Welcome to the newest post in Writing While Healing, a series where I speak with indie authors who’ve found light through writing during their darkest times.
Today, I’m honored to feature Heiner de Wendt, a fantasy author and a great friend who writes powerful characters. You can learn more about Heiner here.
Please introduce yourself!
Hi! I’m Heiner de Wendt, a fantasy author from Germany. I live in Cologne with my wife, in an apartment in a more rural city area. I’m a passionate roleplayer, love video games, binge-watching shows, and reading fantasy novels, but also going for long walks in nature. I have my own little marketing agency, but my big passion is to write complex stories. I enjoy exploring the emotional depths of my characters, but also how cultures and societies work and affect the people living in them.
Please tell us a little about yourself and the kind of stories you write.
I’ve got ADHD and CPTSD, but only realized both things in recent years. As most neurodivergent people know, growing up like that in Western society is a struggle on its own. I write epic fantasy with lots of magic, monsters and diverse characters and creatures, but also with a psychological perspective. I guess you could say my stories are character studies.
My debut novel - the start of a trilogy - will be released in late 2025, but I’ve been writing since my childhood. Fantasy has always been a favorite of mine, but I’ve also written sci-fi, horror and other genres - mostly short stories. I’ve done a bit of poetry, but that’s not really my strength. I hope to release many more novels in the same world - or rather, worlds. I’ve created a fantasy universe that I released as a commercial setting for roleplaying games - it’s called “Braythe: Shattered Realities”. This serves as the detailed foundation for my writing now. That’s my treasure vault as a writer, and I hope to tell many more stories in this universe.
Would you feel comfortable sharing a bit about your mental health journey?
Sure! But I prefer to keep some things abstract, as I don’t want to talk about people not involved in the discussion. In my early twenties, I was heavily dissociated and didn’t really understand my own emotional world very well. I felt something was wrong, but couldn’t pinpoint it. Went to my first therapist then, which was disastrously inefficient.
Fast forward about twenty years and a mental health odyssey, along with a bunch of additional traumatic experiences, I eventually found parts work, and specifically Internal Family Systems (IFS). And this was when my deep breakthroughs happened. I went beyond understanding things on a rational level and started truly comprehending and feeling what was happening inside of me. It became such a passionate topic for me that I did all the training required to become a therapist. But I eventually decided not to get a license, because all the therapy brought me back to my truest, deepest passion: Writing.
How has your mental health influenced your writing process or creativity?
For me, there are two major aspects to this. The first one is that I had trouble writing deep emotions for my characters. I felt them, but expressing them in my words was a challenge - which, in hindsight, makes absolute sense. Nowadays I can feel what my characters feel with much more clarity, and know how to put it into words - because I myself learned to better understand and express my emotions. The other aspect is that understanding all these various therapeutic models help in crafting more complex, realistic and nuanced characters. And I feel this has elevated my writing in ways that no writing course could ever have achieved.
How has your mental health influenced your writing process or creativity?
For me, there are two major aspects to this. The first one is that I had trouble writing deep emotions for my characters. I felt them, but expressing them in my words was a challenge - which, in hindsight, makes absolute sense. Nowadays I can feel what my characters feel with much more clarity, and know how to put it into words - because I myself learned to better understand and express my emotions. The other aspect is that understanding all these various therapeutic models help in crafting more complex, realistic and nuanced characters. And I feel this has elevated my writing in ways that no writing course could ever have achieved.
Do you find writing to be healing, challenging, or a bit of both?
Expressing myself through my writing is definitely healing. There’s this saying: Expression is the opposite of depression. So yes, writing is one of my main ways to cope with this world. It is also challenging, but not due to any mental health aspects, it’s just a huge and complex task to write a novel!
Has your experience with mental health shaped the themes or characters in your stories?
Definitely. My understanding of the characters has become deeper, but I have also changed the way I craft them. I’m constantly applying my psychological knowledge in my writing and outlining. For example, parts work helps to understand that no character is monolithic. Everybody has a multitude of different personality aspects, but we might only see some of them in the right circumstances. This also helps craft believable character arcs.
Another model I regularly use is that of the various roles in dysfunctional families. Not just for family relationships: In my experience, these patterns can be found everywhere in society. For the worst of the villains, understanding the dark tetrad model can be really insightful. I could go on and on, because there’s so incredibly much to learn about human nature.
