I Tried Stephen King’s Writing Routine — Here’s What Happened
You’ve heard the legend. Stephen King.
80+ books. 200+ short stories. Thousands of nightmares. And the man still writes every. single. day. So, as a full-time author with a full-time life…I tried his routine for 14 days. Here’s what happened. And more importantly, here’s what you need to know.
A Book in Three Months
Some authors take years to write one book. Others, like King, can write a book in 3 months. He’s been titled a prolific author, and he’s not the only one. I’ve published 2 to 3 books a year for the last ten years. I’m curious to see our similarities. So how do people write so fast? Most writers are told it should take longer to write a book. That “real novels” take years. That “slow and steady” is the only way. But let’s be honest — how many writers are dragging it out… because they think they’re supposed to?
“If you don’t write every day, the characters begin to stale… you lose your hold on the story.”
— Stephen King
Here’s the truth: writing fast doesn’t mean writing sloppy. It means staying connected. Focused. Obsessed — in the best way. Before 1954, nobody thought the four-minute mile was humanly possible. Then Roger Bannister did it. And once he did? It became the new normal. Hundreds of runners have broken that barrier since. So if you think a book has to take a year to write… Ask yourself: Is that true? Or can you write like Stephen King too? Let’s get started.
Step 1 — Walk Before You Write
Stephen King takes a long walk every single day. Not a lazy shuffle to the kettle — a proper, head-down, purposeful walk. And he doesn’t do it to procrastinate. In his book, On Writing, he says:
“I try to get in a walk every day. I think it helps keep the engine running.”
That “engine” he’s talking about? It’s not just the body — it’s the brain.
Here’s the science: Aerobic exercise like walking increases blood flow to the brain, especially to the prefrontal cortex — the part responsible for focus, decision-making, and memory. It’s like giving your brain a software update every morning. But the real magic? Creativity. In 2014, researchers at Stanford found that walking can boost creative thinking by up to 60%.This isn’t new to writers, either. Charles Dickens roamed the streets of London walking up to 20 miles a day. He said his best ideas came while moving.
Virginia Woolf often wrote about her walks through Bloomsbury, using the rhythm of her footsteps to untangle plotlines. Walking unlocks you. It clears the noise. It shakes loose the good stuff. So when Stephen King heads out the door before returning to his desk, he’s not escaping the work — he’s preparing for it. Maybe you don’t need more coffee. Or a new playlist. Maybe you just need a walk. As for me, I’m already doing it. I walk for forty minutes five mornings a week. I fit cardio and weight training in five days a week. Any time I get stuck with a plot point, I get up and walk.
Can Stephen King’s Writing Routine Work for You?
So that’s the walk over with. Let’s talk about Stephen King’s writing routine. It’s not sexy, but it’s semi-magical, and it works like hell. Because his routine? It’s not just habit. It triggers something deeper. A mental switch flips. And suddenly — King’s not in his office anymore. He’s in Derry. Or Castle Rock. Or inside the mind of a killer clown. It’s called the flow state — and what he says about it might just change how you write forever. But more about that later, let’s start at the beginning first.
Your Writing Space Matters
You don’t need a fancy office or an antique mahogany desk to write your novel. In fact, Stephen King wrote his early books in a laundry room. Yes. A laundry room.
“The space can be humble… and it really only needs one thing: a door you’re willing to shut.”
— Stephen King
He’s big on that. A door you can close. Not for privacy. But for permission — to shut out the world. No distractions. No excuses. Just you, your story, and the quiet hum of focus.
“You need a place where you can write in peace. It doesn’t have to be ideal, it just has to be yours.”
— Stephen King
This is your cave. Your no-wifi zone. So take 10 minutes. Tidy it. Remove distractions. Put your phone out of reach. Seriously.
Your Writing Setup:
✔ A desk (any desk)
✔ A chair you won’t fall asleep in
✔ A consistent space (your brain loves routine)
✔ A shut door
✔ Optional: music (King’s personal ritual)
✔ Required: No internet, no phone, no social media tabs lurking
Step 2- Set The Scene
Same time. Same place. Every. Single. Day. King takes a vitamin pill, puts on his music, and sits in the exact same chair. His papers? Always arranged the same way. He shows up with military precision. 2,000 words a day. That’s about six pages. He doesn’t skip weekends. He doesn’t take bank holidays. He just… writes. That’s 180,000 words in three months. A full-length novel. Just by hitting his daily goal.
