The Fiction Field Lab
Here it is “The Fiction Field Lab” finally on paper. Most of it was written somewhere outside (testing the method): on Italian mountains, in Berlin cafés, and now, back in Rotterdam, it’s time to enjoy the rewriting and fine-tuning phase.
The Story as a Laboratory of Meaning
After returning from the magical Santuario della Nebbia, I’m still full of inspiration, and eager to complete the first draft of my upcoming non-fiction book: Storytelling as a Research Method.
The Story as a Laboratory of Meaning is the heart and premise of this project. It explores storytelling not just as a craft of communication…
Authorship
Authorship refers to the state or fact of being the creator of a work, such as a text, artwork, idea, or invention. In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms, writing, word by word, day by day, slow and searching, feels almost like an act of resistance. Not because machines surpass us, but because they remind…
From Spark to Structure
Every future narrative begins with momentum – a spark, often called the inciting incident in storytelling. This spark is not chosen to confirm an outcome already known, but for its potential: the capacity to grow into meaning, to generate its own inner logic in combination with other elements, and to carry enough weight to transform…
Redundancies in Writing
Anyone who writes aims to create impact – through atmosphere, rhythm, emotion, or intellectual depth. Yet in the flow of writing, certain elements may creep in that unintentionally weaken this effect: so-called redundancies.
Redundancies are unnecessary repetitions of information that add no new meaning, perspective, or emotional depth to a text. They occur when a…
Pitch
Mein Sommer steht ganz im Zeichen des Schreibens, Lernens und Vernetzens: Ich nehme an einigen Kursen und einer Masterclass rund um die Themen Publishing, Literaturagenturen und Buchmarketing teil. Keine trockene Theorie – auf meinem Schreibtisch liegt ein frisch fertig gestelltes Manuskript, und ich will es noch einmal aus einer anderen Perspektive genau unter die Lupe…
At night, I write emails to myself. Anyone else with strange habits like that?
Between being awake and asleep, I have my best ideas and solve most of the plot problems in my novels. If I didn’t write the ideas down immediately, I wouldn’t remember them the next morning. Most of the time, I only recall that I had a good idea, but what exactly it was is lost…
My Dear Artificial Editor: On Writing, AI and Linguistic Pollution
We’re in the middle of exams, and as a tutor for storytelling at an art academy, I find myself navigating a tricky yet exciting development: What do we do with AI-generated texts? Or, more broadly, with students using AI to sort through the mess in their heads, sharpen ideas, and help edit or translate their…
Writing at the Cave
These days, I’m finishing the manuscript of my new novel on location. None of the places in the story are mentioned by name, yet the landscape around me has influenced the narrative more than I expected, and the Cave of Saint Ignacio in Manresa has even reshaped the very concept of my story.
I first…
Writing Retreat on the Golden Coast
Every landscape colours the sunset differently. The coming seven days, we will settle into a slower rhythm –during a writing retreat on the Costa Dorada, the Golden Coast.Between the sea’s whisper and the sun’s warmth, we pause. Sense.Listen.Write.Stillness and stories.Walking and wondering.Reflecting and reading. Here, time unfolds gently.Ideas drift in like the tides,and thoughts deepen…
The Narrative Voice
Narrative voice is the perspective and style through which a story is told. It’s essentially who is telling the story and how they’re telling it. It shapes how readers perceive the events, characters, and tone of the narrative.
Storyline & Narrative Causality
The term storyline refers to the sequence of events that make up the main narrative of a story. It is essentially the plot, the path that follows characters through conflicts, developments, and resolutions. It acts as the “skeleton” that provides structure and momentum to the story.
Narrative causality refers to the principle that events in…
The End
A good ending for a story doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all formula, but it resonates. It leaves the reader with a sense of closure, transformation, or revelation – even if it’s open-ended or ambiguous.
