without alcohol. Writers do not write well because they're drunks. They write well despite being drunks.

[BlueBadger]

I sometimes write a little easier after a drink or two, but it's a narrow line between the Fields of Creativity and Typo City. So I don't often bother.

[tjwriter]

I don't write and drink often, despite the number of times I go to the AW chat and drink. (I miss you guys!)

However, I have found that on some days, when stress refuses to leave me and my constant worrying is peaked, I do feel the urge to write after a glass. But I think that relates more to the alcohol loosening my inhibitions and letting me let go of the the day's stresses. I imagine that any relaxation technique would produce the same effect. When my stress level is sky high, I can't write, and I know it.

[Scrawler]

I'm like Anya- allergic to alcohol as well. I can't even eat sugar, I have such a sensitive bio-chemsitry. The smallest bit of alcohol, sugar, chocolate (etc.) all give me ugly hang-overs. Then I'm torn: I want to shred whatever I wrote, but the bzzz of the shredder rattles my brain.

[Alana Mortensen]

Drinking and writing? Well now, I am no drinker. I don't get drunk... ok maybe I did get on the road whenIwas 21, but that was when I went to a comedy club. They had a two drink minimum... I had 3.

If I drink, I can't write. The alcohol blocks the dam and forces me to the bathroom. Besides anything over two drinks makes me depressed and sleepy. Of course, coffee is not good either, it sends me to piddlesville. So I try to stay away from alcohol when writing and stick to piddlesville.

[chartreuse]

I think it's pure BS. Alcohol is not your brain's friend, and those who think they write better when drinking are just finding an excuse to drink. Funny how no one ever lists the thousands and thousands of writers who weren't/aren't drunks.

I don't care who you are, your brain works better without alcohol. Writers do not write well because they're drunks. They write well despite being drunks.

I have to disagree with you to a certain extent. Many people, writers or not, use alcohol or other drugs to self-medicate conditions that their doctors would otherwise be giving them Ritalin or Prozac or whatever for.

Before I go on, I want to say that 98% of the time when I'm writing, I choose the "clean and sober" route. I've been writing long enough to know that I am capable of turning out well-written, creative pieces without any extra help. Usually if I've had a drink and am writing its because I drank first and then decided to write something down when I hadn't originally planned to.

However, there are times when I feel unable to do ANYTHING. Write, read, watch TV, surf the Net, do chores, anything. It's not depression, I'm pretty confident of that, but something changes in my brain chemistry and I can't focus, I can't get motivated, I can't do much but sit and stare out the window, disgusted and cranky because of the way I feel. I usually have between two and five days like this a month (and no, it's not PMS!).

At these times, it's either sit and stare or have a drink (or better yet, a Vicodin - that stuff is a godsend on my bad days). That allows me to get "unstuck" and enjoy whatever I choose to do.

I don't feel that I should have to go get some "doctor approved" remedy for what's ailing me - what I'm doing works, and yes, on those days having a drink or a pill is exactly what I need.

[Jamesaritchie]

I have to disagree with you to a certain extent. Many people, writers or not, use alcohol or other drugs to self-medicate conditions that their doctors would otherwise be giving them Ritalin or Prozac or whatever for.

Before I go on, I want to say that 98% of the time when I'm writing, I choose the "clean and sober" route. I've been writing long enough to know that I am capable of turning out well-written, creative pieces without any extra help. Usually if I've had a drink and am writing its because I drank first and then decided to write something down when I hadn't originally planned to.

However, there are times when I feel unable to do ANYTHING. Write, read, watch TV, surf the Net, do chores, anything. It's not depression, I'm pretty confident of that, but something changes in my brain chemistry and I can't focus, I can't get motivated, I can't do much but sit and stare out the window, disgusted and cranky because of the way I feel. I usually have between two and five days like this a month (and no, it's not PMS!).

At these times, it's either sit and stare or have a drink (or better yet, a Vicodin - that stuff is a godsend on my bad days). That allows me to get "unstuck" and enjoy whatever I choose to do.

I don't feel that I should have to go get some "doctor approved" remedy for what's ailing me - what I'm doing works, and yes, on those days having a drink or a pill is exactly what I need.

