It’s four in the morning and your craving is like an itch. You wander half asleep through the house, trying to fight it, eventually ending up in the kitchen. The fridge door opens and you reach for the things you cannot live without… whipped cream and pickles.
When a craving hits, it can be totally irresistible. Cravings can drive you crazy (or is it “cravezy”?). They can also drive your characters similarly bananas!
Cravings
- sugar, carbs, fat, salt,
- chocolate, chocolate milk, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate stuffed chocolates,
- nuts, seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, macadamia,
- poutine, gravy, cheese, pizza, bacon, deep fried stuff,
- salty chips, popcorn, crisps, BBQ nuts, seasoning salt,
- hot foods, spice, vinegar, pepper, peppers,
- smoke, tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, sweet pipe tobacco, chew, snuff,
- water, moisture, hydration, ice,
- sour, bitter, tart, pickles,
- television, “my show”, soap operas, soaps, series,
- video games, first-person shooter games, RPGS,
- winning,
- self-destructive behaviours, addictions,
- drugs, alcohol, dope, speed, crack, crank, weed, a high, meth, a low, downers, uppers, a better high, the best high,
- shopping, window shopping, shop lifting, spending,
- money, gambling, chance, lady luck,
- thrills, roller coasters, danger, base jumping, adrenaline, stress, cortisol, living on the edge, death,
- we can crave the esoteric: answers, the truth, justice,
- dirt, soil, mold, must, musk, chalk, clay, (known as geophagy),
- soap, detergent,
- metals, nails, rust, copper, iron,
- popping bubble wrap,
Types of Cravings
- addiction, uncontrollable urge, compulsion, obsession, fixation,
- need, burning need, deep seated need,
- a bad habit, a naughty little secret, a “cheat,”
- lust, love, passion, covetousness, desire, wanting,
- envy, jealousy, greed, avarice,
- philosophical, religious, spiritual, divine,
- learned, taught, indoctrinated, traditional, customary,
- hoping, pining for, longing, yearning, desire,
- dreaming of, imagining, wishfulness,
- crush, butterflies,
- a touch, a taste, a smell, the texture, the softness, the warmth,
- a whisper of, a thread of, a hint of,
- desperate, frantic,
- pregnancy craving, hormonal, chemical,
- procrastination, diversion, delay, distraction, shifting the blame,
- sniffing, smelling, snorting, breathing in,
- ingesting, eating, consuming, gorging, chewing,
- touching, feeling, scratching, manipulating,
Manifestations of Cravings
- enjoying, savouring, relishing, delighting in, absorbing,
- rapture, bliss, joy, delight, comfort, warmth,
- satisfaction, contentment, at one with the world, made whole, complete,
- irritability, anger, anxiety, nervousness, sense of panic,
- excitability, eagerness,
- manic behaviour, talking lots,
- depressed behaviour, depression, sense of loss without it, meaninglessness,
- begging, pleading, urging, dropping hints,
- chewing nails, tapping foot or fingers,
- eyeing the prize,
- impatience,
- pleasing, bartering, trading, offering, “I’ll do anything for it!”
- headache, nausea, shortness of breath,
- a nibble, a touch, a piece, a little,
- sneaking, cheating, lying, blaming, deflecting,
- denying, “I don’t have a problem,” “I could quit any time,”
- stealing, lifting, pilfering, taking without asking, crossing a line,
- rationing, scheduling, planning,
- planning,
- trying to quit (failing), trying to quit (failing), trying to quit (failing), trying to quit (failing), trying to quit (failing), trying to quit (failing), trying to quit (failing), trying to quit (failing)…
Notes and Ideas for Cravings
- Here’s a cool article about three types of food cravings that could help you shape an idea for your story: supportive, dispersive, and associative… http://psychologyofeating.com/3-types-of-cravings/
- Cravings can be subtle for your character and play into your story as a secondary consideration; or a craving can be a driving force for a character, either as something they’re after or something they are desperate to shake.