12 Quiet Writing Lessons Maxton Hall Left Me With
I only wanted one episode. One chapter. This stayed...
I need to tell you something.
I didn’t plan this. Neither did I expect it.
I just wanted to watch one episode. That was all.
But Maxton Hall on Amazon Prime had other plans.
Somewhere between the quiet scenes, the looks that last a second too long, the things no one ever says out loud, something shifted.
Not just for Ruby Bell and James Beaufort.
For me.
I’m writing this while Where’s My Love and Moth to a Flame play softly in my headphones. They feel like the soundtrack of my life right now.
Maxton Hall is based on a bestselling book series by German author and BookTok sensation Mona Kasten.
It follows Ruby and James inside an elite school world where reputation matters and feelings feel dangerous. The power of the story is in what’s felt.
I watched the entire first season in English. For a while, I didn’t even realize the story was German.
Only after I finished it did I start wondering. So I looked it up.
The cast with Damian and Harriet.
The locations. The author.
German!
Together with my husband, I’ve walked those places.
I know Schloss Marienburg.
I recognize Potsdam, where parts of the series were filmed.
That discovery made everything hit deeper and, of course, I had to binge-watch season two 😁 and binge-read Save Me and Save You.
It’s strange when a story suddenly feels familiar. And that’s when it clicked.
Maxton Hall is a quiet lesson in how writing works.
If you write….
• newsletters
• fiction or non-fiction stories
• posts
• or personal essays
There's so much to learn here. Let me show you.
Oh and besides watching the series on Amazon Prime, I highly recommend checking out Mona’s books! Because she’s celebrating an international success, you can now also buy all her books in English!
Here’s what stayed with me.
1 Start With Emotion Always
Mona Kasten never starts with facts. She starts with feeling.
She doesn’t tell you what a character thinks. She lets you sit inside it.
#1 thing she taught me: Start with emotion. Always. Open like the first line of a chapter. Start with a thought or a feeling.
Don’t say:
• Today I want to talk about writing
Say:
• I had a moment today that stayed with me
There’s something from this week I can’t shake.
For a long time, I thought I should keep this to myself.
Emotion pulls us in. Details can wait.
2 Use Micro Tension
No big drama. Just small pauses. Just enough to make us lean forward.
A thought held back. A doubt that slips in quietly.
• I thought I understood good writing…
• Then something happened that made me pause.
Let the answer wait. Suspense lives in the silence.
Show uncertainty or friction. A small inner conflict. Don’t resolve it yet.
3 Be Vulnerable, Kill Perfect
Protagonist Ruby isn’t strong because she has no fear. She’s strong because she feels it.
That matters for us online writers.
Perfection pushes people away. Vulnerability pulls them closer.
In your writing:
• Share the doubt
• Share the mistake
• Share the lesson you learned the hard way
People trust honesty. They scroll past perfection.
4 Show Feelings Through Details
Don’t name the feeling. Show it.
Mona Kasten shows emotions through small moments.
A movement. A look. A sentence that stays a little too long.
Not:
• I was overwhelmed
But:
• My coffee went cold before I noticed
Small details carry big emotion. That is German bestselling author Mona Kasten’s storytelling and writing style.
My tip to hook readers:
Pick one real detail. Let it carry the feeling.
I didn’t notice it right away.
Only when…did I realize how much it stayed with me.
Detail ideas for you:
a place
a small movement
a sentence that stuck
a tiny mistake
5 Make The Reader Part Of The Story
Writing becomes powerful when the reader feels included. Am I right?
Pull them in. Stand next to them.
Say:
• Maybe you know this feeling…You try so hard and still feel stuck
Now it’s not just my story. It’s yours.
My tip:
Say what you thought or felt. Soft. Honest.
In that moment, I thought….
Or
I wondered if…..
6 Keep It Short and Let It Breathe
Maxton Hall and the book series doesn’t rush. But it never wastes words.
Use:
• short lines
• pauses
• space
Some example:
I thought I was ready. I wasn’t.
That silence and space matters.
7 Soft End With An Opening
When you end, don’t tie up nicely. Leave a thread loose. Like a chapter that stays open.
• a question
• a thought
• a feeling that has just started
Example:
I used to think good writing was technique. Now I think it is something else.
My tip:
“I will leave this here for today.”
“More on that soon.”
Thank you for reading this far.”
8 Use Recurring Moments
Mona Kasten uses
• familiar places
• repeated tension
• emotional patterns
You can too.
• a weekly question
• a closing line you always return to
• a small ritual
It creates comfort and connection.
9 Let Readers Grow With You
Stories work because people change. Show readers your arc.
• fear
• decision
• growth
When you change on the page, Your readers do, too.
10 Write Quietly and True
This is the heart of it. Don’t write to sound close. Write because something is true.
Like telling your BF something late at night.
That is real closeness.
11 Emotional Hook
Open like the first line of a chapter.
Do not start with context.
Start with a thought or a feeling.
Examples
“I hesitated for a moment before writing this email.”
“There is something from this week I cannot shake.”
“For a long time, I thought I should keep this to myself.”
12 Gentle Call to Action
Invite (to lean in for a kiss). Don’t push.
Here are some tips:
If you want, you can simply reply to this email.
I would love to hear what you think.
Next week, I will share what came out of this.
Maybe this is why Maxton Hall and the book series works.
It never screams. It whispers.
And somehow that is louder than anything else.
Now I’m curious!
What is the one thing you want to say in your writing but haven’t dared to yet?
Are you a Maxton Hall fan already?
You can reply, if you want. I’m listening.
If you’re building something of your own, quietly…
There’s a FREE collaboration space my husband Patrick and I created for writers.
Over 400 of us are already there. Try StackBuddy now!And if you want someone beside you for this part. I’m here for 1:1 coaching too. 2 spots left this year!
This piece came just in time! I need to rewrite the first chapter of my novel before I serialize it. Thank you!
💕💎💕 Must read gem 💕💎💕