I doubt any writer self-medicates anything except depression. They just like getting drunk, and may or may not have a condition a doctor would prescribe something to help.

It's nonsense. If a drink is the only way of getting unstuck, it's usually because the person has reached the point where he wants a reason to drink. When you need alcohol to do anything, you have a serious problem.

If you need alcohol to write, you never, ever should have started drinking, and you definitely should have stopped long ago. I'd say these two to five days are days when you really want a reason to drink or pop a pill.

I'd also say the only thing remotely worse than self-medicating is self-diagnosing. Self-diagnosis is almost always wrong, and almost always an excuse to do something else.

If you want to know why you have these days, the only possible way to find out is to seek out a qualified profession.

You're changing your own brain chemistry each and every time you drink, and each and every time you use a Vicodin, and you're brain may well be conditioned by now to need this chemistry change on a regular basis.

[windyrdg]

Two thoughts:
One I think those who do drink to write, and I'm not one of them, do so because it lowers your inhibitions. You hear so much about reaching deep into your guts and putting raw emotion on the page, etc. I heard a joke about two comedians back stage. The one is pouring a drink before he goes on. The other asks, "What are you doin' that for?" The guy replies, "You don't think I'm going out there alone, do you?"
Secondly, I read that when people are on cocaine they these bursts of creativity and they think they're really flying. More often than not, in the harsh light of day it turns out to have been an illusion. I wonder if some of the drunk writers don't have the same experience.

Of course, Stephen King admits there are whole books he can't remember writing. Go figure.

[Tirjasdyn]

I doubt any writer self-medicates anything except depression. They just like getting drunk, and may or may not have a condition a doctor would prescribe something to help.

Not true. I know two people who have a liver disorder which require them to have at least 1 drink a day. It's a complicated thing where their liver over produces iron and makes it look like they have lukemia but don't. They are perscribed alcohol by the physician.

Everything else you've said I completely agree with.

[chartreuse]

I doubt any writer self-medicates anything except depression. They just like getting drunk, and may or may not have a condition a doctor would prescribe something to help.

It's nonsense. If a drink is the only way of getting unstuck, it's usually because the person has reached the point where he wants a reason to drink. When you need alcohol to do anything, you have a serious problem.

If you need alcohol to write, you never, ever should have started drinking, and you definitely should have stopped long ago. I'd say these two to five days are days when you really want a reason to drink or pop a pill.

I'd also say the only thing remotely worse than self-medicating is self-diagnosing. Self-diagnosis is almost always wrong, and almost always an excuse to do something else.

If you want to know why you have these days, the only possible way to find out is to seek out a qualified profession.

You're changing your own brain chemistry each and every time you drink, and each and every time you use a Vicodin, and you're brain may well be conditioned by now to need this chemistry change on a regular basis.

I realize that I'm changing my brain chemistry. That's the entire point. But no, my brain is not "conditioned" to need it. That's a somewhat silly thing to say, IMHO, given the number of times per month I actually do it.

People self-medicate a whole range of conditions, physical and mental. Given the fact that most of the medical profession is in the pocket of pharmaceutical companies, I'd say that if someone knows of something that works for them, and they are capable of monitoring their own health, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with using the treatment they themselves have chosen.

You seem to believe that you know everyone better than they know themselves. I tend to take a less arrogant view, and believe that people are capable of knowing themselves quite well, and being responsible with their own health. Anyone who is doing what works for them without harming others has my full support.

[Julian Black]

Unless I'm actively socializing with other people, more than one drink makes me too sluggish to get any writing done. So my poison of choice whilst writing is strong, black coffee.

But back in my art school days I bought into the idea of the hard-drinking, drug-taking creative genius (because I was 19 years old, and an idiot).

It didn't work. If I was lucky, I'd have about half an hour of the kind of optimism and loosened inhibitions that actually helped me create. After that, things got sloppy fast.