“I work to loud music — hard rock stuff like AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses.”
— Stephen King
Stephen King doesn’t plot. He’s what we call a “pantser” — he flies by the seat of his trousers. He starts with a situation, not a plan. No index cards. No chapter outlines. Just something like: “A clear dome has landed on top of a small town.” Then he starts writing. King even says, “Plotting is the last refuge of bad writers.” Which is… harsh. But hey, it’s Stephen King.
Why some writers like plotting:
Plotters plan everything. They know their characters inside-out — their goals, flaws, secrets, and past. They map out the story, do their research, and follow a clear plan from start to finish.
- It gives you a clear roadmap, so you’re never staring at a blank page.
- You can spot plot holes early before wasting time writing dead ends.
- It helps with consistency — less overwhelm.
- It gives you something to work with so you don’t give up.
Why some writers hate plotting:
Pantsers? They wing it.
They dive in with a rough idea and follow the story wherever it leads. No outlines, no fixed plan — just instinct, curiosity, and discovery.
- It can feel rigid, like the story is locked in before it even begins.
- They say it kills the magic — there’s no room for surprise.
- Some writers lose interest once they know how it ends.
So in a recent interview, even Stephen King admits to needing a plot when working out a mystery thriller. Me? I’ve used a loose six part structure for the last ten years. It’s what I teach. What I swear by. Not a full roadmap, mind, more like scaffolding that holds everything in place.
A set of key beats, a tonne of sticky notes… and I make changes as my characters intervene. So I ditched my outline for 14 days. Just me, a blank page, and King’s rules as I started writing my next book.
Step 3 — Write Like You Mean It
Writing regularly worked for me. Getting those words down daily kept my momentum going. But by Day 4, I missed my plot. Everything felt kind of scary. What if I wasted words? What if I messed up? I missed knowing where I was going. It felt like a safety net.
Writing like Stephen King felt like being in a car with no sat-nav and hoping my characters knew the way. Also, you have to take the genre into account. I write crime and psych thriller novels. They incorporate an element of mystery with cases to solve. I wondered if it’s easier to be plotless when writing about a world where anything could happen.
Step 4 — Get Into a Trance
Vitamin pill, cup of tea, Metallica. Yes — Stephen King writes to metal music. I tried that too. And lasted 7 minutes. Turns out, I write better to chill beats and the sound of my dog snoring. But the key takeaway? Repetition breeds flow.Whatever gets you into the zone — use it. Now it’s time for the magic. Stephen King doesn’t just write. He disappears. He calls it a kind of self-hypnosis — a trance he slips into through routine, rhythm, and sheer repetition. In his book, On Writing, he says:
“There’s a kind of unexplainable energy you tap into — if you just start. One word, then another, and before long, you’re gone.”
That’s the flow state — what psychologists call a state of deep creative immersion. It’s when time disappears, distractions fade, and your brain fires on all cylinders. And for King, it starts with a ritual. Every morning, before writing a single new word, he reads the last couple of pages from the day before. Not just to remember where he left off — but to re-enter the world. He describes it like a plane on a runway:
You taxi down the familiar path… and then you take off.
That gentle ramp-up — reading old words, revising just a little — helps trigger that hypnotic state where the words start pouring. He says if he doesn’t write every day, something strange happens. The characters start to fade. They stop feeling real. They become names on a page instead of people living in his head. And worse — he starts to lose his grip. The plot unravels. The pacing slips. The spark begins to die. That’s why, when you’ve got an idea that’s fresh — something you’re actually excited about — you need to get that first draft out fast.
Not perfect. Just out. Because the longer you wait, the colder it gets. Writing is about immersion. Staying close to the story. Letting the words flow before your brain gets in the way. And to do that, you’ve got to shut out distractions. Phone off. Tabs closed. World locked out. It’s just you, the page… and the story that’s waiting to be told.
Step 5 — First Drafts Are a Mess.
