English News
The Stranger’s Eye
Two rounds of editing on my new story — about the author’s blind spot, why my protagonist knew too much, and what a stranger’s eye sees.
11. August 2026
Two rounds of editing on my new story — about the author’s blind spot, why my protagonist knew too much, and what a stranger’s eye sees.
There are characters you invent. And there are characters you find—somewhere between an observation, a question, and your own unease. Jonas Keller belongs to the second kind. He is the main character of a novel I’m currently writing—and this post is an attempt to explain how he came to be.
A decision is only relevant to the narrative when it does more than just offer a choice between alternatives. It must permanently reduce the range of possibilities. It must shift power relations. And it must cost the character something.
For me, the start of a new year is less an occasion for announcements than a moment for taking stock. This text is not intended to provide an outlook in terms of dates or results, but rather to describe the framework within which my work will take place in 2026. It is about my working methods, my priorities, and the decisions I make—even if they are not immediately apparent.
After “Rock Dreams,” people ask me what instrument I play. The answer surprises them: none. I’ve never played in a band, never stood on stage.
Why do readers believe me about the music scene anyway? Because technical accuracy is not the same as emotional truth. And because a friend who knows the scene told me about every scene, “This is much more harmless than reality.”
About doing research, pretending to be something you’re not, and what kind of expertise a novel really needs.
In “Rock Dreams”, there is one scene that caused me more headaches than any other during the editing process: Tom is sitting on a park bench after the concert. He has just been humiliated on stage, is wearing a collar he cannot open, and is completely devastated. It is when everything falls apart.
“Just an interview” is a new excerpt for you. As usual, you can download it as EPUB and PDF. As always, I hope you will enjoy reading it.
There are stories that arise from an image, a sentence or a character. And there are stories that begin as an intention – for example, as an attempt to create a world, which poses a certain question. Triarchia belongs to the second category.
Over Easter 2025, I launched a special marketing campaign for my novel “Rock Dreams” – and what can I say? The result was a real Easter miracle!
“Maybe that’s all we can do: not stay perfect. But sincere.”
My new reflection on Rock Dreams is not about fame, but about fragility.
Tom, frontman of The Cry, loses himself in a silent power struggle. Not with the world – but with himself.
What remains when you stop fighting back? And what happens when someone else starts to reshape you?
I accompanied Tom for a long time – and learned a lot about him during the crisis. And perhaps also about us.