Intoxication didn't give my work any conceptual depth, either. While high, I'd paint or write something that seemed so deep and meaningful, then come back the next day and realize it was silly, shallow crap. An extreme example is taking photographs of amazing! beautiful! magical! things while tripping on LSD or mushrooms, only to discover upon developing them that you've taken lots of boring, blurry pictures of sidewalk cracks, peeling paint, clouds, and random shrubbery. Looking at what I'd painted or written during a night's drinking was that same downer experience, just in a milder form.

Being a drunk also caused significant day-to-day problems that interfered with my creativity. Trying to create while hung over, worrying about the bills that hadn't been paid, or dealing with an angry landlady who didn't appreciate my lifestyle of "creative chaos" was nearly impossible. And I didn't have a spouse or other enabler in my life to help shield me from those consequences so I could create.

So when I look at writers and artist who were drunks and/or drug addicts, I understand from experience that they were by far the exceptions, not the rule. Many of them didn't start drinking destructively until after they had experienced some commercial success. Hemingway, for example, had always been a heavy drinker, but his worst alcoholism didn't come until middle age. Because they'd already been successful, they also had people around them who were willing to pick up their slack and mop up after them so they could continue to write or paint--Jackson Pollock had Lee Krasner, for example, and F. Scott Fitgerald's agent frequently loaned him money to keep him afloat.

[FredCharles]

All that drinking does is sap my energy, and make me want to nap.

[Carrie in PA]

I only have a drink rarely. And when I do have a drink, I talk. A lot. So it would be impossible for me to write because I wouldn't stop talking long enough to get anything written.

[ChaosTitan]

All that drinking does is sap my energy, and make me want to nap.

Ditto. I tend to shy away from that beer or glass of wine until I've decided to quit writing for the evening. The combination of alcohol and staring at brightly lit pixels tends to make my brain all fuzzy.

[Sage]

My roommie has a VHS of Neil Gaiman speaking for a convention or something, & he does a great reading on why drinking does "not" impair your ability to write. It's hilarious.

[Chasing the Horizon]

I write better love scenes when I've had a few drinks. Otherwise, it doesn't really make much difference. I can be buzzing and write fine (maybe a few more typos, but I make those sober too). I can also be sober and write fine. I couldn't edit if I'd had anything to drink, though. And I can't write drunk, because I can't concentrate.

Anyone who needs to drink in order to write on a regular basis isn't much of a writer, IMO. I could write love scenes without drinking, it would just take a lot longer.

Some people have written great books despite alcohol and drug abuse, but I never believe people who say the books were great because of it.

[lfraser]

From past experience, I know that drinking turns off the internal editor, so it makes writing easier. The problem is that sometimes the internal editor a.k.a B.S. detector needs to be switched on, or at least it needs to be running quietly in the background.

[NeuroFizz]

Beer goggles can make that barfly at the end of the bar look really good, and the result can be an uninhibited tryst with significant creativity. But, how will that tryst look the next morning when it's sober snuggle time?

[Susan Breen]

I tend to write in the morning, so it would really not be a good idea to be drinking. But I like to write dialogue late at night, when I am exhausted, because I'm also looser then, and that's when I find a glass of scotch can help.

[McDuff]

It doesn't seem to have a huge effect on me either way. I've written well while drunk and well while sober (well, for me, is defined in quantity rather than anything else -- chugging down that train track to the end of the blasted story). I tend to work things through by getting up and walking around, and a glass of wine or brandy and a cigar can give me something for my hands to do while I'm pacing the floor, but then, doing pushups helps as well, as does a cup of tea. It's just a displacement activity.

[Niapri]

Hmm...I don't drink, can't stand the stuff. I do tend to ingest large amounts of sugar on days I have trouble, but it never helps unless I'm exhausted from staying up late. Of course, I react to sugar like someone who's been both overcaffeinated and drunk stupid, so that may be just as bad as writers who drink. It's different for different people, isn't it?

I've found that meditating unblocks me better than anything else. It must alter my brain chemistry or trick my mind into thinking that something's different, because thing feel all...surreal for a good long while afterwards. While technically it doesn't put you into an altered state of mind(for the normal person, anyway. ^^; ), it certainly feels like it does on some days.

