I have really been writing since the sixth grade. Before, I often wrote small stories for my siblings that I would read out to them before bedtime. It has always been a fun activity. About a year ago, I wrote the first poem in German that I was satisfied with and proud of. I showed it to my friends, even though I usually don’t like doing that. Ella Schemmel
I can remember that as a child I have already written stories, by the time I was about seven or eight years old, I had written my first short story. At age ten, I also began writing songs. I still remember that I wrote a song about having no “evil friends” that I can still recite today. Alisha Skurt
"L" is my first piece of writing created outside of a school assignment. However, I’ve had rough story ideas and writing plans saved on my phone since I was in 5th grade. Yunseo Jung
Do you think there is a big difference between school writing and creative writing?
I believe that when you’re writing for a school assignment, you have certain expectations to meet, whether they come from yourself or the teacher. This can lead to stress and may significantly restrict your thinking process. Furthermore, I feel that you don’t have as much freedom since there isa specific topic you must write about, and your words need to be chosen carefully; after all, it should come across as professional. When you are engaging in creative writing, however, you have much more freedom to express yourself. You don’t have to think about your words as much, as it’s often more about the story than the knowledge. Overall, the difference can be big, but I also believe you can have some influence over it. You could alleviate some of the stress by simply viewing an assignment as creative writing. Of course, you should still think about the words you use. Ella Schemmel
Yes, definitely. School writing has much more restrictions and rules that you have to follow and obey. Also just knowing that your results will get a review is setting you under a lot of pressure and also limits your ability to really write something freely. When I am writing something creative,I can truly let my feelings go and really tell my truth. I really think that in school writing you own individually gets lost because of all the rules you must obey. Alisha Skurt
Yes, because at school writing, you have to follow many rules and make sure the text pleases the teachers. Also, teachers always choose the same topic for all students, which forces them to think in the same way. But at creative writing, there are only a few rules, and you can do whatever you want. Yunseo Jung
I think there is a really, really big difference between school writing and creative writing. In German schools you write things likeDrama analysis or Lyrical analysis or something like a discussion. What I think is a bit sad is that even if you like writing and maybe are even good at it you will get bad grades in German lessons just because you did not fulfill the perfect scheme. Also, it is possible that some teacher will give you lots of good grades for your texts and in the next year you have a totally other teacher that lets you fail class. Jessica Fischer
Is creative writing taught at your school? If so, what's that instruction like?
No, it is not really taught in school, which I quite think is a shame because I know of some people in my class who are really good writers and will probably never get encouraged to do something with their talent because they are blocked by the “rules of school." Alisha Skurt
I took creative writing until 5th grade, maybe even 6th.When we weren’t writing factual texts, we were usually given pictures or words that had to relate to our text, but sometimes we could write completely freely.Our teacher, of course, taught us how to write an introduction, main part, climax, and things like that, as well as grammar and the use of varied words.And even though we were supposed to write creatively, we had to follow a structure, and at such a young age, we weren’t really that creative. That’s why most of us ended up writing very similar stories. Yunseo Jung
What is school like in Germany? What's a typical school day like in Germany? A typical school year?
I’ve been to school in both America and Germany, and they’re pretty different! In Germany, school starts earlier, at 7:30 am, but we are done by 1 pm, while in America, school usually ends around 3:30 pm. Most kids, even as young as six, walk or bike to school and back home by themselves—no parents needed. We have lunch at home, finish our homework, and by 3 pm, your friends are knocking on your door asking if you can come outside. We usually play soccer, sometimes dodgeball, or we bike into town for ice cream or hang out by the Rhein River. In middle school, we have subjects like German, English, French, math, geography, PE, music, religion, history, and physics. Main subjects like German and math are four hours a week, but everything else is only two hours a week. One big difference compared to American schools is that we don’t have “science” as one subject.Instead, geography, chemistry, biology, and physics are all separate classes with different teachers.
Another difference is our school breaks: summer break is only six weeks, but we get three weeks off for Easter, two for Christmas, and one for fall. Plus, we have religious holidays like Easter Monday and Good Friday.