Are there any writing routines, boundaries, or self-care habits that help you stay grounded?
I think my most important one is to not apply any routines or habits! I write when I feel the impulse to write. There have been entire months where I didn’t write at all, and others where I wrote chapter after chapter. By taking out the pressure to conform to some rigid structures, my brain gets to be creative whenever it’s ready for it.
What advice would you give to other writers who have similar struggles as you?
Learn about therapy models, follow therapists on social media, and listen to other people’s experiences and journeys. We‘re all human, and the similarities between us are greater than the differences. The more we learn about the nature of human beings and ourselves, the better we can write about them. And it helps you in your daily life, as well.
Have you ever taken breaks from writing to focus on your mental health?
Quite the opposite! My mental health gets better when I write. I had to take breaks when work became overwhelming, but I heavily missed writing during these times.
What’s something you wish more people understood about being a writer with mental health struggles?
There‘s a lot of stigmatization around mental health issues, healthcare, and support systems are horrible, even in most countries that have a decent healthcare system. Late-stage capitalism and the rise of fascism don’t exactly help, either. It can be tough focusing on writing with all these struggles. Trying to find your audience is even harder. It can be exhausting and disheartening. It’s important to be kind to each other, to respect boundaries, and to give people a chance. A single positive comment from a reader can make a writer’s day and motivate them to keep going.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers?
Please support Indie authors, and in particular those from minorities! The system is rigged against both, so any kind of support, including things that don’t require money, is extremely valuable. Go write that review and share the posts of your favorite authors! As for my own work, writing a novel has been a very personal experience. The stories and characters may be made up, but the emotions are very real. In a way, I’m exposing my heart by publishing that novel. If you find something for yourself in it, if it touches your heart, that’s the most important thing for me. And if you ever feel like talking to me about it, feel free to send me a message!
Where can readers connect with you and your work? (Socials, website, books, etc.)
I‘ve linked everything on my website, including my newsletter, where I give exclusive early teasers. At the moment, I’m most active on Threads and love to connect with writers and readers there! My first novel will be published in late 2025, if everything goes as planned. You will find the release dates and all the places where it’ll be available on my website.
Are there any writing routines, boundaries, or self-care habits that help you stay grounded?
I think my most important one is to not apply any routines or habits! I write when I feel the impulse to write. There have been entire months where I didn’t write at all, and others where I wrote chapter after chapter. By taking out the pressure to conform to some rigid structures, my brain gets to be creative whenever it’s ready for it.
What advice would you give to other writers who have similar struggles as you?
Learn about therapy models, follow therapists on social media, and listen to other people’s experiences and journeys. We‘re all human, and the similarities between us are greater than the differences. The more we learn about the nature of human beings and ourselves, the better we can write about them. And it helps you in your daily life, as well.
Have you ever taken breaks from writing to focus on your mental health?
Quite the opposite! My mental health gets better when I write. I had to take breaks when work became overwhelming, but I heavily missed writing during these times.
What’s something you wish more people understood about being a writer with mental health struggles?
There‘s a lot of stigmatization around mental health issues, healthcare, and support systems are horrible, even in most countries that have a decent healthcare system. Late-stage capitalism and the rise of fascism don’t exactly help, either. It can be tough focusing on writing with all these struggles. Trying to find your audience is even harder. It can be exhausting and disheartening. It’s important to be kind to each other, to respect boundaries, and to give people a chance. A single positive comment from a reader can make a writer’s day and motivate them to keep going.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers?
Please support Indie authors, and in particular those from minorities! The system is rigged against both, so any kind of support, including things that don’t require money, is extremely valuable. Go write that review and share the posts of your favorite authors! As for my own work, writing a novel has been a very personal experience. The stories and characters may be made up, but the emotions are very real. In a way, I’m exposing my heart by publishing that novel. If you find something for yourself in it, if it touches your heart, that’s the most important thing for me. And if you ever feel like talking to me about it, feel free to send me a message!
Where can readers connect with you and your work? (Socials, website, books, etc.)
I‘ve linked everything on my website, including my newsletter, where I give exclusive early teasers. At the moment, I’m most active on Threads and love to connect with writers and readers there! My first novel will be published in late 2025, if everything goes as planned. You will find the release dates and all the places where it’ll be available on my website.
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Thank you for reading!
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