Narrative Theory – a short summary
A brief introduction to the field of: 𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗢𝗥𝗬
From myths to movies, narrative theory helps us understand how stories work. It examines their structure, meaning, and impact on audiences. At its core, narrative theory asks: Why do we tell stories? How do we structure them? And how do they connect with people both emotionally…
Dark Night of the Soul – a short summary
The term “Dark Night of the Soul” often refers to a symbolic or metaphorical confrontation with inner turmoil, existential despair, or moral uncertainty. It evokes the deep, hidden, and often disturbing realms of the human psyche and is typically associated with themes such as:
Isolation and alienation.
Fear, guilt, or spiritual crisis.
Inner conflict and…
Prague – Kafka’s nameless setting
I have always been fond of Czech writers, Franz Kafka and Milan Kundera are at the top of my list of favorite authors. Kafka’s The Metamorphosis was one of the first books I had to read in school during German class. A strange little story about a man who wakes up one morning in the…
Midpoint – a short summary
The Midpoint is the moment that occurs roughly halfway through a story, where something significant shifts — either in plot, character awareness, or stakes.
Think of it as the “mirror” moment — where the first half leads to it, and the second half unfolds because of it.
Sometimes, the Midpoint foreshadows or mirrors the climax…
The unreliable narrator – a short summary
At its core, an unreliable narrator is a storyteller whose version of events can’t be fully trusted — either because they’re lying, distorted by emotion, confused, or simply limited in perspective. In literature, it’s a storytelling device: A character telling the story gives you information that later turns out to be misleading or incomplete. They…
Life Story & Self-editing – a short summary
Viewing the life story from a psychological angle is like zooming out and looking at the architecture of the self: how we make meaning, form identity, and navigate time through personal narrative. Here’s how it works, psychologically speaking: The Life Story as a Psychological Structure In psychology — especially in narrative psychology and identity theory…
Consciousness – a short summary
What is consciousness? No one fully knows. But we have some compelling ways of describing, exploring, and theorizing it — from philosophy and neuroscience to psychology and even spiritual traditions. A Working Definition Consciousness is the state of being aware of and able to experience yourself and the world around you. It’s the subjective “feel”…
Narrative Shift – a short summary
A narrative shift is when there’s a meaningful change in the way a story is told — either in terms of perspective, tone, theme, or even the assumptions behind it. It can happen in literature, media, psychology, politics, or your own personal life story. In Psychology / Personal Identity A narrative shift happens when someone…
What is Memory? – a short summary
It’s: Memory as the Core of Identity Philosophy: Memory as the Thread of the Self John Locke (17th c.) “As far as this consciousness can be extended backwards to any past action or thought, so far reaches the identity of that person.” Modern Extensions Psychology & Cognitive Science Autobiographical Memory Memory Disorders Neuroscience View Constructed…
Radical Constructivism – a short summary
Radical Constructivism is a theory of knowledge that holds that knowledge is not passively received from the environment but is actively built by the cognizing subject. It emphasizes that all knowledge is a human construction, shaped by individual experience, and not a direct reflection of an objective reality. Core Idea Key Principles Important Thinkers 1.…
Mariel Buqué’s “Break the Cycle” – some thoughts about trauma narratives, intergenerational trauma and epigenetics based on Buqué’s work
Break the Cycle, Buqué’ M., Vermilion, 2024 Break the Cycle explores the concept of intergenerational trauma—how unhealed emotional wounds are unconsciously passed down through families, shaping behaviors, relationships, and mental health. Dr. Buqué combines scientific research, epigenetics, and therapeutic practices to help individuals break free from inherited pain and cultivate healing. How Trauma Affects the…
Anyone who has ever tried to camp in the wetlands of a mosquito paradise knows, that the scale makes the difference – essay on conspiracy anecdotes
What do the moon landing, 5G and Area 51 have in common with a virus? At first sight, they might look like totally different topics, but they all revolve around a centuries-old question: What is the truth? Whom do we believe? On which facts do we base our decisions, let alone our feelings and hopes?…