Overall, I think going to school for fewer hours is way better—so thumbs up for German schools! Elias Finn
First of all, I am currently attending the 12th grade at a high school so I'm going to tell you about a typical school day of me. School starts at 7:55 am. My school is not far away from my place so I can just walk there.Then we have two school hours where my favorite subject is PE . After the two hours we have a 10-minute break. After again two school hours we have a 20 minute break, most of the time I go with my friends outside and eat something small in that break. After one more hour of school, we have 1 hour break. School ends at4:15 pm. But that's different every day of the week, sometimes I have school till 1pm sometimes till 2:30 pm and some people even have till 5:45pm. School in Germany, especially the last two years can be really stressing because you have many, many tests and have to learn much. It also can be really depressing because it happens that you learnt for days and days just to get a bad grade. I think it is also not an individual case that kids are scared to go to school, not even because of bulling or something rather because they are scared of unannounced tests or stress with the teacher because you didn't do your homework or didn't prepare enough for the lesson. Jessica Fischer
How many genres or kinds of writing do you like to write?
I really like making up stories. When we had a writing workshop in 10th grade I really motivated there. I also love writing songs. My songs don’t really fit a certain genre but still are heartwarming. AlishaSkurt
Has speaking two languages, German and English, (and possibly more!) shaped you as a writer? If so, how so?
I started writingThe Toddler Language Hack in English, then thought I’d translate it intoGerman. But after a while, I got lazy and used DeepL. It translated everything word for word, but it just didn’t sound right. So, I had to go back and write it in German myself. And let me tell you, it’s not the same at all. Some things just don’t translate the same way between English and German. Germans think in a totally different way, and you have to explain things differently. SometimesI even had to change the story to something Germans would get because it made more sense in their culture. Writing in German isn’t just translating—it’s like telling the same story but in a whole new way. Elias Finn
Speaking two languages has definitely shaped me. Through learning English, my overall vocabulary has been advanced in so many ways. For example, when there’s a saying in English and I try to make it understandable in German, it’s a whole journey in really trying to find the right words inGerman to really retain the meaning. The same is often the case in English.Because German is a much more complex language and often uses a lot more words, it can easily help you out to make something that could be said in two words, to say in six words. Alisha Skurt
Yes, being able to speak different languages has been very helpful for me. I am fluent in German and Korean, and I’m pretty good atEnglish, so I’ve read books in all three languages, which has improved my writing skills. Also, learning new languages helps you get better at the ones you already know. Even Latin, which I’ve been learning at school for a little ver two years, has helped me improve my language skills. Yunseo Jung
What's your favorite word in German and your favorite word in English? Why?
My favorite word in German is “Libelle” which means“dragonfly”. Not only is it my favorite animal, but it also sounds so soft and tender. My favorite English word is “ethereal”. I like it because it reminds me of Greek goddesses. Especially Hera, though I can’t explain why. It also sounds golden. Ella Schemmel
I really like the German word "schmökern", which roughly translates to "browsing through books." There is this one giant bookstore in Munich and whenever I am nearby, I can't help myself but schmöker. I guess my favourite English word is "flabbergasted": mostly because it sounds really funny to me. Vincent von der Forst
My favorite word in German is "ziemlich," which means "quite," and in English, it's also "quite," because this word can describe pretty much anything. Yunseo Jung
What's your least favorite word in German and your least favorite word in English? Why?
My least favorite German word is probably “labern” which can be translated to “(to) babble”. It just doesn’t sound nice and really annoys me whenever I see or hear it. It’s very colloquial. My least favorite English word is “pulchritude”. During research for fun vocabulary, I stumbled upon this weird-looking word. It’s a fancy term for beauty, yet it doesn’t sound beautiful to me at all. Ever since I saw it, I can’t get it out of my mind, and it almost hurts me physically. Just the thought of having to pronounce it makes me want to regurgitate (<– that word is almost as bad). EllaSchemmel
My absolute least favorite German word is"Rhythmus" (rhythm), simply because I never know how to spell it. A SINGLE least favorite English word doesn't exist for me; I guess I never really liked "squirrel"––it just sounds off. Vincent von der Forst
Who is your favorite author right now and why?
