Meaning

King is drawing a firm line between two different relationships with creative work. Waiting for the right mood or a surge of inspiration before sitting down to write treats creativity as something that arrives from outside, something a person receives rather than generates. King's position is that professional writers do not have that luxury, and more importantly, they do not need it. Showing up and working consistently, regardless of how one feels in the moment, is what separates people who finish things from people who do not.

Context

This line comes from King's memoir and craft book about writing, published in 2000, in which he discusses his own habits, struggles, and beliefs about the practice of fiction. The book is candid and practical, and this particular sentiment runs through much of it. King has spoken and written repeatedly about the importance of daily writing routines, treating the work like a job with regular hours rather than an activity reserved for moments of heightened creative feeling. The remark carries conviction because it comes from someone with an unusually prolific output built over decades.

About the author

Stephen King is an American author best known for his work in horror and suspense fiction, though his writing spans a wide range of genres and forms. He has published a large number of novels and shorter works since the 1970s and remains one of the most widely read writers in contemporary American literature. His book on the craft of writing is considered one of the more honest and useful accounts of what a sustained writing life actually looks like, and it continues to be recommended to aspiring writers across many genres.