Stella wins Young Storyteller Award Award 2024! Congratulations!

What a great achievement! Out of 3700 entries, Stella’s book ‘Mass hysteria for beginners’ was awarded 1st prize.

Read our interview with the award winner.

How did you feel when you received the award?
To be honest, I was slightly overwhelmed as I hadn’t expected to get this far in the competition. I was very pleased.
We were 11 finalists who had to go on stage and read from their book. Then the finalists were announced. When my name came up, I stayed seated until the end so that I didn’t react too early, but then I was very happy.

Can you tell us a bit about the story you submitted? What was the inspiration for it?
My story is about Dieter Freytag, my main character, who falls overboard on a cruise and survives because he is close to a swirl of rubbish and manages to save himself on a piece of plastic until he is found. His story is then spread by the media, and somehow people get the idea that plastic swirls apparently save lives, which is why more plastic should be thrown into the sea. He then tries to stop the madness.
I didn’t have any specific inspiration for the book, the idea just came to me, but they are two topics that have been on my mind for a long time.

How did you get into writing?
I’ve actually been writing for as long as I can remember. I’ve always enjoyed it and I also like reading. I wrote my first story in second grade (three pages long).

Was there a particular moment or person that sparked your interest?
I didn’t have a role model in that sense, I just enjoyed reading a lot. My parents always read to me and gave me lots of books.

What are the biggest challenges you face when writing?
When you already have an idea, it’s difficult to stick with it and not lose it or give up. The biggest challenge for me is certainly to familiarise myself with the idea again and to continue knitting it.

…and how do you overcome it?
Above all, I need time and motivation. It helps if the idea is new and you are enthusiastic about it. If it’s a well-developed idea, you can finish it in your head. I used to write for 30 minutes before I went to bed. It helps to have good time management and discipline.

Are there any particular authors or books that have particularly influenced you?
Erich Kästner for sure! I still read his books. I admire him. Cornelia Funke is another author I really like. Erich Kästner is a combination of great stories and original and exciting characters, and the stories are written in a funny way. Cornelia Funke also has very good stories that give you a good picture of the world she creates in her books. I like books that are entertaining. For me, entertaining books are characterised by a certain degree of wit. The plot doesn’t have to be funny, but it does have to be original and creatively written.

How did you prepare for the competition?
I heard about the competition from a friend and then I wrote the book. The criteria were that the chapters could only be three pages long and a maximum of 18 chapters could be written. I had an idea and thought it was good. I wrote specifically for it.
Plastic swirls have always fascinated me in a bad way. When I was 8-10 years old, I thought that you could walk on it or build countries on it. When I had the idea for the book, I was sitting in my room looking out of the room and then I just came up with the idea.

Did you have a special ritual or creative process?
Not really. I had to write the book online. I normally write with pen and paper. While I was doing homework, I still had the tab of my book open. When I didn’t feel like doing homework, I just continued writing my story.

What does storytelling mean to you personally? What role does it play in your life?
It’s my hobby and I really like it. I don’t just tell stories as fictional stories. When I explain something to someone, I realise that people can remember it better if I wrap it up in a story, and it’s just more interesting that way. I don’t want to be a full-time author. I’d rather do something scientific, in the field of sustainability.

Do you already have ideas for future stories or projects that you are working on?
Before I wrote the book, I always had some kind of idea, but since this book I’ve been in an idea slump. It’s funny when you have no ideas.

How did your teachers and classmates at the Berlin Cosmopolitan School support you?
My classmates would just be my friends in this case. They read my texts and were always supportive with their feedback. I used to have a German teacher who was always very supportive (Mrs Emre) up to Year 5. She was always very helpful and encouraging. I write for myself. When I write stories again now, they are more for me and my family and friends.

What advice would you give to other young people who are interested in writing or want to take part in competitions?
If you like writing, then you should definitely keep doing it, even if you don’t show it to anyone, that’s not a bad thing. You don’t just have to focus on it. You also have to remember that what is ‘good’ in writing is based on what other people think of it. Not everyone’s opinion is important. You should choose the few people whose opinions really mean something to you. You can’t please everyone. Competitions are also just people judging, it’s not the ultimate judgement of your ability.

Where do you see yourself as an author in the future? Are you planning to pursue writing professionally?
I think I will continue writing for myself. If I can make a living from it, then all the better, but it’s not my only goal.

How has winning the award helped you to develop your skills or change your perspective on writing?
It was a confidence and self-esteem boost but not much more really. It’s nice that after writing for so long, I’ve now had feedback from people who don’t know me that they like the way I write. It has encouraged me in my writing abilities. It has helped that people, especially strangers, have told me that my story is entertaining and fun to read. I want to put a smile on my reader’s face.

What does winning the Young Storytelling Award mean for you and your future plans?
see above.

Is there a particular message you want to convey with your stories?
Apart from the issue of climate change and that we need to protect our planet, not really. Artistic doesn’t mean that the worst has to happen – happy endings don’t seem to exist anymore and tend to be devalued. However, I like happy endings and have included one in my book.

What do you do when you’re not writing? Are there any other creative hobbies you pursue?
Reading, puzzles, board games, knitting.

The book is available at Amazon and Thalia