I Tried Stephen King’s Writing Routine and This Is What Happened
Reading books about writing helps me tremendously in the process of writing my first book. That’s why after Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, and Steven Pressfield’s books, I wanted to reread On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King.
63 novels, 5 non-fiction books, more than 200 short stories: he is what we call a prolific writer. In this book, he recounts his childhood as an avid reader, his early writings, and his attempts at publication. But also and above all, he shares his toolbox.
Deleting useless words, banning adverbs, starting from a simple situation and letting the story build itself… The tips are countless.
Any writer should read it.
My favorite part was when King described his working routine.
Rain, snow or shine, Sunday or December 25th, he sits in his office every morning, closes the door, and doesn’t come out until he’s added 2,000 words to his current draft. Often by noon, sometimes not before tea-time.
When he’s done, his workday is done.
“If God gives you something you can do, why in God’s name wouldn’t you do it?” — Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
