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Hidden brothels, old guys fascinated with Paraguay and shark enthusiasts: How I structured a kaleidoscope of real-life street encounters into a singular narrative arc.

I published this article originally on Substack on (15-October-2026).

In my last Substack note, I spoke about why I chose the title Overqualified and the subtitle Lab Bench to Street Side. (Get it here).

What I want to talk about now is what the core idea and concept of the novel are, and how I chose them.

I am not here to show or teach anyone how to write. I am a biologist who enjoys writing, not a “Doctor of Fine Arts” or anything like that. I am not even here to teach biology (or science, for that matter). I simply want to lay out my own choices and decisions. Or, as scientists call it…

The rationale.

So, what’s the rationale?

Before I get to the point, I need to explain why a fundraising job is to storytelling what fertile soil is to a farmer.

While working as a face-to-face fundraiser in 2025, I got to meet plenty of interesting, real-life characters on streets, in public squares, and in corridors. I explored my hometown of Vienna (in Austria—not Virginia!) from a unique angle. I was presented with a kaleidoscope of society that one never gets to see in an office or lab.

As a fundraiser, you scan the crowd for potential donors. Yet, there is a lot of prejudice attached to the question of who qualifies as a donor. And, as one of my senior colleagues told me:

“Forget about the prejudices!”

Indeed, people from all walks of life—the homeless, the wealthy, and the single dads with a knack for conspiracy theories—turned out to be potential donors.

Imagine doing that job for several months—in my case almost a full year. Think of the sheer diversity of human experience you encounter.

But fundraising didn’t only take me to the street. It also led me to more intimate settings when going from door-to-door. In German, we might call that…

Klinken putzen, literally meaning “to polish door handles.”

At some point, I was telling friends, family, and colleagues (once I started working part-time at a clinic in parallel to my fundraising job) about my often funny, interesting, or weird encounters. Some pointed out that I should post these on social media … I hesitated to go down that road—but I took notes.

Here are some unedited examples from my journal, including my original text in German:

Matthias, the school caretaker with a heart for sharks
Passionate about diving, deeply interested in protecting coral reefs, and invested in animal welfare – donates exclusively to shark conservation.
(Original in German: Matthias, der Schulwart, mit dem Herz für Haie – Tauchbegeistert, großes Interesse am Schutz von Korallenriffen, Tierschutz interessiert – spendet ausschließlich für Haischutz)

Paul – with the exciting life
Working as a chef and radiology assistant. Two mothers from Paraguay. “Florian – if you ever want to experience something exciting, go to Paraguay!”
(Original in German: Paul – mit dem aufregenden Leben – Als Koch und Radiologieassistent, zwei Mütter aus Paraguay, „Florian – wenn du mal was erleben willst, dann geh nach Paraguay!“)

The Hidden Brothel
An almost-naked Asian-looking woman opens the door and speaks in broken German—asking what we want. She doesn’t have much time, otherwise her boss will be angry. The apartment turns out to be a hidden brothel.
(Original in German: Nackte (?) asiatisch aussehende Frau öffnet die Tür und spricht in gebrochenem Deutsch – was sie wollen — habe nicht viel Zeit, Chef sonst wütend — die Wohnung stellt sich als ein verstecktes Puff heraus)

… and many more. Some notes were significantly longer than the ones mentioned here. At least three times, I encountered old guys encouraging me to explore Paraguay —no, it wasn’t the same guy and no, I doubt they were connected. I think you get the idea—working in this kind of job is fertile soil for all kinds of stories.

Now, what were the core idea and concept?

I initially played with the idea of writing dozens or even a hundred short stories based on these anecdotes. But I wanted more than just a loose gathering of moments. Another idea I had—one that ultimately planted the seed for the core concept of my novel—was this:

Sonder (via Cambridge Dictionary): “The feeling of realization that everyone you pass by in your daily life has an inner world as rich as your own.”

It tells the story of a fundraiser who goes from door to door to convince people to donate to a good cause. Behind every door lies a story. Even when the door doesn’t open, the fundraiser reflects on their own history.

(Original in German: Erzählt die Geschichte eines Fundraisers, der von Tür zu Tür geht, um Menschen zu überzeugen für den guten Zweck zu spenden. Hinter jeder Tür befindet sich eine Geschichte. Selbst wenn die Tür nicht aufgeht und der Fundraiser über seine eigene Geschichte nachdenkt.)

Now, I didn’t want to go with an experimental story structure where the protagonist just wanders from door-to-door, because I felt it would become too episodic and potentially repetitive. Thus, I looked to combine my core idea with a classical narrative arc. Since I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, I chose the story wheel (pun-intended)—or “hero’s journey” model.

Core Idea: Sonder

Concept: The Story Wheel / Hero’s Journey

So, what’s up next?

At some point in autumn 2025, I was gathering anecdotes and had my core idea and concept set up … my next steps were to choose language (Why English?), genre, perspective, writing style and even what length I was aiming for.

Follow me to find out more about that in my next articles.

Overqualified: Lab Bench to Street Side (Check it out here)

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In my last Substack note, I spoke about why I chose the title Overqualified and the subtitle Lab Bench to Street Side.