I wouldn't criticize writers who do drink, but I would beg and plead and try to convince anyone who does to stop. You don't need to do it all the time to "need" it. It becomes a crutch once your mind and body are habituated to it, but it's not necessary - all the things are in our heads to begin with, we just need to find different ways of getting them out. Alcohol is a risky way of doing it, especially for people prone to addiction by temperament or family background. IMHO, there's nothing wrong with it as a last last resort, though. Desperate times call for desperate measures. :D

Edit: McDuff - what do you mean by "displacement activity"?

[spike]

I don't drink any more...but then again, I don't drink any less, either.

I can't drink and write because I wouldn't write. It's too much like work. When I drink, I lose my edge. I NEED the anxiety to write. If I'm calm, I don't care.

A cocktail is the signal. for me, to stop working, sit down with friends/family and chat.

[CaroGirl]

While I don't work on my writing while drinking, I have written a post or two at AW in an altered state. I ended up with several rep points and a PM.

[chartreuse]

I've found that meditating unblocks me better than anything else. It must alter my brain chemistry or trick my mind into thinking that something's different, because thing feel all...surreal for a good long while afterwards. While technically it doesn't put you into an altered state of mind(for the normal person, anyway. ^^; ), it certainly feels like it does on some days.



Meditation is a wonderful tool to use - it empties your mind of all the garbage and clears the way for the creativity of your subconscious to come through.

[Ken Schneider]

Not a good idea. You'll form that habit very quickly while not writing as well.

[Nike_777]

I don’t drink in order to write something. Generally it’s not a good idea to stimulate mental activity by alcohol. I would rather go swimming or make some physical exercises. I noticed when I shift from mental activity to physical and then back I become more productive. But I’m not saying that I’m not drinking at all ;)

[davids]

HIC! BELCH! Now where the hell is that damned masterpiece-I know I put it down somewhere!

[JamieFord]

I don't drink. I just huff gold paint. I find it takes the edge off my Nyquil...

[Dave.C.Robinson]

I like to keep hydrated. So I tend to drink fluids while I write. No, alcohol won't work.

[willietheshakes]

I get up early in the morning to write, so drinking would be a bad idea.

Cough syrup, though - that's the ticket. ;)

[KingRat]

I don't know if drinking helps me write better but it sure does make me think it's better.

[Southern_girl29]

I'm not a drinker. I might have a drink about once a year. I actually get buzzed or drunk even less than that. There is just too much alcoholism in my family for me to take the chance.

I have never tried to write drunk or even with a buzz. The few times I have been drunk, I tend to love everyone, so I'd probably just write a bunch of sappy crap anyway.

[JoNightshade]

Personally, I have always hated the taste of alcohol, which pretty much rules out drinking for me. However, I do my best writing at the end of the day when I am a bit sleepy and not so uptight about editing myself. So I can see how a drink or two might loosen one up to do some productive writing. But getting drunk? Nah.

My take on famous writers as drinkers/drug users: Great works of literature are usually considered great because they address heavy, often painful subjects. The people who can best address heavy, painful subjects have often experienced these things firsthand. Experiencing heavy, painful events naturally leads to depression. Depression leads to attempts to get rid of the pain: Drinking, drugs, and... writing. I see writing as one of the constructive ways to work through your own demons. Drinking and drugs are deconstructive ways of dealing with it. Apparently many writers feel the need to try both.

[AndreaGS]

I enjoy my wine and cold beer, but I've never bothered to write anything while inebriated (except maybe a letter and one or two shameful journal entries). If I start feeling tipsy, I stop writing. I just haven't found it conducive to my creativity, or to my spelling and grammar.

Drinking, for me, always seems to bring about an immediate writer's block.

[Sean D. Schaffer]

I enjoy a good wine every now and then. The only gripe is alcohol is not allowed in my building, so I have to get that fancy non-alcoholic stuff.

But then again, I don't drink wine for the effects; I drink it for the taste. If it doesn't taste good, I throw it out.

One other thing: I never drink while writing. I've been drunk one time in my life, and I hated every minute of it. I do not enjoy bumping into chairs, and then, knowing they're only chairs, saying, "Excuse me Sir" to the chairs. That just does not put a good feeling in me.

