Every morning a little before six, I make a pot of coffee. Most of the time, this little ritual goes smoothly. And you all know how I value my start-the-day organic coffee.
Well. Today I forgot the coffeepot.
No, really. Filter, beans, water--it was all there, ready for brewing. I hit the "start" button like I always do. And proceeded to unstack the dishwasher, like I do every morning while the coffee brews.
Then I heard coffee hitting the floor. Because, yeah. No pot.
I have never moved so quickly at 6:00 a.m. in my life.
Amazingly, I salvaged almost the whole ten cups. It was a little sludgy, to be sure. But overall, a grand rescue.
That was the start to my day.
A borderline nerdy analogy popped into my head as I sipped my first saved-from-the-brink-of-death cup of coffee: Sometimes, my plots are missing a coffee pot. Lots of "right things" in place, but missing something basic.
And because of the something-basic that's missing, everything else sort of spills out all over the place. Then I've got a big mess to clean up.
Sometimes it's a worldbuilding basic (why does the technology work that way in the first place?). Sometimes it's a character arc basic (what is the character's motivation to do what he just did?). And sometimes it's a bare-bones plot basic (how did they get from A to F without hitting B through E?).
But hey. I'm learning to place my coffeepots now. It's all good.
There you have it. Wisdom from a missing coffeepot.
Or maybe I'm trying REALLY hard to justify one of the dumbest things I've ever done in my life.
Happy weekend!
I've done that before - forgotten the coffee pot...both literally and figuratively. Glad you rescued the coffee...I bet you've saved quite a few stories that way, too ^_^
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!! That just cracked me up. Nice analogy, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteWrite on, my friend!
I once put a roast in the crockpot without the ceramic pot, so I can empathize! ;)
ReplyDeleteOooo, I haven't done *that*, but I've totally forgotten the water, or forgotten the coffee grounds, or...
ReplyDeleteYeah dude. (I'm glad I haven't forgotten the pot. That sounds horrible.)
It's a good writing analogy. Totally nerdy, but pretty much anything can relate to writing if you think about it. So I totally get it. :)
I once made a pot of coffee without the coffee. I remembered the water, the filter and the pot, but when the machine finished, all I had was a pot full of hot water. Bleh.
ReplyDeleteWay to turn a screw up into a great analogy and a wonderful post, though. Thanks, Authoress.
Authoress, that's a wonderful analogy. I worry what setting my kitchen on fire says about my writing. Especially since I did it twice this summer.
ReplyDelete*laughs* Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I've totally done that.
Only I left the room and came back a half hour later to massive stain on the carpet and the lingering scent of orange mocha.
;)
How many times have I forgotten the coffee pot? Worse, I don't usually remember in time to save the coffee. It's so easy to forget the most obvious things.
ReplyDeleteOh no!! Well, I can't say I've done that, but the other day I forgot the coffee itself, and brewed myself a full pot of hot water. Grrrr...
ReplyDeleteAs a friend of mine pointed out, sometimes you NEED the coffee already in your system to actually make the coffee. LOL
Our French Press cracked the other day... how do I relate that to writing?
ReplyDeleteBut 10 cups of coffee? Really, everyday? Or do you share?