Even Stephen King Still Gets Nervous
Thriller writer Harlan Coben says good writers stay insecure because they still care, and fear should fuel the work, not stop it.
Freakonomics Radio Network · Harlan Coben Turned His Books Into 12 Netflix Series | Better in PersonHarlan Coben, the novelist whose novels have sold 90 million copies and inspired 12 series on Netflix, was describing what he does when he gets stuck. He sits and stares until "my ears start to bleed," as he puts it, and he refuses to distract himself with shopping or television. He forces himself to stay with the page the way other people force themselves to go to the gym, because if he does not write, he says, he is not a writer.
That insecurity, he argues, is something you have to have because you have to still care.
"Only bad writers think they're good," Coben said.
Coben said every writer lives with impostor syndrome, and Stephen King, the fellow novelist, told him the fear never leaves. King once put Coben himself in a book as a character and sent Coben an early copy to ask permission. Coben said he could tell King was nervous about his reaction, and asked him if that was really possible.
King told him yes. As Coben remembers it, King said it never goes away, and Coben said hearing that made him feel much better about carrying his own fear.
Coben said he still panics over every book and every show, convinced that readers will hate it, that he will be exposed, and that he is finished. He said that kind of fear will paralyze most people, but for him it is fuel. The key, he said, is to let it fuel you, not paralyze you.
Questions people ask
Is it normal for successful people to feel like impostors?
Yes. It is extremely common among high achievers, and psychologists study it as impostor phenomenon, or the persistent feeling of being a fraud despite clear success. It tends to be strongest in competitive, subjective fields like writing, acting, and academia, where there is no single score that proves you belong.
What has Harlan Coben written besides the Netflix shows?
He has published more than 30 novels, including the Myron Bolitar series and standalones like Tell No One, and many have been adapted for Netflix in the United States, Britain, France, Spain, and Poland. His books have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, making him one of the best-selling thriller writers alive.
Can writers do anything about that kind of fear?
There is no cure in the sense of making it vanish permanently, but research and clinicians suggest concrete habits help, including talking about it, keeping a record of positive feedback, and reframing anxiety as preparation. Coben's approach fits that pattern: he treats the fear as a signal to keep working rather than as evidence he should quit.