The Scottish writer talks to The Wall Street Journal about how he starts his weekend.

For more than two decades, Iain M. Banks has cultivated a loyal following in the world of science fiction. In a new book published earlier this month by Orbit, "The Hydrogen Sonata," the 58-year-old Scotsman revisits the libertarian civilization known as the Culture that first drew fans to his work.

Author Iain Banks Getty Images

Mr. Banks says the theme of his Culture series—investigating the future and future possibilities—still fascinates him. "For any given novel, you're hoping that it's something that's still [as] interesting to the reader as it is to you," he says. "That's writing at its best—when you have that feeling of enthusiasm to start work each morning. You're hoping that transmits to the reader."

The Fife native has sold more than one million copies of his science fiction since "Consider Phlebas," the first of the series, was published in 1987. He also writes fiction (but without the middle initial to distinguish between genres).

When he isn't dreaming up literary plots, Mr. Banks plants his feet firmly in the real world with long walks in the Highlands, meetings with friends and escapes to nearby Edinburgh. "You have to have downtime," he says. "It's stupid to think that all you can do is work all the time. Your work will suffer. It's also a way to keep up with my friends."

How do you relax after a long week of writing?

Quite often my girlfriend and I go away for the weekend, or visit some friends. Or I just chill for the weekend and do nothing very much.

What do you get up to on Saturday?

I spend time walking in the hills, in the forest and so on. Occasionally I walk with my girlfriend. I have been doing this for 20 years. If I don't do that, I just walk around the village and there is a bit where you can walk up 253 steps. It's only 25 minutes but by the time I get to the top of those steps, my heart system is working hard.

What is your area, Fife, like?

It's got the river Tay to the north and the river Forth to the south. It is largely rural but it used to have some mining. We live very close to Edinburgh—about 15 minutes—right beside the railway station. It's very handy.

Do you go to Edinburgh often?

Yes. The Omar Khayyam Indian restaurant...that's our favorite hangout. It just really opened again. It was flooded because the new tram works hit a water main and it flooded the downstairs where the kitchen is.

What else do you get up to?

A lot of shopping. We go for a swim in one of the hotels over there and just walk around. It is a lovely city for just walking around.

Do you have a favorite hangout?

We are quite promiscuous in where we go.

Do you have any hobbies?

I make a lot of music using an incredibly complicated program called Logic Pro 9. If it doesn't sound good, it is only because of my inadequacies. I have a proper keyboard, piano size, and it is weighted so it registers the pressure you put on the keys.

I used to play a lot of computer games and I basically don't play them anymore, instead I write music. And it is infinitely more satisfying. The other trouble with that is I can't really do that when I am writing, because it means I have to go from staring at one keyboard to another one and my eyes get a little bit sore. So during those three months when I am writing, I literally do nothing on the music front. I miss that a lot.

Have you thought about putting an album together?

I occasionally entertain the idea. But as long as I do this as a hobby, my work might be completely brilliant. As soon as I expose it to the public gaze, I suspect I am going to be told that it's not very good. I'd rather live with the fantasy that it's completely brilliant. It's just a hobby. I don't regard it a second revenue stream.

What would you do with more time?

Read. I miss reading other people's novels. I stop reading for the three months when I am writing. I am worried about the style of another writer affecting mine. It might get better, but I rather it was my style. I still read newspapers and magazines, but I don't read anybody's novels.

Write to Javier Espinoza at