Besides, I don't hold my liquor well. Two glasses of regular, alcohol-infused wine, is enough to get me wired. No thank you.

[Jack Nog]

Haven't really attempted to get schnockered while writing. I know how I am when I'm schnockered, and well, I'm more fun not writing :).

Especially at the computer. I would probably wander off into places of the internet not mentionable here. That or a good video game.
And this of course takes away from the writing.

I will say I like my drinks here and there. There is a time and a place for that. I fear that if I started drinking while writing, I could be at a party and just pull out my notebook, sit in a corner and start writing. How much fun would I be then.

[Another]

One more interesting link on the subject:

"A friend of mine was teaching a survey course in American literature one summer session at the University of Houston. In the class were several older students, schoolteachers mostly. A teacher came up to him after class one day and said, "Listen, I just want to know why every single author on our reading list was an alcoholic!" The professor ran his eye down the list. Edgar Allen Poe. Stephen Crane. Theodore Roethke. Herman Melville. Delmore Schwartz. Scott Fitzgerald. William Faulkner. The school-teacher was right. Every writer on his list was an alcoholic."

"If he had not become such a drunk, would Truman Capote have finished Answered Prayers? If she had not turned to alcohol in such a destructive way, would Jean Stafford have finished the novel she worked on for 20 years? Would Caroline Gordon have finished her long novel about explorer Meriwether Lewis?"
http://www.unhooked.com/sep/writers.htm.

For me as a technical writer writing and drinking is unacceptable, I write operation manuals and my mistake may cost someone's life.
But I'm curious what absolutewrite's community has to say about it.

In matters of assumed causation (here several good writers who were drinkers, maybe alcoholics, getting to be good because of drinking), always good to examine presumed link of cause and effect. Link may be spurious correlation or even work in reverse.

Questions to ponder: how many good writers were not drinkers or alcoholics? If many, maybe the supposed link is not there at all. Or, even if the correlation proves strong between good writers and alcoholism, could effect and cause be reversed? Were subject writers always alcoholics, or did they get that way after producing some good work, meaning perhaps writing caused alcoholism. Well, maybe not writing itself, but the pressures to keep producing to match early work and growing public expectations.

Sorting out causation in human behavior of any kind requires a complete data set and good analysis, something not so easily tackled by anecdotal evidence or stories around the campfire.

Another

[dub]

I've had a few Hemingway days...unfortunately, my writing more resembles the bar stool he sat on in Cuba, rather than serious prose. The more alcohol consumed, the more error prone are my hands. I find no correlation between a buzz and creativity, however a good jack n' coke will warm the blood stream a bit, beer makes me sleepy, and wine gives me heart burn.

[Lunamoth]

Wow. Lots of blanketing, unvetted statements about "anyone who drinks" or "anyone who doesn't drink." *sips Hefeweizen from a glass* Lots of opinions that seem to be passed off as fact. Not to psychoanalyze people, but it does smack of bad personal experiences being projected on the whole world.

Just because one is having a drink doesn't equate to getting drunk. Just because one is a teetotaler doesn't make one a superior writer. Some people work better with the relaxation that a cigarette brings. And a cigarette has just as many if not more damaging effects on the body as a whole.

I have been known to have some wine or beer while I sit down and write. Or with dinner. Or because it's late on a hot day and I've done a lot of chores and want to relax now. I've also been known not to buy any alcohol for months because I can't justify it in the grocery bill. Drinker does not equate to drunk. Relaxed doesn't equate to drunk.

[Death Wizard]

I do most of my creative writing in the evenings from 8 until midnight, and I almost always have 2-4 Michelob Ultra-Lites. Then I do revisions in the late morning or early afternoon while under the effects of Diet Coke. Otherwise, I don't smoke or do drugs, and I eat a lot of raw veggies and fruit and get a lot of exercise.

During the revision process, I find that my writing is no different during the first beer than it is during the third or (sometimes) fourth.

However, I have a very strong tolerance to alcohol, and four ultralights is probably less than three regular beers. To me, at least, I become mellow but not otherwise altered.

