M.A.: How does one become a writer?

Ch.G.: That’s a good question! I believe you have to simply love language and writing and feel the urge to tell stories. You also need a bit of luck so that a publisher likes your stories as well and is willing to publish them.

Is it difficult to find a publisher?

Yes, it’s not that easy. There are various publishers online who recruit authors. However, many of them charge money just to read a manuscript. That’s unprofessional! A good publisher does not charge money — they invest; or at most, they charge only the actual printing costs. A reputable publishing house will always draw up a written contract stating how the percentage earnings are divided between both sides (publisher and author). The publisher should also be willing to support the author when it comes to promotion.

Which skills should a writer have?

For writing, it is beneficial to have a certain amount of life experience, so you can put on paper what moves and reaches people. A good sense of observation, good listening, discussion with others, patience for research, and imagination are also very helpful.

When is a book a good book?

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said: A text is not perfect when nothing more can be added but when nothing more can be taken away!

I feel the same. A great book isn’t defined by a specific number of pages, but by its ability to captivate through language and content, spark imagination, and evoke emotions. That is what readers want. As an author, you should be able to package stories in such a way that they touch the reader. That is the true art of writing.

What do you enjoy writing about most?

That can’t be said in general. A conversation with friends can inspire a short story just as easily as looking at an advertisement on the street. More often, though, it’s an interest in a particular topic that gets me writing.

What suits you better: novels or short stories?

It depends on how much time I have available for writing. A novel requires a lot of perseverance and discipline. Short stories, on the other hand, are a very rewarding form: quickly written, quickly finished. But that doesn’t mean they’re easier to write.

When do you write?

It varies. I can concentrate best in the morning, but I prefer writing in the evening. At night, phrases or passages often come to mind that I was missing in the morning to continue writing. So it sometimes happens that shortly after going to bed, I get up again to jot something down. I have to — because I know I won’t remember it the next day. In general, I need a lot of quiet and a place where nothing distracts me. So my home office is the best place. I write mostly on weekends. Ideally, though, during holidays — then it doesn’t matter if I sit at the computer until three in the morning.

Why do you write books?

An Arabic proverb says: A book is like a garden you can carry in your pocket. I really like that image. That’s exactly what I want: to write stories that people enjoy, like to read, and that make them reflect.

What inspired your latest book “Traummann per E-Mail”?

I believe love is an inexhaustible theme. There are countless songs, poems, and stories about it — going back centuries! It’s a human need to read and talk about it. Today, the search for a partner is a bit more modern — sometimes also more complicated and superficial. There are many new ways to meet someone. One real “trend” seems to be online dating. This way of meeting people interested me, and that’s why the book came into being.

Are these online stories all fictional, or did you experience them yourself?

Let me put it this way: You don’t have to bite into every apple to know whether it’s sweet or sour. But you do have to be able to imagine that it can be sweet or sour! In other words: Imagination fills in wherever reality is insufficient. That’s why imagination is so valuable. I believe that as a writer you should be able to empathize with others’ situations and describe them. When you succeed at that, the greatest compliment is when readers find the stories realistic, the characters believable, and perhaps even assume that everything happened exactly as written.

Do you already have an idea for another book?

Yes, I do! I actually have several projects I’m working on. So I can’t say exactly when something will be completed. But I can assure you that there will be more stories from me — either in magazines or in book form. So it remains exciting.