Creating A Resources Page

by Leave a Comment

I used to run a bigger website. One of its main features was a collection of resource links — a personal roadmap to the internet filled with videos, articles, websites, books, and courses I found helpful.

It wasn’t just about writing. It covered all kinds of interests: from writing to graphic design, video editing, fitness training, philosophy, and more.

People found it useful. So now, I’m thinking about rebuilding it here on my current site. It’ll be a work in progress, expanding over time. Whenever I come across something valuable, I’ll add it.

What will be part of it?

  • Writing
    Author blogs, helpful tools, books, and YouTube channels about writing better books — and marketing them.
  • Graphic Design
    I used to make most of my income as a graphic designer. These days, I’m transitioning to teaching design tools on YouTube. I’ll share links to my own courses and other great resources for anyone wanting to learn design for personal projects or to start freelancing.
  • Video Editing
    One of my mid-term goals is to start vlogging. I already have a good handle on Premiere Pro and CapCut. After Effects is a different beast — still working on that one.
  • AI
    I use AI tools for editing and creative work. I’m familiar with Midjourney, and the long-term goal is to create AI-generated comics and films.
  • Social Media
    I’ve learned quite a bit about YouTube over the years. Twitter/X and Instagram still confuse me, but maybe that’ll change. I’ll document the biggest lessons I learn as I figure out how to grow on each platform.
  • Fitness
    I used to work as a personal trainer, so I know what I’m talking about. My health isn’t what it used to be, but I still train regularly to stay in shape. I believe everyone should. I’ll share the tools and routines for it.
  • Religion / Philosophy / Politics
    The older I get, the more I realize these three are deeply connected. My current perspective falls somewhere between Ayn Rand’s Objectivism, libertarianism, and Christianity.
  • Advice to My Son
    My father was a hardworking man, but apart from instilling a strong work ethic, he didn’t teach me much. I don’t want to repeat that mistake. This section will collect the most valuable life lessons I’d want to pass on to my son(s).
  • Making Money
    Everyone wants to make money — especially those who say they don’t. I’ve worked many jobs. I failed at many, succeeded at enough to live a good life. Here I’ll share what I’ve learned from making a living online, investing, and the corporate life.
  • Entertainment
    All a man needs is danger and play, Nietzsche said. Life without play and entertainment is dull. I love James Bond, Reacher, Star Trek, (non-Disney) Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Kill Tony, Anthony Jeselnik’s comedy, and more. I’m a casual gamer and still enjoy watching the NBA Playoffs, NFL, Formula 1, and football. I’ll share my favorite books, movies, shows, comics, anime, YouTube channels — all the things that entertain me.
  • International Living
    I was born in Germany, but I don’t want to die here. One of my mid-term goals is to leave this overtaxed, bureaucratic mess for a better life elsewhere. Once I start this chapter, I’ll share everything I learn: living abroad, multiple passports, driver’s licenses, foreign bank accounts, and more.
  • Other Hobbies
    I’m currently learning Spanish for fun. In the short term, I want to get into motorcycle riding. I’d like to try canoeing. One of my bolder dreams is to become a pilot and build a homestead on my own farm. I don’t know which of these goals will become reality, but once they do, I’ll share what I learn.

As I said, this will be a lifelong project — constantly changing, always expanding. I plan to blog for the rest of my life. So this resources page will grow along with me. Let’s see what it becomes.

For now, you can check out the (almost) empty resources page right here.

First Objective: Do More (Becoming an Author #2)

by Leave a Comment

I recently looked through Stephen King’s bibliography. So far, he has published 65 novels—which is actually fewer than I would have guessed. He started in 1974 with Carrie and scored a hit right out of the gate. Lots of bestsellers followed. It’s 50 years of writing. Impressive—not just because of the hits, but because of the consistency.

King’s Twitter is a mess, his politics a joke. But I still admire him. I want to get there too.

My goal is four books a year. One every three months. It’s possible. But to get there I need to do more.

Last year, I wrote a lot. I started a simple experiment: write 1,000 words a day. I stuck with it for almost all 365 days. The result? Four finished books—and several more that never made it past the halfway point. The main issue: I didn’t take the time to edit any of them. I treated it more like a writing exercise than an author’s workflow.

