Serialized Short Stories

Exploring societal, philosophical, and moral themes through fiction

In addition to the non-fiction journalistic articles that I publish on here around once a month, I also use this newsletter to publish enticing and thought-provoking fictional stories. I think that stories can provide a medium through which one can more freely explore complex themes and ideas, less constricted by the differences of opinion as well as the dry and at times confusing complexity of non-fiction writing. That is not to discount how important that kind of writing remains, otherwise I would not be spending so much time and energy on my articles, but to highlight how there exist other methods of reaching people, perhaps even in different ways altogether. In other words, sometimes we can discover deeper, more meaningful truths in fiction than we ever could have otherwise.

While the stories I write can widely differ from one another in setting, style, or genre, I have come to find that they often boil down to the same kinds of themes and struggles, or share similarities in the ways in which they explore the characters’ trains of thoughts, even if that is not my intention from the outset. Perhaps one could even describe these different elements as hallmarks of my own style, if there ever can exist anything like a static or consistent personal style across many years and a varied body of work. Yet at the same time I believe that some of these elements are the extension of universal principles like justice or truth and human struggles for freedom, love, and peace.

Seeing as my writing for the Critical Consent newsletter is the result of both my personal style and my pursuit of universal principles, of exploring different themes and topics and telling different stories, the publication of stories through this medium feels like a natural extension of the work that I already do, but that can hopefully resonate with readers in entirely different ways.

Current running story:

The Embassy

• The story revolves around a journalist from a fictitious country who because of his work attracts the attention of powerful forces that he does not yet fully understand. More details about the story shall be revealed along the way.

• New part published every two weeks on Saturday.

• Each part of the story will be about 1000-1500 words (about 3-4 A4 pages).

• The prologue is freely accessible to all subscribers. Reading the entire story requires a paid subscription.

• Each part of the story is accompanied by a brief introduction in which I share parts of my writing process and inspirations. These are freely accessible to all subscribers.

Got excited? Check out the subscription plans below. Besides gaining access to enticing and thought-provoking stories, your subscription also supports fact-based journalism that will remain accessible to everyone.

I go into more detail about how this all fits together with my other work in this announcement.