A novel's whole pattern is rarely apparent at the outset of writing, or even at the end; that is when the writer finds out what a novel is about, and the job becomes one of understanding and deepening or sharpening what is already written. That is finding the theme.

With filmmaker Stanley Kubrick Johnson co-authored the screenplay to The Shining (1980) based on the horror novel of the same name by Stephen King. She has been a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books since the mid 1970s. Born in Moline Illinois Johnson's recent books include Lulu in Marrakech (2008) L'Affaire (2003) Le Mariage (2000) and Le Divorce (1997) for which Diane Johnson was a National Book Award finalist and the winner of the California Book Award gold medal for fiction.