Writing is a reflection of life, right? If I only have thoughts, then I only produce thoughts that are about thoughts. If I want to express what moves me, then it is nothing I have to look for first. It is already there and needs to be shaped.

Otherwise: I write mostly for the hard drive. I have not published a large part of my texts. They're just miles behind me.

I notice that people feel compelled to write about what other people write, who in turn use the works of others. Especially here in this room, where the aim is to publish as much as possible, we are like young dogs running after this butterfly or that blowing leaf and following spontaneous associations. This can sometimes be refreshing and good, but often you don't get much out of romping around, except that you feel a slight disappointment.

If I have nothing to say of substance, a writer's block may teach me. I should welcome the blockade and listen to myself that there is nothing I need to overcome. Time is my friend.

It's like storing some old boxes of personal belongings. If I look in after ten years and realize that I have not needed any of it and will not continue to need it, I should throw away the boxes.

Writing is like talking. When people come together and talk just for the sake of talking, life feels flat and superficial. Where no meaning is felt from the outset, none can be produced.

So much that is talked about and written about is navel-gazing or boredom. Impatience is also such a killer: Some articles should be cooked for a few days or even weeks before they become better. Some are like the wave you're talking about. You take it, you ride it, and everything's fine. These are the masterpieces that only very rarely happen.

... maybe writing is also like fighting. Once I am aroused and continue to fight I miss the point to wait. After a while, I may not even want to raise my fist or use strong words anymore, because the meantime cured me. Nothing is left to say ...