Stephen King on Writing

The View from the Cheap Seats

I'm working on my books all the time

"I don't think there's any rule.  I don't write sometimes for months.  Of course, I write emails every day, I write in my diary every day.  I may not touch the manuscript at all, or anything pertaining to it. ... Whether [or not] I hit the keyboard, I'm writing in my head.  I'm working on my books all the time.  I write best in short, intense periods.  A period, say, of three or four months—very intense work.  And then I draw back and I read, and I do other things.  Again, I don't think there's any rule to any of this.  It's the greatest profession because you do it all in your own way."

working on a career

"As for the overwhelming significance of a single article/book/poem/what-have-you, you can't get bogged down with that.  If you're doing this writing life the right way, you're working on a career, not one title."

immersed in it

"Writing, for me, works best as a daily practice, at least when I'm on a project.  When I'm on a project, it's good to be immersed in it, to return to it, daily."

being a successful writer is a good life

"Above all, being a successful writer is a good life. You don't have to work at it all the time and you carry your office around in your head. And you are far more aware of the world around you."