But being an author isn’t just about writing—it’s about writing something you’re confident putting out into the world. That’s where plotting and editing come in. Two things I haven’t really focused on yet.

To consistently release a new book every three months, I need to work on both, establish a working process, optimize it, and invest the effort. Simply put: I need to do more.

I’ll continue using the 1K-a-day method for writing. But on top of that, I’ll dedicate at least one hour a day to plotting and editing. Will that be enough to fully prep a book for release every three months? I’m not sure yet. The next few months will tell. I’ll report here on the tools I use, the time it takes, possible adjustments, and the final results.

So stay tuned…

Daily Blogging to Promote Books (Becoming an Author #1)

by Leave a Comment

I like to think I have good ideas. I also believe I can write fairly well. Not everyone will agree, of course, but there have been moments in my life when friends, family, and even complete strangers have complimented me on both.

There’s definitely a lot to learn about writing—it’s one of those skills where the learning never really ends. By writing more, writing regularly, and publishing my work, I should improve over time. Practice makes perfect, they say. And until perfection is achieved, there’s still improvement.

That said, the writing itself has never really been my weak point. My struggle is with marketing.

I’m terrible at self-promotion. And since nobody else is promoting me as a self-published author, my writing isn’t getting the attention I’d like it to get.

If you want to become a successful author, writing books isn’t enough. You have to figure out how to sell them—otherwise, you’re just another office drone or factory worker with an unfulfilled dream of being an author.

Over the past few days, I’ve been trying to figure out how to actually reach readers. I don’t expect to sell millions of books overnight, but over the course of months and years, I’d like to see some growth. So far, that hasn’t happened. The first two books I’ve published aren’t really selling—I get a small handful of readers each month, mostly through Kindle Unlimited. It’s been that way since the beginning, and more than a year later, nothing has changed.

Just putting my work out there wasn’t enough. If I don’t spread the word, nobody will find my work.

I once read that around 7,500 new books are published on Kindle—every single day. It’s certainly even more now. And with AI improving rapidly, that number will only increase.

That makes my books feel like a single raindrop in an ocean of new releases. It’s my job to make that raindrop stand out and get readers interested in what I’ve created.

One way I might do that is through blogging—preferably daily blogging.

These days, most people consume content on social media only. But if there are people who still read blogs, they should also be book readers. So daily blogging might be a good way to find an audience for my writing.

It’s a long-term strategy. It might take years to grow a blog—if I can grow one at all. But it’s a cost-effective promotional tool, and one I actually enjoy using. I like writing fiction for a reason. For the same reason, I should enjoy blogging too.

So, this blog will be one of the tools I use to promote my work. I’ll keep you posted on how effective it turns out to be.

My Books On Amazon US | My Books On Amazon DE

Women in Space

by Leave a Comment

If you’re still not convinced we’re living in clown world, take a look at today’s feminist milestone: the first all-female space crew from Bezos’ Blue Origin.

Space — the dream of millions — has now been graced by the six finest representatives the sisterhood could gather around:

  • Pop singer Katy Perry
  • CBS host Gayle King
  • Film producer Kerianne Flynn
  • And Bezos’ girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez

They also threw in two “scientists,” presumably because Hillary Clinton and Whoopi Goldberg were unavailable. Better luck next time, Whoopie.

As expected, there was no giant leap for mankind. No small step for (wo)man. Just a handful of TV personalities snapping selfies in tight dresses. By realizing that a woman can now get into space by giving Jeff Bezos a blowjob, you cannot but admit the patriarchal oppression women are facing every day in the Western world.

The whole spectacle felt like that old Simpsons episode where Homer is launched into space for PR reasons while the real astronauts do the actual work.

via GIPHY

Feminism has finally caught up to a 30-year-old cartoon. The feminists are cheering. Meanwhile, anyone with half a brain is left wondering: What absurdity will clown world do next?

What Should I Write About On My Blog?

by Leave a Comment

When I started this site, I wanted to be prepared for the day Medium bans me. That day came—much sooner than I expected.
What I wasn’t prepared for was Germany turning into a disaster of a country, where people get thrown in prison for criticizing politicians.

