When we take liberties with real life.

[AG31]

Mr Swingum suddenly reached for his tea and drained the cup in one go.

I came across this today and it reminded me of an ongoing question I have. Can people really down a normal drink in one gulp? A soft drink in two? A cup of tea in one go?

I'm a bit of a literalist when I read and all I can imagine is choking.

Can people do this?

If not, what are some other liberties fiction writers take with real life?

 

[TheRedChamber]

Chinese tea in a little shot glass, certainly.
A mug full of PG Tips - well, I've never liked 'English' style tea so the idea fills me with dread.
A full cup of coffee - I technically could if I really needed to and it wasn't too hot but it wouldn't be pleasant.

Presumably StillStunned meant 'the rest of the cup'?

 

[SchnellFick]

I saw guys down a liter beer in one go without as much as swallowing (which is the trick they said). Once the tea is cold, why not?

 

[SimonDoom]

I came across this today and it reminded me of an ongoing question I have. Can people really down a normal drink in one gulp? A soft drink in two? A cup of tea in one go?

I'm a bit of a literalist when I read and all I can imagine is choking.

Can people do this?

If not, what are some other liberties fiction writers take with real life?

I wouldn't necessarily read "one go" to be "one gulp," so yes, this would be possible.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Sure, if the tea or coffee isn't too hot. I interpret one go as putting the mug to your mouth and pouring, swallowing as many times as needed, and only moving the mug away when it's empty.

Similar to downing a pint or bottle of beer in one - put to your mouth so it's flowing in, keep swallowing repeatedly.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

Chinese tea in a little shot glass, certainly.
A mug full of PG Tips - well, I've never liked 'English' style tea so the idea fills me with dread.
A full cup of coffee - I technically could if I really needed to and it wasn't too hot but it wouldn't be pleasant.

Presumably StillStunned meant 'the rest of the cup'?

I agree. "In one go" doesn't mean "in one swallow".

Think of the game "chug-a-lug", where the person puts the drink to their lips and doesn't lower it until its all gone.

 

[StillStunned]

I came across this today and it reminded me of an ongoing question I have. Can people really down a normal drink in one gulp? A soft drink in two? A cup of tea in one go?

Presumably StillStunned meant 'the rest of the cup'?

The setting is a country estate (taken over by the military), with cups and saucers to serve the tea. Mr Swingum has had at least two sips already, and the cup then stood on the table for a while for some dialogue. I can't imagine that this would raise any eyebrows. I mean, even a full cup is barely more than a large mouthful.

My big mouth gets me in trouble sometimes here, but I never thought it would be for my ability to swallow tea.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Wow, wait until you guys find out about deep throat.

 

[StillStunned]

Wow, wait until you guys find out about deep throat.

Is *that* what DT stands for? I always thought it meant Darjeeling Tea.

 

[crookedletter]

I have a terrible compulsion where if I find I've left some coffee in my cup I have to drink it. As if what little caffeine remains is absolutely essential for surviving the rest of my day. So if it's half a cup, a third of a cup, whatever, if it's hours after I originally got distracted from it and unpleasantly room temperature*, I just take it down the hatch. I would, I think, describe that action just about exactly as quoted: I suddenly reach for my coffee and drain the cup in one go.

* (it's still better than tea)

 

[Comshaw]

I agree. "In one go" doesn't mean "in one swallow".

Think of the game "chug-a-lug", where the person puts the drink to their lips and doesn't lower it until its all gone.

Comshaw

 

[AG31]

Sure, if the tea or coffee isn't too hot. I interpret one go as putting the mug to your mouth and pouring, swallowing as many times as needed, and only moving the mug away when it's empty.

Similar to downing a pint or bottle of beer in one - put to your mouth so it's flowing in, keep swallowing repeatedly.

OK. That makes sense. @StillStunned, was that your intent?

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Yes.

 

[StillStunned]

OK. That makes sense. @StillStunned, was that your intent?

See above:

The setting is a country estate (taken over by the military), with cups and saucers to serve the tea. Mr Swingum has had at least two sips already, and the cup then stood on the table for a while for some dialogue. I can't imagine that this would raise any eyebrows. I mean, even a full cup is barely more than a large mouthful.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

I came across this today and it reminded me of an ongoing question I have. Can people really down a normal drink in one gulp? A soft drink in two? A cup of tea in one go?

I'm a bit of a literalist when I read and all I can imagine is choking.

Can people do this?

If not, what are some other liberties fiction writers take with real life?

A girl I knew in college could down a 60 oz pitcher of beer in one go(gulp), so I'd say, yes. Used to be a bar named Chelsea Street Pub that had chugging contests. Saw her win several with that particular skill

 

[HordHolm]

I came across this today and it reminded me of an ongoing question I have. Can people really down a normal drink in one gulp? A soft drink in two? A cup of tea in one go?

