You type this. But it doesn’t work and you delete it.

You type that. But it doesn’t lead you anywhere.

You type some more but you’re not getting off the ground.

You’re stuck.

And you’re not the only one. Journalists get stuck. Famous poets and novelists get stuck. We all get stuck.

Me too of course.

But nowadays I am stuck for less long than I used to. That’s because I’ve come to realize (and I wish I’d done earlier): being stuck tells me that something’s missing. There is something I haven’t understood.

This something is not inside my head. It’s never been inside my head. It’s outside. And that’s where I have to look for it. I have to step back to the research stage.

Maybe I need to speak again to the person I interviewed.

Maybe I need to speak to someone else.

Maybe I need to read some more.

Or I have to google a bit.

Whatever it is, I have to step back and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same for you.