[mkcbunny]

Once in a while, when I'm feeling satisfied at the end of a writing day (say 5-6 hours), I'll have a glass of wine and look less rigidly at what I've done, or test out a few ideas. Relaxation after-the-fact. But I know that I won't be able to think well if I have another, so I don't combine the writing with the art.

[Anthony Ravenscroft]

Years ago, I was writing a series of articles, advice to musicians. In one, I said, "For every guitarist who becomes an utter genius on three hits of Golden Sunshine acid, a thousand turn into self-indulgent imbeciles. Assume you're one of the latter."

Alcohol can be very effective at turning off the self-censor... but is often even more effective at turning off the self-editor.

I find my weekend writing suffers if I start even caffeine before noon. If I have a beer in front of me, I'll swig absentmindedly at it, which is why it's now often replaced with Mendota Springs fizzywater (raspberry or mandarin orange).

I still go to the brewpub with notebook in hand, but with intent to catch any stray notes or ponder troublesome areas of a WIP, not to get any actual writing done.

I love my beer, but it seems a shame to confuse serious writing with serious drinking -- dilutes the experience, so to speak.

[Willowmound]

How strange, all this. I absolutely cannot write while drinking. And I drink a lot, and I'm one of those pelope who thinks everyone who doesn't drink is a little bit sad.

But I can't write and drink. I'll have my drinks after.

[seun]

I usually finish writing on a weeknight at half 8 or nine. Then I'll have a few beers. It's very rare that I'll drink and write at the same time.

[LimeyDawg]

For me, a glass of wine or two works wonders for shaking the high-hanging fruit of ideas loose from the tree. It isn't essential, but when I'm having trouble getting going, it certainly helps.

[heyjude]

I don't drink any more but I live vicariously through my MC. Often when I finish writing him I feel as though I've had a few :). Does that count?

[Willowmound]

No.

( :p )

[scarletpeaches]

I drink quite a lot of tea while I'm writing. Does that count?

[Willowmound]

I drink quite a lot of tea while I'm writing. Does that count?

No!

I drink tea too. Tea is for writer-wimps. I turn feral after. After, I says!

[david976]

Cheers folks. Let's make a conclusion:
Drink responsibly and write safely)))

[aruna]

Anyone who thinks the way to increase creativity is by imbibing a central nervous system depressant is rolling loaded dice in terms of overall creativity. More important, it's picking up a very rickety crutch with full expectation that it can support one's weight.

About the list of alcoholics who were successful writers. To put that in proper context, it's necessary to also list successful writers who were not alcoholics or even drinkers. Any bets on which would be the longer list? And, then one can look at writers who are not longer alcoholics or drinkers to see if their productivity changed for the worse without the alcohol. I think King would be a good case study here. One could also look for examples in which alcohol caused a writer's career to tank.

Amen to that. Creativity comes from inside us, not from drinking. If you need to drink in order to set free that creativity, then the drink is nothing but a crutch. And I don't care how many famous writers needed a crutch - if they destroyed themsleves in the meantime what's the point? I would rather stay healthy and sane, than write a famous book and wreck my mind. Sorry, but my sanity is more important than any book I might write!

There are natural methods for releasing creativity. Just read Dorothy Brande's book, Becoming a Writer. She names several healthy habits that help to set the imagination going: being in nature, listening to music, walking, even housework! Monotonous tasks such as cleaning a floor seem to work beautifully. The important thing is to still the mind so that creativity can flow. That's the secret. Sure, you can deaden the mind through alcohol and drugs - but at what price?

I meditate every morning before writing - even if it's just for five minutes. That's enough to get the ideas flowing.

[scarletpeaches]

aruna, it reminds me of the saying, "I drank to drown my sorrows but my sorrows learned to swim."

[BlueBadger]

That was either U2, or U2 took it from somewhere else. XD

[Danger Jane]

Again, not knocking drinkers here. Nothing wrong with responsible drinking. :D

But -- I have found that a lack of sleep produces the same effects as alcohol consumption (a lowering of inhibitions, general surliness, seemingly deep thoughts as a way of attempting to compensate for the synapses that are attempting to shut down).

