This is just a little thought I've been playing with. I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to this theory, but hey, that's what a theory is, right?

I looked it up just to be sure. A theory is "a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained."

So, this "Coffee Mug Theory of Writing Process" is a theory because it's intended to explain something.

Whether it does explain anything remains to be seen.

We need to talk about templates.

These days, if you'd like to communicate an idea to another person, other than perhaps in casual conversation, there's a template for you.

There's a Powerpoint template. There's an Instagram template. There's a website template. There's a meeting agenda template and a workshop template and a resume template. There's a book template. There's a template for your email header and your website footer and your Facebook banner.

I don't mean to knock on templates.

I have a confession. Judge if you want.

I have always hated index cards.

I have hated them since fourth grade when we were taught some irritating method of organizing our "bibliography" by tediously writing various information about books in specific places on the index cards. The directive to center the title on the index card was particularly annoying to me and my fourth-grade handwriting.

I know. I know. You probably love index cards. Most writers seem to.