John Updike on his daily writing regimen

From the Charlotte Observer

Q: You've written a half-dozen collections of poetry, 22 novels, several volumes of critical writing, a memoir and short stories. Are you a fast writer? Or do you work long hours?

A: Neither. I'm a slow writer who works rather short hours.
I was reading last night about Hawthorne working all day when he was doing "The Scarlet Letter." Other writers mention 10-hour days. And you read of fantastic word rates that writers achieve -- 5,000 words a day.

When I set out, I decided that about 1,000 words a day would be a good quota. ... My working day generally goes from about 9 to 1, when I get hungry.

Maintaining this modest demand on myself has produced, as you say, a fair number of books.

Q. When you aren't writing ...?

A: I still play golf with a hopeful spirit. I discovered golf not as a youth, but as a 25 year old. I had afternoons sometimes free...and it was a very exciting new world, the new world of the golf swing and the golf courses and the equipment. Everything seemed very romantic and interesting to me. I've kept that interest up over the years without ever becoming more than mediocre.

It's a kind of a thinking man's sport in that a lot of it is coaching yourself and reminding yourself what has worked. It's a good sport for introverts. I'm just as happy playing by myself as I am playing with others. My best golf seems to be when nobody is there to witness it.

Other than that ... we have some acres here and there's always yard work. In fact, right now as the leaves are letting go, there's quite a lot of yard work.

My life has been constructed around the hope of having some free afternoons, it's true. Somehow, being me, they fill up, as my wife points out, with more and more writing. She has the impression that I work all day. There is stuff that has to be done ... so my days are busy enough.

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