Mr. Fitzek, what makes you angry?

Melanie Mühl

Editor in the features section.

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Elena Witzeck

Editor in the features section.

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In fact, I'm not someone who freaks out easily - but it's different in traffic.

I even like to get out of the car from time to time and know that it is the same for others.

Well, I'm not exactly someone who looks like Hulk, and yet most of them are intimidated because they probably think: A linnet is coming up to them, he has to master a special martial arts technique, otherwise he wouldn't dare to do it.

When you're not getting out of your car angry, how do you channel your anger into productive channels?

Writing always helps.

You don't have to write a book or a short story straight away; all you need to do is write a diary, preferably in the form of a letter.

You know: something makes me angry.

So you sit down and structure your anger by writing.

Your psychological thrillers can be pretty brutal at times.

Why are you preoccupied with the worst human abysses?

We repress every minute of our existence, otherwise we would not be able to cope with reality.

If I leave my child in kindergarten, then I can't imagine what could happen there.

If I did, countless terrible things would occur to me.

But at some point this suppression no longer works.

Everyone has to face it in some way.

I confront it through writing.

It's my valve.

In other people, that valve may be reading.

I haven't dealt with my fears, but I have dealt with them.

And can sort them into the bookshelf, so to speak.

You have a very large fan base, but of course also critics.

How do you deal with angry reviews on the internet?

I don't even read these reviews because they aren't aimed at me.

Reviews on the Internet are recommendations to sell to other potential customers.

And even if I took it to heart, I wouldn't rewrite a book just because some readers find it too brutal.

By the way, I also pass this on to my children.

Don't bend, ask yourself: Who is criticizing you?

Your sports trainer?

Your parents?

Your teacher?

People who want you to get better?

Then you have to listen.

But if someone comes along you don't know who has a problem with you for whatever reason, you mustn't align your life with it.

That would be the beginning of the end, especially in artistic terms.

You can hear the full conversation in our podcast: faz.net/abgruende