John Grisham’s Writing Routine

"Early morning, lunch break, on the train, late at night — it doesn’t matter. Find the extra hour, go to the same place, shut the door."

For an author who has published as many best-selling novels as John Grisham has over the past three decades, there’s no surprise when you find out the former-lawyer-turned-writer follows a strict writing schedule each year. Each year, the author starts writing a new novel on January 1, getting most of his writing done in the first three months of the year. By July 1, that novel is wrapped up and ready for publishing.

Following a disciplined writing regimen has always been a part of John Grisham’s career. Back in the 1980s when he was still practising law and serving in the Mississippi House of Representatives, Grisham was disillusioned with his job and started writing on the side.

To juggle a busy legal career with his passion, Grisham woke up early every morning to get a couple of hours of writing done. Grisham’s daily writing goal was to produce one page per day.

“The alarm clock would go off at 5, and I’d jump in the shower,” he recalled in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicl…