Jenny Chicca, PhD, RN, CNE, CNEcl
Teresa Shellenbarger, PhD, RN, CNE, CNEcl, ANEF, FAAN
Writer’s Camp Senior Counselor and Counselor
Learn writing lessons from coffee brewing.
Imagine the perfect cup of steaming, smooth, and flavorful coffee. Perhaps your ideal cup features floral, citrus, nut, or spice notes, originating from perfectly sourced and roasted beans that create a harmonious and balanced blend. The coffee has no bitterness and provides a delightful finish that you enjoy as part of your daily caffeine ritual. Have you ever considered how you achieve that excellent flavor—and what the best way to do so might be? Coffee aficionados have various options to choose from when making coffee, frequently selecting from popular brewing methods such as drip, immersion, pour-over, and espresso. The coffee-making approach you select affects the flavor and final outcome of that cup o’ joe.
You can think about writing in much the same way baristas think about making coffee. Are you a French press writer or a percolator? Maybe you prefer a pour-over method. Join us in a conversation with Drs. Jenny Chicca and Teresa Shellenbarger to learn how we apply coffee-making techniques to enhance our writing. With our combined experience of over 150 publications (many we wrote together) and several books, we want to talk to you about your writing approaches and explore how you can learn lessons about writing from the art of coffee-making.
Jenny: I’ll get us started by admitting that I am a finish-o-holic. What’s that, you say? Well, it means I like to get things done, and I like to get them done ahead of schedule (or I feel behind). This mentality extends into my personal and professional life, but I will focus on my scholarly activities. I confess that I am not a coffee drinker and prefer water. But, if I had to compare my writing to coffee-making, it would frequently be a quick drip or an espresso method, approaches that pass hot water through ground coffee and produce a fast, tasty cup. Just like these basic methods, my writing often happens quickly since I want it done efficiently and with minimal fuss and mess. However, as I’ve gained experience writing, I know that sometimes I need to slow down. But Teresa likes a more immersive approach.
Teresa: That’s right, Jenny. My approach to writing is to percolate. Coffee percolation involves steeping coffee grounds in hot water and allowing for the full development of flavor. I find that my writing requires time to percolate, or let things bubble to the surface, until it is just right. I’ve come to appreciate the value of percolation in enhancing my work. If I move too quickly during the initial writing stages, such as when creating a cup of espresso, my work is often incomplete, disorganized, and requires lots of editing. Percolation is like a conversation in my head, where I let ideas swim around and brew until they come together in the right combination. I like to think about the work and gather my thoughts before creating the written product.
What Does it Mean to Percolate?
Jenny: That’s interesting Teresa. I was curious about what others have said about percolation and writing, so I looked it up.1-4 Percolation:
- is the unconscious processing of information. You cannot force percolation.
- may look like nothing is happening to the outsider.
- helps ideas become clearer and more refined.
- can be used to brainstorm, refine logical flow, develop connections, and add more information. Simply put, you cannot think of everything in one sitting.
- is present in every step of having an idea. For example, it is present as you gather raw materials, order and catalog your thoughts, and as you shape and develop your ideas.
What Are the Benefits of Percolating?
Percolating can help increase:
- Creativity
- Understanding
- Problem-solving abilities
Teresa: I agree with the benefits that you’ve outlined. I’d also add that percolation helps me be more efficient. I can percolate as I complete other tasks, and then when I feel ready to write, it flows smoothly, and my thoughts are already well-organized. As I percolate, I filter my thoughts, consider approaches, and test out ideas in my mind before I begin formal writing. This way, I have a clear plan for my writing, and I can produce an organized and complete first draft.
Jenny: One of the articles I read said it is “free” thinking time since it is not concentrated thinking.2 And, percolation can be interrupted. In fact, interruptions can help reset your mind and generate more ideas.4 As someone with two jobs and two young kids, that speaks to me. This approach helps me get things done efficiently and with excellence. That’s a lot about what it is and the benefits of percolation. But how do you percolate, anyway?
How Do You Percolate?
Teresa: Typically, I have a jumble of thoughts that swim around in my head. They are messy, disorganized, and incomplete. Then ideas begin to emerge, and I consider how the ideas are connected. I identify gaps as I percolate or think about the topic, and the ideas start to come together in an organized way. I start with the raw ingredients (coffee beans and water) or ideas for the written work, and allow them to repeatedly mix or steep, so they evolve into a rich final product. I can then produce a blended cup of coffee, or in the case of writing, a manuscript that is organized, more complete, and has adequate details. The result is rich, flavorful coffee or, in other words, a clear, comprehensive, and impactful piece of writing. Jenny, I know you aren’t a coffee drinker, but you’ll have to trust me on this one.