So I just stay awake for as long as possible. I have more time, and better flow. The later it gets, the more I blather through my fingers... and sometimes it's still salvageable in the morning. :D

Totally, this must be why I write more during the school year than in the summer even though I have less time on my hands. :D

No, I really do prefer to write when I'm ridiculously tired, or at least after midnight.

[Inspiewriter]

How strange, all this. I absolutely cannot write while drinking. And I drink a lot, and I'm one of those pelope who thinks everyone who doesn't drink is a little bit sad.

But I can't write and drink. I'll have my drinks after.

I love wine while cooking dinner but it really wrecks any inclination for writing. For me, they don't mix.

[WordGypsy]

It can't be done for me. I have to be sober to write. Otherwise it's total crap. Yeay for sobriety due to obsessive compulsive needs to get the damn thing done!

[Summonere]

I suspect that drinking improves your writing in the same way it improves your driving.

[ink wench]

See my sig. ;) I never thought the drinking thing had anything to do with writing per se, but rather everything to do with submitting!

[Death Wizard]

Drinking isn't all about getting drunk. Most people drink because they enjoy the flavor of the drink, as well as the mild calming effects. Drinking alcohol isn't the problem. Drinking too much alcohol, depending on your tolerance, is the problem, just like eating too much fatty food or too many sugary desserts. In fact the latter two examples probably are worse for your health than moderate consumption of alcohol. If I go out to an expensive dinner, I love a glass of wine before the entree. If I'm sitting at a beach bar watching a sunset, I love a cold beer. When I write in the evenings, I drink two or three light beers. In my mind, that's no worse than guzzling coffee, tea, or soda.

There are definitely people who have very strong aversions to any kind of alcohol consumption. Maybe alcoholism runs in their family, or they just hate the taste of it. But there are many people out there who drink socially with few negative side effects. I drink socially, but I also eat a healthy diet and get lots of exercise. Someone who gorges on fast foods and hates fresh vegetables is doing more damage to their bodies and minds than moderate drinkers of alcohol. I'd rather drink a beer when I write than stuff chocolate bars down my throat.

[polleekin]

Someone who gorges on fast foods and hates fresh vegetables is doing more damage to their bodies and minds than moderate drinkers of alcohol. I'd rather drink a beer when I write than stuff chocolate bars down my throat.
Guzzling. Stuffs. Gorges. Why are you comparing moderate consumption of one thing to excessive consumption of other things? The logical example is that you prefer drinking a beer than eating a chocolate bar. Neither one is too bad for you in moderation.

I agree that there is nothing wrong with enjoying a few drinks in moderation. I'm just not sure what that has to do with your comparisons. Excessive anything can be bad for you.

[Death Wizard]

Guzzling. Stuffs. Gorges. Why are you comparing moderate consumption of one thing to excessive consumption of other things? The logical example is that you prefer drinking a beer than eating a chocolate bar. Neither one is too bad for you in moderation.

I agree that there is nothing wrong with enjoying a few drinks in moderation. I'm just not sure what that has to do with your comparisons. Excessive anything can be bad for you.

You're right. Excessive anything is bad. What I was trying to say is that moderate consumption of alcohol is not as bad as excessive consumption of fast foods and sugary desserts, etc. It seems to me that some people think that drinking alcohol is the worst thing a person can do, even when it comes to writing.

[Zoombie]

What about excessive love? Both reciving and giving. As in you are excessivly in love and the other person is excessivly in love? Is that bad for you.

Personally, I have absolutely no interest in drinking, but I have no problem with it in moderation. See, I tried a sip of wine when I was nine, as my mom had accidentally left a glass out while she went to the bathroom and I sipped it while no one was looking. It tasted terrible and I still wonder why people drink the stuff. And smoke, do drugs, drink coffee extera, extera...

[polleekin]

Oh, shush, that was in the context of eating and drinking. :P

You're right. Excessive anything is bad. What I was trying to say is that moderate consumption of alcohol is not as bad as excessive consumption of fast foods and sugary desserts, etc. It seems to me that some people think that drinking alcohol is the worst thing a person can do, even when it comes to writing.
I do understand that, just thought it was an odd comparison-- perhaps I was too touchy about the judgmental wording, since I agree with your basic point. (Especially about fast food-- that stuff can make me sick immediately, regardless of the long-term effects.)

