You can spend morning to evening on the couch reading novels and still feel like you had a productive day.
Would you please tell us a little about your writing process?
I usually write in the early morning. I work in short, intense bursts of energy, with long periods of reflection between them. When I’m sitting down to write, it’s usually not longer than two hours. I am a “get it out and edit later” type. I put everything on the page, then take a break for a day or two. After that, I start editing. I get my best ideas when I’m reading – usually history books. Also in art museums. I need to have a somewhat concrete idea where I want to go before I start writing, otherwise I start meandering.
How do you believe a writer improves? Practice? Mentors? Reading everything? Attending festivals?
Practice, practice, practice. I think that’s the key to almost everything. Mentors can definitely help to shorten the process. Also reading books about writing. For example, How To Write a Sentence by Stanley Fish helped me a lot.
What motivated / motivates you to write?
It’s hard to say. Usually I have an idea and it refuses to leave me alone until it’s written down. Also reading the biographies of other artists inspires me. And watching movies that feature artists. Maybe I’m just very competitive.
Do you enjoy writing?
A lot, yes. I am always writing and I have been for years. Not always stories, though. When I feel that I have no energy for fiction, I find that I write my best academic papers and essays.
What are the most important steps an amateur writer can take?
Write every day. Also read outside your comfort zone. No matter what kind of literature you write, you can find a lot of inspiration on totally different genres. So if you want to write romance, read a lot of science-fiction.
Who would you say are your literary forebears? Who have you learned the most from?
There are so many. From Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I learned that you can blend the supernatural with the realist. I learned a lot about how sentences can sound beautifully from Kurt Vonnegut, Raymond Chandler and John Fante. I also enjoy giving stories a strange, otherworldly feel, something I learned from Kafka and Haruki Murakami. Also Stephen King. He was the first that made me want to be a writer and my first attempts were basically just imitating him.
If you were to begin writing today for the first time, would you do anything differently? Which would be your first steps?
I would start reading books that explain good writing earlier.
Which successes are you most proud of?
As a writer, probably this prize. And my first honorable mention for a short story, which was at the Quantum Shorts Awards.
What are the major benefits of being a writer?
You can spend morning to evening on the couch reading novels and still feel like you had a productive day.
Are there any downsides to being a writer?
I think it threatens to make your life solitary. Especially when an idea takes over, I have a tendency to neglect my social life. If you seriously want be a writer, I think you should find something that makes you go out and meet people. Could be a club or a sports class.
Where are the best places to live / visit as a writer?
Any city that has good food and architecture that is pleasant to the eye. Also it should have one good art museum.
Michael Haiden is a research associate in economic and social ethics at the University of Hohenheim. His academic work focuses on international relations, practical ethics, and the history of ideas. He also writes op-eds on European politics. His flash fiction piece “Possible Cats” was shortlisted for the 2023 Quantum Shorts Award. His story “Our King” received an honorable mention at the 2025 The Screw Turn Flash Fiction Competition.