I have never been very keen on writing short stories because I prefer to stay with characters for a longer amount of time. There is simply more space to play with a character's motives, ideals, and morals when you are not constrained by a low word count.

Anyway, when I heard that the publisher Elbverlag was searching for submissions centred around the topic love, I felt called upon to write something out of the ordinary. The short story about the importance of a fluffy toy named Paul found great resonances. Every reader I talked to has a childhood memory of such a beloved toy (see Beloved Paul). The publishers of Elbverlag could identify with it too and were happy to publish Beloved Paul - my first publication ever.

Further publications referring to various topics followed (see publication list). Ironically, I became especially fond of a challenge to write a 100-word-crime-story. It was my first try ever to write that short and it turned out to be a hit. The story A student and his master was published online by Asphaltspuren.

So, I do give writing short stories a chance. Whenever inspiration kicks in or a special challenge crosses my path, I simply can't resist to write a short story about it (see online).