To be clear, I’m not suggesting that you should get drunk every time you sit down to write. But I do think it’s interesting and worthy of note that so many writers are heavy drinkers. In fact, over 70% of people who have won the Nobel prize for literature have been alcoholics. For comparison, 8% of the general population is alcoholic.
Writers like to drink. It’s basically the only thing we have in common with lawyers. As someone who writes primarily in the morning, I’ve never really paired creativity with alcohol, but I imagine it’s a match made in some twisted version of heaven.
Does anyone know if screenwriters share the same fondness for drink as other types of writers? Any stats out there about this?
Anyhow, if you do decide to pair an alcoholic refreshment with your next writing session, Shortlist.com has shared a list of several favorite authors’ preferred drinks to inspire you. Read and drink responsibly!
William Faulkner
“A man shouldn’t fool with booze until he’s fifty, and then he’s a damn fool if he doesn’t,” once counselled William Faulkner, who fooled with the stuff well before his tender years. Keeping a bottle of whiskey within reaching distance was a key part of the author’s writing process - he also claimed he liked to work at night when he’d get some many ideas he wouldn’t remember them all in the morning - with Jack Daniels the usual label of choice. Take a trip to his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, and you might even spot a bottle of the stuff on his gravestone.
DRINK OF CHOICE – MINT JULEP
Faulkner was partial to a Mint Julep, serving it with whiskey, sugar, ice and some crushed mint, all in a metal cup. The recipe was left at his Rowan Oak estate.
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