Jenny: I can appreciate the sentiment even if I don’t drink coffee. I remember one day, I was working on an article and I was getting frustrated. How should I organize this section? What is the article missing? Does it even make sense anymore? Well, fate stepped in and my computer crashed. I took that as a sign to take a break. I got up and took my dog for a walk. I told myself I wouldn’t think about the article. But, as I walked my dog, I found myself percolating new ideas to reorganize. I thought of ways to facilitate connections in the article. At times, walking away means I take a shower to reset. Or a chance observation can make me think of additional information or new connections. But I will say that sometimes walking away may not be physically walking. We all have busy schedules, so sometimes you may need to just move on to another task. My advice is to pick a mundane task to facilitate your percolation. Is there a household chore you’ve been avoiding? Or a boring work task? Do that and let the thoughts flow.
As you percolate, don’t forget to write down your ideas. Messy brainstorming notes are fine (as long as you can translate your own thoughts later). Use a paper notebook or use the notepad application on your phone. You’d be surprised how quickly a subconscious percolation can leave your mind! So, don’t forget to write it down.
I will also say that sometimes, when I finish an article and read it over, I don’t like it. Maybe I am tired or maybe I’ve worked on it for too long. When this happens, I have learned to sleep on it. Now, being realistic with my schedule, this may be many nights of sleep, but I don’t change anything about the document immediately. Most of the time, when I return to the draft, I have formulated a plan for improvement, and the writing moves quickly from there.
Let’s talk about this very article. My original thought for this piece was “shower thoughts” or how ideas that come to you in random places can have a big impact. I thought about previous articles we’ve written, which were, in fact, originally shower thoughts. As I percolated on this particular piece, I knew more than “shower thoughts” was needed to make the article complete. I wanted to provide readers with more guidance for developing their ideas. Then, I remembered the word Teresa and I frequently use as we prepare our articles: percolate. I reviewed literature and I spent (free) time percolating and jotting down ideas. Ultimately, I decided percolation was like a conversation in your head, so why not frame this article as a conversation between Teresa and myself? And here we are, having a conversation about percolation: what it is, its benefits, and how to achieve it.
Teresa: We can share our writing process, but the reality is everyone needs to identify strategies that will work best for them. Here’s our advice: just get started. Percolation means you can start a project when it is still vague, and you will continue to percolate as you go. Percolation helps refine your work, so your finished product is clear, comprehensive, and impactful. Remember: don’t hate on the percolate. Grab that cup of coffee and start thinking about your writing.
References
- Gower L. Percolating is an undervalued skill. Lucidity. Published 2024. Accessed July 3, 2025. https://www.lucidity.org.uk/percolating-is-an-underestimated-skill/
- Plan to percolate. Thinking Directions. Published 2025. Accessed July 3, 2025. https://www.thinkingdirections.com/plan-to-percolate/#:~:text=I%20often%20spend%20an%20hour,good%20use%20of%20your%20brain
- Longfield S. The benefits of letting things percolate. Sarah Longfield. Published 2025. Accessed July 3, 2025. https://www.sarahlongfield.co.uk/blog/the-benefits-of-letting-things-percolate
- Friedman J. The value of percolation. Jane Friedman. Published 2025. Accessed July 3, 2025. https://janefriedman.com/the-value-of-percolation/
Authors: Jenny Chicca and Teresa Shellenbarger
Reviewed and Edited by: Leslie H. Nicoll
Copyright © 2026 Writer’s Camp and Jenny Chicca and Teresa Shellenbarger. CC-BY-ND 4.0
Citation: Chicca J, Shellenbarger T. Don’t hate on the percolate. The Writer’s Camp Journal, 2026; 2(1):7. doi:10.5281/zenodo.18250562
Love this description. It so clearly details my writing process as well! I have often thought of it as germination, where a seed of an idea sits until it is ready to sprout. I’ve also used the metaphor of jello, as when all the soupy mess of ingredients (ideas, words, and sentences) begin to gel and turn into a solid piece of writing. But percolation brings it all together beautifully and gives even greater validation to that cup of coffee that sits close to my computer. Cheers to you all for sharing this creative and supportive message.
Thanks Wendy. Those are other great ways to think about it. Thanks for taking the time to read and reply.
As a coffee drinker, I enjoyed this article. I appreciated the analogies since they facilitated learning in a way that was different, relateable and delightful.
I love the “percolate” analogy and think it’s a valuable part of writing. I call it “fixing to get ready to write” – a lot of my “percolating” is done while driving and walking the dog! 😉