"Start with a situation and discover the story." - Stephen King
His Approach...
Rather than constructing an elaborate outline, King has often described beginning with an interesting situation and then asking what would realistically happen to the characters. He has compared stories to fossils that writers uncover rather than machines that writers assemble.
For example, instead of deciding every plot development beforehand, he might begin with something like: What happens when a family becomes isolated in a haunted hotel? Then he puts believable characters into that situation and discovers where their choices lead.
King is also extraordinarily disciplined. In On Writing, he describes aiming for approximately 2,000 words a day and maintaining a regular writing routine. At that pace, a 100,000-word first draft could theoretically be completed in about 50 writing days, although complicated novels naturally take longer.
He generally prefers to keep the first draft moving rather than endlessly polishing yesterday's pages. After completing the manuscript, King has described putting it away for a period of time. That separation allows him to return to it with fresher eyes.
Then comes revision.
One of King's memorable editing principles is essentially:
Second Draft = First Draft − 10%.
In other words, revision isn't simply correcting grammar. It's about tightening the story—removing unnecessary words, scenes, explanations and anything that slows the reader.
His process can therefore be summarized:
Find an intriguing situation → create believable characters → write consistently → discover the story while writing → finish the first draft → step away → return with fresh eyes → cut and revise.
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