“It’s just a matter a settling back into the habit of writing everyday.”

While Jack condescendingly mocks Wendy for her perhaps naive observation, she’s right. Jack has “lots of ideas, but no good ones,” but good ideas can come from the process of active writing. When Wendy suggests Jack take her for a walk, Jacks says “perhaps I should do some writing first.” Jack applies pressure on himself to try and write all day, but a walk would do his creative mind a world of good. Writing everyday does not mean writing all day, it means incorporating writing into the rhythm of life, making it as natural as eating or sleeping … things which are already causing problems for Jack, sleeping in and not eating meals with his family.

∆  Look at Kubrick, he does his writing in the kitchen. Everyone is doing their thing all around him, but he’s perfectly able to be creative without the extreme privacy Jack thinks he needs.  

∆  Jack thinks he needs these grand surroundings to write, that his writing comes from his “ideas” — hermetic, mystical inspiration. But writing is meant to be read. Jack really loses shutting Wendy out of his process. She’s a great reader and you get the feeling all the stacks of books around are hers, not Jack’s.