A lot of my blog writing used to be just me venting. Or poking fun at the absurdity of modern politics as it unfolds. Writing like that is mostly off the table now—I’d like to stay out of prison for as long as possible.

So, I had to think: What should I write about on this blog?

Writing

Since I want to take my fiction writing more seriously, I’ll definitely write about that:

  • My writing progress
  • What I learn about writing better fiction
  • Book marketing
  • Finding an audience
  • The publishing process
  • Using AI for editing and translations (and maybe audiobooks?)

AI

Another project I’m excited to explore is creating AI-generated comic books. I already gave it a shot a few months ago and made two short comics. The results were… okay. Not terrible, but nothing to brag about either.
AI is improving rapidly, and as it does, I’ll use it to create better comics. I’ll publish them here and share updates on how I made them and what I’ve learned.

At some point, I also want to experiment with using AI to create anime, shows, and movies. No one knows how long it’ll take until AI is powerful enough to let regular people with a laptop create decent-quality productions. But I’ll try to stay on track.

Social Media

I’ve had some success on YouTube—I am close to 10,000 subscribers now. Not a huge success, but it’s something. I’ve learned quite a bit over the years, and I’ll share that.

One of my lifetime goals was to get into vlogging (starting with moto vlogging). I’m not there yet, but when I am, expect some posts about it.

My success on other platforms? Non-existent.

Instagram? No clue what to post.

Twitter/X? Every time I think about using it more, I end up ranting about politics, which I’m trying to avoid these days. Also, Twitter is fun when you have an audience—otherwise, it feels like shouting into the void. I mostly use it to laugh at memes and stay informed on social/political issues nowadays. If I ever find an audience there, maybe I’ll post more actively.

Facebook? Don’t care.

Alt-tech platforms are interesting—especially for video content (e.g., Rumble). I might mirror my stuff there in the future.

Personal

Blogs are personal by nature. I enjoy reading “documentary blogs,” so writing one seems like a natural fit. But I do wonder: Do people still read these?

I once followed a blog by a guy who wanted to lose weight. He ended up writing about quitting to blog to become a baker. He was passionate and happy about it. It was oddly interesting to read—though I can’t really explain why.

What I can explain is that social media, Google, and now AI are pulling audiences away from such blogs. People either read books or tweets. Not much in between. The majority of content they’ll get from YouTube and TikTok in video form.

Still, I’ll write about personal things from time to time. I’ve got hobbies and interests that I want to explore more deeply. I’ve got things on my bucket list. Writing about them will push me to learn—so even if nobody reads it, that’s still a win.

Entertainment

I like George R. R. Martin. I don’t like that he’ll never finish Game of Thrones. But I still like him and his work.

Did you know he has a blog? He calls it Not a Blog, but it is a blog—name aside. Since I like him and I like reading blogs, I read his. He’s a huge football fan and writes about it, suprisingly.
Before social media, this was how people shared their thoughts, even about sports.

So yeah, writing about movies, shows, books, comics—and maybe sports—is definitely on the table. NBA playoffs are coming up. I follow both footballs (the American one and the real European one—I’ll never call that “soccer”). Sometimes I even watch F1 races and UFC.

I also stumble across interesting YouTube channels and non-fiction books. Why not share a link or two?

Thoughts

And finally, the part that always drags me back toward politics: thinking about life.

I grew up in a time when politics happened in the background while everyone was busy living their lives.
Those days are over. Now politics are everywhere. And it sucks.

I still want to share thoughts about life—things I wish I’d known earlier, mistakes I could have avoided, wins that could have come easier. When it gets political, I’ll try to keep it abstract.

For example: I’m a laissez-faire capitalist with a strong libertarian leaning. I believe all forms of socialism eventually lead to communism. And I don’t want to live in communism. It brings starvation, death, and misery.

I can still write these lines in Germany without getting arrested. But I can’t write about specific socialists—because they’re part of the ruling class now. These fine folks have already made it a crime to “insult people of public interest” to protect themselves from critique, satire, or being questioned.
You put crazy people in charge, you get crazy times to live in.

What Do You Want to Know?

I’ll also use this blog to connect with you. Comments are open. I’ll delete spam, nasty stuff, and trolls. But if there’s a serious question or comment—go for it. I’d love to hear from you.