Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts.

King’s advice reduces the craft of writing to a disciplined cycle: drafting, revising, and feeding the mind through reading. The staccato imperatives (“Write. Rewrite.”) emphasize repetition and labor rather than inspiration. By pairing rewriting with reading, the quote suggests that improvement comes both from reworking one’s own sentences and from absorbing models, techniques, and standards from other writers. The closing line—“I know of no shortcuts”—rejects the common hope for a trick, formula, or sudden breakthrough, framing writing as a long apprenticeship where progress is earned through sustained practice.