“. . .a lonely room, with a cup of coffee, facing a blank piece of paper.”

Wouk elaborated on that predicament. He said that writer William Faulkner was asked, ‘Mr. Faulkner, do you write on inspiration or do you write on a schedule?’ Faulkner replied. ‘Well, of course I write on inspiration. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at a quarter past nine.’

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/10/30/inspire-nine/