[Death Wizard]

What about excessive love? Both reciving and giving. As in you are excessivly in love and the other person is excessivly in love? Is that bad for you.

Personally, I have absolutely no interest in drinking, but I have no problem with it in moderation. See, I tried a sip of wine when I was nine, as my mom had accidentally left a glass out while she went to the bathroom and I sipped it while no one was looking. It tasted terrible and I still wonder why people drink the stuff. And smoke, do drugs, drink coffee extera, extera...

Excessive love also is no good. Now ... excessive lovemaking? (Ha!)

[Death Wizard]

Oh, shush, that was in the context of eating and drinking. :P


I do understand that, just thought it was an odd comparison-- perhaps I was too touchy about the judgmental wording, since I agree with your basic point. (Especially about fast food-- that stuff can make me sick immediately, regardless of the long-term effects.)

You're right, I did sound judgmental. I seem to do that sometimes without really meaning to! I was just trying to stick up for my fellow social drinkers. Either that, or it's becoming obvious that I'm the resident lush!

[christinex]

Wow. Lots of blanketing, unvetted statements about "anyone who drinks" or "anyone who doesn't drink." *sips Hefeweizen from a glass* Lots of opinions that seem to be passed off as fact. Not to psychoanalyze people, but it does smack of bad personal experiences being projected on the whole world.

Just because one is having a drink doesn't equate to getting drunk. Just because one is a teetotaler doesn't make one a superior writer. Some people work better with the relaxation that a cigarette brings. And a cigarette has just as many if not more damaging effects on the body as a whole.

I have been known to have some wine or beer while I sit down and write. Or with dinner. Or because it's late on a hot day and I've done a lot of chores and want to relax now. I've also been known not to buy any alcohol for months because I can't justify it in the grocery bill. Drinker does not equate to drunk. Relaxed doesn't equate to drunk.

Thank you for saying that. I have a glass of wine with dinner just about every night. On occasion, if I'm feeling tense or blocked, I will have a glass of wine when I sit down to write. Usually only one, although on rare occasions I will have two. (I have a good head for alcohol -- my friends tease me that I'm like Marian Ravenwood in that drinking-game scene from Raiders.) Anything more than that, and it's Typo City. However, I have never noticed a difference between material I wrote when dead sober and material I wrote when I had a glass of wine to help me get into the groove. So I think it's inaccurate to say that it's awful all the time and a terrible thing for anyone. It may not work for you, and certainly excessive drinking (or use of any mind-altering substance) is to be avoided. But many studies have shown that the amount of drinking I do (about one glass of red wine a day) is actually good for you.

And yes, I do eat vegetables. But not broccoli. :tongue

[Death Wizard]

And yes, I do eat vegetables. But not broccoli. :tongue

But broccoli is awesome, steamed and then dribbled with Thai peanut sauce!

[benbradley]

You're right. Excessive anything is bad. What I was trying to say is that moderate consumption of alcohol is not as bad as excessive consumption of fast foods and sugary desserts, etc. It seems to me that some people think that drinking alcohol is the worst thing a person can do, even when it comes to writing.
I would guess that those people equate "drinking alcohol" with getting drunk. The vast majority of alcohol drinkers drink as you described in your earlier post, in moderation. But I suppose the minority of drinkers who get drunk attract way too much attention to themselves, and give all drinkers a bad name...

[christinex]

But broccoli is awesome, steamed and then dribbled with Thai peanut sauce!

Honey, you could melt a pound of cheddar cheese on top of the broccoli, and I'd still know it was there. Something about the smell. :eek:

I would guess that those people equate "drinking alcohol" with getting drunk. The vast majority of alcohol drinkers drink as you described in your earlier post, in moderation. But I suppose the minority of drinkers who get drunk attract way too much attention to themselves, and give all drinkers a bad name...Thanks, benbradley! That's exactly what I was thinking. Over-indulgence in anything is usually not good (except in shoes, of course).