My current favorite author is probably Donna Tartt. I’ve recently read “The Secret History” and I absolutely loved it. It inspired me inso many ways, and I really like her writing style. I recommend reading it in autumn or winter; it fits the overall vibe of the book. It helps motivate me to read more. Ella Schemmel
I really, really like basically anything that Ken Follett writes, especially his Kingsbridge trilogy. His way of interweaving historically accurate events and fictional characters is just fascinating and makes every book of his a very satisfying and good read. Vincent von derForst
My favorite author is still Astrid Lindgren. I’m obsessed with Mio, My Mio and TheBrothers Lionheart. Right after Christmas, we saw The Brothers Lionheartat the Young Theater in Bonn, and wow, it was so emotional. When I was younger,I was all about her stories like Pippi Longstocking and Lotta.Then I got into her detective mysteries with Kalle Blomkvist, but honestly, TheBrothers Lionheart has been my favorite for ages now—it’s just the best. EliasFinn
My favorite author at the moment is Lois Lowry because I’ve recently started reading her books, and they’re simply fantastic. I didn’ toriginally plan to read her books, but The Giver impressed me so much that I wanted to keep reading. Yunseo Jung
I don't read really but I love to listen to poetry especially on social media. My favorite artist right now is probably Mia. Hename on TikTok is mimispoesiestunde. She is a German poet with 72 thousand subscribers. I love her poetry because she really finds good words and also presents it very well. I think her words hit directly in the heart most of the time because she talks about many deep themes that most of the people listening to it have experienced or can just relate themselves to the poem. One more thing I like is that even when she talks about really sad things she still has a positive appearance and is really sympathetic to the audience. JessicaFischer
Which writer made the biggest difference to you and why?
It must've been Rick Riordan and his Percy Jackson book series. As a child, I devoured those books and I believe that without Riordan’s great novels, I would have never been interested in writing or literature in general in the first place. Vincent von der Forst
Definitely J.K.Rowling. The best thing about Harry Potter is that everyone has read it.Like, during the pandemic, we stayed in this tiny mountain village inSwitzerland, and I met two girls my age. We spent our days feeding goats, setting up fences for cows, and cleaning chicken pens. We even helped out at the local cheesemaker, where farmers dropped off fresh milk in huge metal containers every morning. The coolest part? Those girls had read HarryPotter too, and we talked about it for hours while we were mucking out the stables. Even during my Chinese lessons with my tutor in Beijing, I ended uptalking about Harry Potter. We even made up a guessing game about it that we played while practicing Chinese. And my best friend Clara, who lives inMontreal, is the biggest Harry Potter fan ever. Her whole room is decked out in Harry Potter stuff. When we play Minecraft together, we used to make up Harry Potter stories. Now we do the same thing, but with PercyJackson. Elias Finn
Tell us about your writing process––your writing habits, preferences, techniques, ideally from drafting to finishing.
I usually write only in the evening, as that is the only time of the day when I can have at least some peace of mind. I don’t stress or force myself, so sometimes I write ten pages in one sitting, while other timesI write even more or significantly less. I do think of a plot in advance and plan it out before starting a new project. That way, my writing has more structure, and I can avoid plot holes more easily. When I feel like I’m ready to start, I just write down what feels right. It’s just a first draft, after all. It often happens that I don’t want to write a specific scene, so I leave it for later and continue with another. It’s not ideal, as it sometimes leads to plot holes, but it prevents me from encountering writer’s block at the same time. When I am done with the storyline, I read through it to find mistakes or things I am not yet satisfied with. I change them as often as I want until I’m content. Sometimes I even change something bigger, like a whole scene or character, and that’s okay. The most important thing is that I like my story. Ella Schemmel
Before I write anything down, I usually just have a few lines in my head. Like there is one line popping up and I make up more stuff around it. Usually then I start to note it down and then whenever something new pops up my in my mind I add it to the existing notes. After some time, I have a whole concept and write the rest down really fast. Then I usually come back to it and revise so it is smoother. Alisha Skurt
I always think of the main character and the beginning and end of the story first. I add everything else spontaneously. Yunseo Jung
Do you ever encounter writing blocks?