Stephen King’s editing mantra: “Second draft = first draft — 10%.” He calls it killing your darlings — ruthlessly cutting the bits you love but don’t need. He puts his first drafts away for six weeks before touching them. And when he does revise, he focuses on:
- Active voice
- Fewer adverbs
- Sharper verbs
- Letting the reader finish the image
I do most of this already (thanks, experience). But the six-week wait? A luxury I can’t afford. I have to move quickly. I need to write every day. But if you’re not working to tight deadlines then stepping away from your manuscript and reading it with fresh eyes is pure gold. Distance = perspective. Highly recommended. Stephen King doesn’t write all day. In fact — he’s done by lunchtime. He gets in early, hits his word count, revises a little, prints out the good stuff… Then? He shuts down his computer. Simple. Clean. Consistent. Because the real secret isn’t working for hours — It’s having a routine that brings you back. King doesn’t wait for some magical bolt of inspiration. He shows up anyway — because if you wait for motivation to strike, you might be waiting forever. Once he’s done writing, he rewards himself. A good book. A movie. Something that refuels him, so he’s ready to do it all again tomorrow.
Step 6 — How Stephen King Edits Like a Pro
So — what happens after Stephen King finishes his first draft? He starts tearing it apart. First up? The voice. He switches passive sentences to active voice. So instead of:
“The man was arrested by the officer…” He writes: “The officer arrested the man.” It’s faster. Tighter. Stronger. The subject acts, instead of being acted upon. And that creates urgency. It pulls you deeper into the story. Next? Adverbs get the axe. He doesn’t want “He closed the door firmly.” He wants: “He slammed the door.” Vivid verbs beat lazy adverbs. Every time.
Passive: “The book was dropped by the author.”
Active: “The author dropped the book.”
Active voice makes your writing feel alive. It keeps the story moving. The subject does something — not just receives the action. He also trims down his descriptions. King says: “Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” That means giving just enough… and then letting your reader do the rest. But it’s not just about language. He looks at character motivation. Does it make sense? Are their choices believable? And the biggest question he asks:
“Are we coherent?”
He’s looking for theme. Connections. Repeated moments that tie everything together. That’s how a story he wrote without a plan ends up feeling like it was designed that way all along. And he doesn’t just do one pass. King edits a dozen times before his book reaches a publisher. And that brings us to the final step…
Kill the Adverbs
Instead of: “He walked slowly,” try: “He crept.”
Instead of: “She said loudly,”
Try: “She shouted.”
Adverbs tell.
Strong verbs show. The right verb = instant power.
Boring: “He looked.”
Better: “He glared. He scanned. He peeked.”
Specific verbs paint better pictures. But please don’t go overboard with these. Experience will help you to find a balance, and experienced authors describe more work with fewer words.
Let the Reader Finish the Picture
King says: “Description begins in the writer’s mind, but ends in the reader’s.” You don’t need to describe every detail. Let the reader’s imagination fill in the gaps. Suggest. Don’t suffocate.
Instead of: “The room had blue curtains, a leather couch, and three green pillows…”
Try: “The room felt cold and expensive.”
What I Loved vs. What I’ll Leave
Loved:
- Daily word goal = momentum
- Reading yesterday’s pages = flow
- Strict routine = fewer excuses
- Exercise before writing = totally
Not for me:
- No plotting at all = mild panic
- Metal music = no thanks
- Resting for 6 weeks = I wish!
As an author running a business, I need structure and momentum. I already have my sweet spot: Loose plot and my proven six part structure = happy me.
Should You Try It?
King’s method works because it’s consistent. But that doesn’t mean you have to write like Stephen King. We all write differently. I always recommend that new authors start with some kind of structure in place. Because with a writing safety net in place, there are no wasted words and you’re less likely to stop. Even King has admitted to needing plotting for certain books. But you do you. The best way to find your style is through practice. Some brains love chaos. Others need control. Mine? Somewhere in between. And that’s okay. The most important thing is that you keep writing, no matter what.
Writing a book is hard. Finding your own rhythm is harder. But if Stephen King has taught us anything…It’s that the habit matters more than the magic. If you want my six part step-by-step blueprint, check out Brave The Page. Now go write. Or at least pretend to. That’s half the job anyway.
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