"Go for a quick run"
Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2025 9:40 am
Dr. Kerstin Hoffmann, communications and strategy consultant, speaker, author
Dr. Kerstin Hoffmann on writer's block
The newspaper editorial office where I worked at the beginning of my student data career, while I was still a student, was a good but tough school. I would sometimes come home from an appointment at 6:30 p.m., and half an hour later the article that had already been planned and built into the layout had to be ready. That's where I learned to just start writing and, even if I didn't manage to come up with a great piece of writing, at least not to fall below a certain standard. Nowadays I just sit down at my desk in the morning, flip the switch and start writing. If it doesn't flow right away, I just write something - until it eventually runs by itself.
Nevertheless, there are days when I throw away countless drafts and am never satisfied. Interestingly, the better the previous text was and the better it was received, the more difficult the next one becomes. Because then there is often a fear of falling behind this success. When I really get stuck, I go for a quick run and that is usually when I get a brilliant idea.
If I suffered from blockages every day, I would have a real problem. The routine of writing every day and the great joy I still get from it make it easy for me to keep getting the hang of it. What helps a lot is regular, frequent blogging, because I never experience writer's block when it comes to my own projects and texts.
Oh, and by the way: The idea for this article came to me when I really needed to complete another, very difficult, complex conception and writing task. I then spoke to the first five colleagues and devoted myself enthusiastically to the collection presented here.. (I then completed the other task unscheduled on Sunday.
Dr. Kerstin Hoffmann on writer's block
The newspaper editorial office where I worked at the beginning of my student data career, while I was still a student, was a good but tough school. I would sometimes come home from an appointment at 6:30 p.m., and half an hour later the article that had already been planned and built into the layout had to be ready. That's where I learned to just start writing and, even if I didn't manage to come up with a great piece of writing, at least not to fall below a certain standard. Nowadays I just sit down at my desk in the morning, flip the switch and start writing. If it doesn't flow right away, I just write something - until it eventually runs by itself.
Nevertheless, there are days when I throw away countless drafts and am never satisfied. Interestingly, the better the previous text was and the better it was received, the more difficult the next one becomes. Because then there is often a fear of falling behind this success. When I really get stuck, I go for a quick run and that is usually when I get a brilliant idea.
If I suffered from blockages every day, I would have a real problem. The routine of writing every day and the great joy I still get from it make it easy for me to keep getting the hang of it. What helps a lot is regular, frequent blogging, because I never experience writer's block when it comes to my own projects and texts.
Oh, and by the way: The idea for this article came to me when I really needed to complete another, very difficult, complex conception and writing task. I then spoke to the first five colleagues and devoted myself enthusiastically to the collection presented here.. (I then completed the other task unscheduled on Sunday.