Many writers and writing coaches are convinced that before you begin working on a novel, you should master the craft of short stories. In other words, you need to improve your baking skills before you prepare a chicken salad. However, I disagree because novels and short stories are fundamentally different, with novels leaving much more room for character development, background, plot complexity, and variable pacing. Truth be told, I also read a lot more books than short stories, despite them being much longer and therefore taking more time to read. Perhaps I simply do not like being ripped out of a story once I am fully immersed in it. The same goes for writing stories.
By now, I am quite proficient at it. All my stories emerge from a simple “what if.” For example, what if a lonesome hermit clones himself as a woman to keep him company? What if the Third Reich had won World War II? What if there were magic based on mental illness, rhymes, and the corruption or correction of things? What if a bunch of people left Earth for a better home but never arrived and eventually degenerated? Simple questions like these motivate me enough to conceptualize a setting, characters, and a rough draft of the entire plot. Having a detailed concept is fine but makes you inflexible, and one should never underestimate the creativity that arises from the spur of the moment.
Most of my books are influenced by science fiction themes, which is only natural because I am an engineer by profession. Though I wrap up the technological aspects so tightly that even newcomers to the genre should not be annoyed. Sex and violence I always compare with salt and pepper—one could theoretically do without, but the food will taste a bit bland. I know my strengths: creating conflict, maintaining the arc of suspense, and seamlessly integrating neologisms as if they had always existed. And I know my weaknesses: too quick endings, not enough visuals, reluctance to rewrite whole passages, and not giving up on a project even if it becomes apparent that it will turn out bad. But if I know one thing about writing, then that it is highly subjective. Not everybody has to like my style as long as there are readers who do, even though I hope that you are among the latter.
⚠️ However, there is one major drawback: all my novels are written in German.
As much as I love the English language, I am not comfortable writing entire books in it yet because every word matters and I would always feel inferior to native speakers and writers. Whenever I briefly consider translating one of my novels, I think of “Korruptor” and “Korrektrix” and how difficult it would be to translate all the magic rhymes. Or antagonist Kurt Höflich from “Walkürian,” who speaks with a distinctive Berlin dialect. No ChatGPT could do that, not in a hundred years, probably not ever. Professional translators have my utmost respect.
None of my novels are published yet, which the few readers that I have tend to criticize. But realistically, chances of finding a literary agent or a publisher in today’s competitive market are slim. Instead, I would rather spend the time on drafting the next novel because most importantly it brings me joy. Prospectively, I plan to release all my novels as eBooks, but it is not my highest priority right now. Fortunately for you, you could use the meantime to hone your German skills.
To help you motivate yourself, I translated the blurbs for all my novels and posted them below.