I'm a bit of a literalist when I read and all I can imagine is choking.

Can people do this?

If not, what are some other liberties fiction writers take with real life?

I've necked a pint of beer in one go, back in my younger days. I've drunk my tea/coffee down in one go (when not too hot). So, yep, on personal experience, people can do it.

 

[Britva415]

I came across this today and it reminded me of an ongoing question I have. Can people really down a normal drink in one gulp? A soft drink in two? A cup of tea in one go?

I'm a bit of a literalist when I read and all I can imagine is choking.

Can people do this?

If not, what are some other liberties fiction writers take with real life?

As long as it isn't injury-hot, this is completely possible.

Besides, the author didn't say "one swallow." He said "one go," which could mean one swallow or it could just mean one "quaff," as in, it was taken in and swallowed as many times as necessary before it was gone. One cup-to-lips motion, and then done before putting it down.

Some people can just open their throat and almost-literally pour stuff down it without even swallowing. I can "slug" a full 16-ounce glass of almost anything as long as it isn't fizzy or too cold or hot.

I don't, but I can. It takes about 2 - 2.5 seconds, and there is no "swallow" until it's over. That's just the throat closing up again and the stomach tucking it in.

 

[StillStunned]

Alright, just to give people an idea, this is the kind of teacup I had in mind:


Given, like I mentioned earlier, that he's already taken at least two sips, I can't imagine that anyone could *not* drain the rest in one go. Even without appearing gauche.

 

[AG31]

A girl I knew in college could down a 60 oz pitcher of beer in one go(gulp), so I'd say, yes. Used to be a bar named Chelsea Street Pub that had chugging contests. Saw her win several with that particular skill

But ordinary people, just emptying a glass?

 

[AG31]

Alright, just to give people an idea, this is the kind of teacup I had in mind:

View attachment 2541317
Given, like I mentioned earlier, that he's already taken at least two sips, I can't imagine that anyone could *not* drain the rest in one go. Even without appearing gauche.

Yeah, I should have done my research and read your story.

But the question is still on the table. Where (else) does literary license defy real world facts.

 

[StillStunned]

Yeah, I should have done my research and read your story.

The story is still in my WIP folder.

As for other liberties? As few as possible, but as many as needed, if they can be justified to make the story work. Writing fiction is about taking reality and smoothing out the sharp edges. Anything that doesn't work for the story gets left out.

In the line you quoted, Mr Swingum could have caught a tealeaf in his throat and nearly choked, or burned the roof of his mouth on the hot tea. But none of that works in the story. He's unnerved because he's been whisked off by intimidating people in intimidating cars and taken to a secret government base, and then he's given the most shocking news anyone could imagine (specifically that a spaceship from a series of books he's written has appeared near Earth, and they want to talk to him).

So gulping down his tea is, to me, a perfectly natural response, and one that conveys his state of mind and something of his character. Choking or burning his mouth wouldn't add to that. Would it change the story if his drink had been brandy and he gulped it down? Probably. I'd have him coughing, maybe one of the other characters would pound in his back. The story would slow down.

But I'm quite happy to have a giant planet-destroying spaceship step from the pages of a fictional character's fictional books and send a fax. I'm quite happy to have the secret government base be in a nice manor house within an easy drive from where Mr Swingum lives. I'm quite happy for the various agencies around the world to tacitly agree not to inform their respective governments, or the press.

Because all of this is important for the story.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

But the question is still on the table. Where (else) does literary license defy real world facts.

I don't know... Let's ask surrealists like Georges Bataille.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Facts shouldn't get in the way if a good story.
I've got a work in progress where the MMC and FMC are traveling on a sailboat. I've been very specific about the model of sailboat they are on, and everything that has occurred on board is consistent with that boat.
They are now traveling down the intercoastal water way and about to head out into the Atlantic Ocean via the Sebastian Inlet.

That boat's mast is way too tall to go under the bridge over that inlet. They are planning on replacing that bridge in a year or two with a taller one. Which will still be too low for the boat in the story.
So, in the world I'm creating the bridge got replaced a few years sooner with a taller design.
The route works for the story and I'm taking my writer's privilege and bending reality to accommodate.

As long as what you are doing isn't absurd, you shouldn't worry about it too much. If I tried to have them take a cruise ship out that inlet it would be absurd. But a difference of 5 or 10 feet for a sailboat mast? Who cares?

 

[AG31]

That works for me. It doesn't impact my imagined physical presence in the story.

 

[AG31]

Anything that doesn't work for the story gets left out.

This is making me think a little harder about what I said. That is...

I'm a bit of a literalist when I read

For instance, my MCs never have to deal with the nitty gritty of anal activity. They almos never deal with "consent." What it feels like when one body part interacts with another body part is very important, but not so much the height of

That boat's mast