When trying to make foreign policy read like a thriller, Bergman says jogging offers the best way to clear his head.

Question: What insprires you?Ronen Bergman:    Sometimes, I have writing difficulties.  The structure doesn’t work right.  I feel that the plot is not moving right and I’m trying. This is my main goal when writing, after, of course, the first one is to obtain the information to make people talk, and this is the hardest.  Convince someone that can only risk losing his career and his job and his pension to give you documents.  This is the hardest. 

But then, you need to write. And though you already know that, you need to write it in a readable fashion that in spite of mentioning all this, the Arab and Hebrew names and events and dates and hours and weaponry and technical terms, it would be still being read like a thriller. 

And when The Economist was not considered to be a very welcome, warm welcome paper, came with the review of the book [The Secret War With Iran], saying that’s an enthralling read, I thought this is the best compliment I could get. 

When I have difficulties, I stop working.  I stop writing and I go out jogging.  And somehow, miraculously, when I come back, everything is in place.  I know if it’s a manner of inspiration, but the way that I put myself in a sort of meditation while jogging sets my mind and the problem is solved.  And jogging in the park, the Park of Tel Aviv at night, really helps me when solving these sometimes very difficult issues of how to arrange the chapter.

Recorded: Sep 19, 2008