"Das Leben wird vorwärts gelebt und rückwärts verstanden."
‍_{- Søren Kierkegaard}

Working with Simon Sterz as my interactive story coach was an absolute gift.

He's endlessly patient, offering thoughtful, guiding criticism that challenges you without ever overwhelming you. Simon truly cares about the story's structure, its impact, and what it ultimately offers the audience. He has a rare ability to see both the bones and the soul of a narrative, and he's incredibly skilled at helping writers bring out the best in their work. Under his mentorship, I became more intentional with my choices and more confident in my storytelling. Any writer would be lucky to have Simon in their corner.

Working with Simon Sterz was a truly enriching experience.

His guidance during the interactive audio game workshop wasn’t just technical—it was profoundly human. Simon embodies what I believe a teacher should be: attentive, generous, and capable of listening deeply to the creative process of others without imposing, but gently guiding.
At a moment when I was struggling to balance narrative depth and educational purpose in my game Green Neighborhood, Simon’s feedback helped me clarify that storytelling in games is not about checking boxes, but about crafting emotional resonance. He helped me realize that even “serious” themes—like sustainability and community—can (and should) be addressed through affective storytelling, not dry instruction.
What stood out most was Simon’s ability to ask the right questions rather than offer ready-made answers. That alone expanded my understanding of what narrative design can be. The coaching experience with him was challenging in the best way possible: it invited me to reimagine my own limits.
Thank you, Simon, for being truly present, for believing in the potential of meaningful stories, and for showing that thoughtful mentoring is also a form of co-creation.

Working with Simon Sterz as my interactive story coach was an absolute gift.

I've always been nervous to share my work, but Simon is great at teaching in a clear way while being both constructive and encouraging. I very much enjoyed being coached by him through EarReality!

Simon Sterz has a rare skill of illustrating complex ideas with straightforward examples.

His technical expertise, and understanding of readers make him a great story coach. He is also a seasoned writer, and a wonderful person to work with!

I remember Simon’s coaching quite fondly.

It was strongly characterised by his patience and thoughtfulness, together with a good bit of classic German efficiency. While one might not typically associate creative writing the latter, the webinar had a clockwork-ness to it. Simon always showed solid sense for what a writer was trying to achieve, and provided practical tips for both navigating the TWIST tool and making effective use of narrative techniques. On top of that, and perhaps most importantly, he was genuinely supportive of and encouraging to each writer, no matter their level of experience.

Die interaktive Audiostory für EarReality war mein erstes professionelles Projekt.

Simon war dabei eine große Hilfe: In nur wenigen Minuten erklärte er die mir fremde TWIST-Engine und ich war ready to-go. Auch als ich länger als erwartet für das Projekt brauchte hatte Simon Geduld mit mir und war stehts darauf bedacht, mir mit konstruktivem Feedback weiterzuhelfen.

Das Schreiben meiner Bücher hat mich immer schon interessiert.

Aber durch das Erleben der Geschichtenwelt und das Mitbestimmen des Weges, ist diese Welt auch für Kinder umso interessanter geworden. Und wie das genau geht, auf diese Reise hat mich Simon auf Ear-Reality mitgenommen und eine Weile begleitet. (Und bei Bedarf ist er immer noch da :) )

With Simon, I felt the learning steps purposeful but at the same time not overwhelming.

It was my first time writing a story through the TWIST engine, but the ease and simplicity of it made me want to write more.