I used to be very unmotivated for a long time. I think writer’s block is something that every writer struggles with. What often helps me, is listening to or looking at things that inspire me and remind me of the amazing story I am just about to write. For that, I put together playlists onSpotify and spend some time on Pinterest. It not only gets me in the mood but also helps me generate new ideas for my projects. One of the songs I listened to most while writing “Asylum” is “Time in a Bottle” by Jim Croce. The lyrics don’t necessarily fit, but the sound still reminds me of my story. Ella Schemmel
Yes, absolutely. For example, when I write a song and I sit for half an hour on one line because I’m unsatisfied on how I portray my feeling with words. Sometimes I also don’t know what to write about; it’s just like my mind is empty when I sit there with a pencil. Alisha Skurt
Tell us about how the poem/creative nonfiction/short story about to be published in Issue 8 came about.
Actually, my English teacher inspired me to write it. We were talking about how she initially wanted to bring a horror story for us to read, as it was October, but hadn’t found any good ones. I proposed writing one, so I don’t really count it as an assignment. I’ve never written horror before, so I had some doubts, as everyone has different fears. My first idea was to write about tarot to show how fate cannot be reversed or changed, but I figured it wouldn’t be scary enough, and I’d have to explain different tarot cards to my classmates. In the end, “Asylum” isn’t really scary either, but it was my first ‘horror’ story, so I don’t mind that much. It was also my English teacher who told me to submit my story. Without her, I wouldn’t have even considered it or found out about the magazine. Ella Schemmel
I saw on the homepage of our school portal that there’s a competition for writing English texts. I hadn’t known something like that existed, which made me really interested. And when I saw that I could just write any short text, I immediately decided to participate. Unfortunately, it was only a few hours before the deadline, so I decided to write a simple but meaningful story. There are many details I’ve experienced myself, and the main character is quite similar to me. But of course, the story isn’t completely real, and I’m not as dry or quiet as the main character. Yunseo Jung
It all started when I told my mom I wanted to earn money to buy Skylanders. She said when she was my age, she used to tutor kids, and I could put up an ad at the local elementary school to teach Chinese or math. That got us talking about how I learned Chinese and how I would teach it. I even interviewed two of my Chinese teachers and realized that a lot of what I thought about teaching Chinese was actually super similar to how they do it. That was such a cool confirmation that the way I learned Chinese was totally legit. Since I had already done all this brainstorming, I figured I might as well write an essay about it. And that’s how The Toddler Language Hack came to life! Elias Finn
What advice would you give a teen reader of UTM who is hesitating to send their own work out for publication?
My advice is this: if you’ve thought about something a lot, tell me about it. Seriously, anything—like soccer, for example. If you’ve played it or something interesting(or even totally normal) happened while you were playing, share it. It doesn’t have to be spectacular; it just needs to be yours. Use your own words and tell me what you were feeling while it happened and how you felt afterward.That’s what makes it real. Elias Finn
F*** it. Just send it in. What’s the worst that could happen? I mean either it gets rejected, but at least you tried or you will get published and people from all over the world get to see your writing talent. I mean, yeah people could make fun of you, but all of the things these people say can’t undo your success, so just go for it. Alisha Skurt
Just let your mind free and just let your feelings write the text. And if you have your wonderful text don't listen to what others say and just send it to UTM. Even if you don't get accepted it doesn't matter, I mean nobody will even notice. And you can try again or keep going to write for yourself. But if you don't try, you cannot know what would have happen if you did. Jessica Fischer
What's your favorite German food? If you were to write about it, what are a few sensory details about this food you'd want to highlight?
The only right answer to this question is "Sauerbratenmit Kartoffelknödel und Blaukraut" (a typical Bavarian dish that combines my two favorite foods: potato dumplings and roast meat). I am (like every other German kid) convinced that MY grandma makes the best Sauerbraten, and I really missed not having any during my time abroad. To me, the smell of this dish simply means home and family. Vincent von der Forst
If readers were standing on the street outside your home in Germany, what would they see/smell/hear?
