J.K. Rowling’s ‘I Need a Drug’ Post Goes Viral—’Brain’s on Fire’

Author J.K. Rowling appeared to joke about wanting to find medication to keep her awake as the writing juices flowed.

Rowling, the writer behind the Harry Potter series of books and The Cormoran Strike crime series under the pen name of Robert Galbraith, made the comments on X, formerly Twitter.

“I need a drug with no side effects that will keep me awake five nights in a row while my brain’s on fire and the writing is flowing. Curse this human need for sleep,” Rowling wrote. The post received over 688,000 views and 17,400 likes.

A few minutes later, she posted after being inundated with responses: “Lots of suggestions coming in. Probably won’t be trying meth, but I appreciate your helpfulness.”

Rowling’s representatives confirmed to Newsweek that she was working on the eighth book in The Cormoran Strike series. She announced the book’s title would be The Hallmarked Man in March on X using her Robert Galbraith account, but a publication date has not been revealed.

People in her replies recommended things from illicit drugs to caffeine pills, while others recommended getting some sleep as the best thing for the creative process.

“Sleep is where the left hemisphere rests and the right hemisphere gets to frolic freely without being pressed into service by the dominant left. Dreams, ideas, and invention flow fiercely when this happens. No drug which will change this without psychosis ensuing. Sleep,” wrote @slippy_mountain.

“I think about this every day. So many ideas, such an urge to research, learn and share and discuss information, yet so little time,” replied @seibtnaomi.

“Be careful J.K., I used to do my writing between 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. in my late 20s and early 30s, and it led me into a nose dive of insomnia that messed me up badly for a time. Good sleep is critical to your long term health,” commented @WRMitchelson.

Rowling has become more well-known recently for sharing her thoughts about transgender people on social media, which many have labeled as transphobic, a claim she has denied.

Most recently, she was named in a lawsuit by Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif.

The Algerian boxer who won gold at the Paris 2024 games, named Rowling among several others in a legal complaint in France for alleged cyber harassment over statements regarding her gender.

Rowling had publicly criticized Khelif’s inclusion in the recent Paris Olympics after one her opponents, Italian boxer Angela Carini, pulled out of their bout after just 46 seconds. Carini cried in the ring and later told media “this isn’t fair.”

Many people incorrectly claimed Khelif was transgender and Rowling argued she had an unfair advantage over the women in the competition.

“Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment,” Rowling wrote on X following Khelif’s bout with Carini. “This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organizers who allowed this to happen, this is men reveling in their power over women.”

Khelif’s gender identity came into question during the Olympics when people learned she was one of two female boxers barred from competing in the International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships.

The pair had failed an unspecified gender-verification test, despite having competed internationally for years and still being eligible to compete in other championships.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed them to compete at this year’s games because the two boxers “are women according to their passports” and had also passed its own eligibility tests, which are also followed by other sporting agencies.

It also publicly condemned the IBA’s decision to bar the two female boxers.

“These two athletes were the victims of a sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA. Towards the end of the IBA World Championships in 2023, they were suddenly disqualified without any due process,” the IOC said in a joint statement with the Paris 2024 committee.