New Delhi, July 14 -- "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work." - Stephen King

Stephen King has produced over 60 books. He shows up to write every single day, including birthdays and holidays. Maybe that's why this line does not celebrate talent. It deliberately cheapens it. And that cheapening is the argument. King is not being modest. He is being precise about what he has observed across decades of professional creative work.

The opening image is carefully chosen. Table salt is one of the most abundant and least remarkable substances on earth. You do not treasure it. You do not protect it. You take it entirely for granted. King says talent belongs in the ...