Well, first of all, there'd be a giant green shrub blocking the view. However, if you look a little bit higher and to the left, in between the two big windows that make the white facade look like a big smiley, you might spot my room and maybe even me. I live in a suburb of Munich, and there is not much going on. Every twenty minutes, always at 8,28 and 48 minutes, you can hear the public train stopping at the local station, and if you listen even closer, you can hear the bells of the church a few blocks away ringing every quarter hour. There is not really a particular smell around my block - thank god, but it for sure smells like home. Vincent vonder Forst
They would see a typical street with some cars driving by, some trees standing in the garden from the other houses or at the roadside. I fit is spring, you would hear the birds chirping. You would see, hear and probably also smell me and my friends driving with our Motorcycles through the streets. The sun would shine on your cheeks and on your arms. You also could feel warm and save, just like a hug. The sky would be clear, and you would see airplanes fly by from time to time. Maybe some kids would also drive by with their scooter or bicycle. You could hear them laugh with their friends and maybe you will get flashbacks to your childhood when everything was still fine and the only emotion you really had was happiness. Jessica Fischer
What does your writing space look like? Give us details so we feel like we're standing there beside you.
To be honest, I don't really have a writing space that exists just to fulfill the purpose of such. Most of the time, I write sitting at my desk and looking out of the window into the trees, hoping that a sudden idea would strike me out of nowhere. Since this unfortunately is rather rare, I've learned to just brainstorm (and therefore 'write' in my head) everywhere I go. I so to say just make the environment my writing space, and that usually works out. Vincent von der Forst
My writing space is my bedroom. I’ve got a How to Train Your Dragon poster on the wall—it's huge and awesome. There’s an IKEA sofa where I sit most of the time, and I’ve got a desk right by the window. Oh, and there’s a table football in my room too, so I can play when I need a break. Of course, I have my bed, but I don’t work there. I mostly work on my Chromebook while sitting on the sofa. From my window, I can see this really tall tree, and sometimes in the afternoon around 4 p.m., ravens gather. It's kinda random because some days they show up, other times they disappear for weeks. But when they do come, it gets really loud. They hang out for like 20 minutes, then all fly away together at the same time. Elias Finn
I used to do most of my writing on my desk. This desk is usually a huge mess with candy packaging and school materials lying around. At the same time, that desk also holds my recording equipment, so it’s really messy. Recently, I started to use my Notes App for writing, which is quite handy because I can just do it whenever new lyrics pop up in my head. Alisha Skurt
I don't really have a real writing space. Nevertheless, I want to tell you about how I write because I think it's interesting and many authors do the same. Most of the time I write when I experienced something that really touched me. Then I take my phone, open my notes app and just let it flow. I love it when my head just does his things and the text fills from alone. Normally, when I think I am finished I close it and a few hours or days later I read through it again and start perfecting it. I nearly never sit downand write to have a text in the end because these texts don't come from the heart and then they will not hit someone else in the heart, they just feel lifeless then. But often it happens that when I am laying on my bed and I want to sleep my thoughts start to role and then I get comfortable under my blanket, turn my fairy lights on, set on my headphones with some good and loud music and then start writing. Most of the time these are the best texts I create. Jessica Fischer
Would you ever become an author professionally?
This is a good question, and my answer is, "Maybe." I’m not sure if I could live securely with this profession or if I’d still enjoy writing in the future, but becoming an author is definitely an option. Yunseo Jung
What are you most looking forward to as a person or asa writer in 2025?
As a person I am looking forward to get my bigger motorcycle license and enjoying the summer in its full extent. As a writer I am looking forward to try to write some more happy pieces. At the moment I use poetry to let all my bad feelings and thoughts go away but I want to try to focus some more about the happy things in life and also write about it, because I love hearing happy-themed poetry from others. In general, I want to appreciate more happy things in my live and also savor the little things. Live is limited so everyone should try to remind themselves about that and live more mindfully. Jessica Fischer
Do you think Germany has the world's best writing supplies (pens, folders, mechanical pencils, ink)? Just asking...
I think Germany has way better writing supplies than America, but Japan still beats both. The notebooks and pens in Germany are way cooler than in America. They have better designs and feel like they’re made of better stuff. Japan's writing supplies are the best though—like, their notebooks are not only super high quality but also come in these amazing leather or cloth covers with really pretty designs.It’s like they put so much care into making them look nice and feel nice too.Definitely way cooler than what you find in America. Elias Finn
Of course. Vincent von der Forst
"Motoring through Germany (1929)" by Susanlenox is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.
