Stephen King is an author from Bangor, Maine who is considered one of the most prolific fiction writers in the world. He has published 61 novels and has sold over 350 million books. Stephen King cranks out novels, sometimes doorstoppers surpassing 800 pages at breakneck speed. His productivity leaves writers jaw dropped as he releases tome after tome.
How does he do it?
We’ll break down his writing process to see what we can learn from the king of horror. But remember Stephen King has been in the game a long time. He started with a typewriter. He writes on a computer now. But for someone who made that transition that’s like going from riding a horse to driving a car. It’s a hardship a new writer takes for granted.
In his book On Writing Stephen King says talent is as cheap as table salt.1 Talent is ubiquitous; there are lots of talented people. What makes the difference, what allows King to write novel after novel is his unrelentless discipline. This is what new writers need to understand. He has described the writing process as entering a state of self-hypnosis. 2
“Writing is self-hypnosis, you fall into a kind of trance, if you do the same passes over and over.” –Stephen King
King says he wakes up, has breakfast with his wife, watches CNN, makes a pot of tea and sits down to write for about three and a half hours. That’s it. That’s his writing ritual. One of the most successful writers in the world wakes up, watches the news, makes tea and writes. Ba da Bing Ba Da Boom! That’s the magic formula. Seems simple enough. But if it’s so simple then why is it so difficult for most writers?
What makes Stephen King different? Besides his innate talent and years of experience, I would say it’s the way he approaches the writing process. After listening to hours of his interviews, I think I’ve discovered a secret most writers may have overlooked.
The hardest part of writing is sitting down to write. It’s not just the blank page that scares us, it’s the act of engaging in something we don’t understand. We are creating a world, characters, conversations, and situations that aren’t real. Not only that but when a writer puts ink to the page or his fingers to the keys, he begins to judge his or her work and knows others will too. This pressure can bring new writers (and even experienced ones) fears and anxiety. We focus on the bad and ignore the good. Diamonds come from pressure.
Stephen King says writing is discipline and constant work. He says constant work. I think that’s an interesting word. Constant work means continuity. That’s what it takes to write a novel. It takes continuity and consistency to put word after word, to create scenes, to create characters, and to tell their stories. Even when you don’t know what they’re doing. Even when you don’t have the story figured out yet.
“Discipline and constant work are the whetstones upon which the dull knife of talent is honed until it becomes sharp enough, hopefully, to cut through even the toughest meat and gristle.” –Stephen King
The prominent quote 3 by Stephen King holds a profound meaning. In order to become a good writer, one is expected to have two key elements in achieving it: discipline and hard work.
If you’re a new writer struggling writing a novel, understand that the process is long and laborious. This is normal. It’s just as hard for you as it is for me. And maybe because he’s human—it’s hard for Stephen King, too. And I believe this quote proves that:
“Writing fiction, especially a long work of fiction, can be a difficult, lonely job; it’s like crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub. There’s plenty of opportunity for self-doubt.” –Stephen King
If writers like Stephen King, Harlan Coben, Neil Gaiman express self-doubt in their work then why wouldn’t you? It’s normal. It’s all part of the process.
Speaking of the process.
Harlan Coben has said he doesn’t like writing, but he likes having written. 4 Most writers speak of the writing process in a negative light. It’s something they have to go through to get to the other side. Think of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, crawling through that tunnel in human crap to make it to freedom.
That’s how many writers portray the writing process. King is one of the few writers I have found who speaks of the writing process in a positive light. He enjoys it. King says he loves the writing process.
He loves writing.
Who would have thought?
He enjoys creating a situation in his mind to see how it unfolds. His experience as a writer has thought him that even though he doesn’t know where the story is going, eventually, it will all come together. He trusts the writing process. This is where new writers doubt, stall, and never finish the book. King knows from experience it’ll all pan out. It always does. Those unanswered questions will be answered. . .in time.
It’s silly to think writing is different from any other skill. All skills can be learned or at least improved in one way or another. Practice makes perfect, doesn’t it? Even a person who has never played basketball can be taught to make a free throw. The more you shoot, the more baskets you’ll make and the easier it becomes. You may even start dribbling, passing, and spinning the ball on one finger.
Repetition. Practice. Constant work.
I wanted to know how Stephen Kind “did it” because as George R.R. Martin asked him once during a conference, “How do you write so many books so fucking fast?” 5
Does Stephen King outline?
He doesn’t outline. Even though he admits he has ‘plotted’ some published novels: Rose Madder, Insomania, which he says are largely uninspiring try-too-hard novels. He prefers to follow a situation to see where it takes him. He does keep notes on the novel he’s working on.
But here’s one of the most important things I’ve learned from Stephen King. He says there are many books he’s written on the shelf, but he doesn’t care about that. He described his finished books like dead skin. 6 He says what he loves is the writing process. That’s what excites him.
So, if writing excites him, if writing is—dare I say—fun, it’s no wonder he’s prolific. And he keeps cranking them out. And why wouldn’t he? He’s having fun damnit. And if you learn to have fun and love the writing process too, you may start cranking them out too. Writing is more than expression, creating stories, or a way to make money.
It’s telepathy. It’s sorcery, it’s magic.
FOOTNOTES:
- King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2010.
- “Stephen King: Writing Is Hypnosis – YouTube.” Accessed August 9, 2020.
- King, Stephen, and Giovanni Arduino. Danse Macabre. Milano: Sperling & Kupfer, 2019.
- “Harlan Coben on His Early Writing – YouTube.” Accessed August 9, 2020.
- “George RR Martin and Stephen King – YouTube.” Accessed August 9, 2020.
- “Stephen King Talks about His Writing Process during an …” Accessed August 9, 2020.
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