Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Is being good at writing books the same as being good at teaching writing?No. Utsudo has observed that most authors who teach writing haven’t published many books, while those skilled at writing books are often not good at teaching or speaking. In an era that requires self-marketing, people who can both write and present themselves do better — but she believes the most important thing is to follow your heart and choose the life you long for.

Dreams drive us forward

　　Everyone says chasing dreams is really hard, but once you actually try, you find — it’s not just hard, you may never achieve it in your whole life. No wonder it’s called a dream —turns out “dream” is short for “only in your dreams” (X

　　Reality may be cruel, but there have never been fewer people with dreams,and I’m one of them.

　　For me, a dream is a driving force that motivates me forward, gets me up every day and keeps me disciplined — like an invisible force guiding me, letting me overcome any difficulty.

　　With it, I have the drive to move forward, wanting to become better and better and get closer to my dream — even if only by a little.

　　However, everyone has had dreams, but not everyone has the perseverance to act on them, and harsh reality becomes an obstacle too. Many people around me, because their circumstances didn’t allow it or as they aged and had to focus on what was around them, naturally drifted away from their dreams.

The phenomenon of selling dreams

　　Setting aside chasing dreams, let’s talk about“selling dreams”.

　　I’m sure you’ve noticed there are many books on the market that teach writing. But if you look closely at the authors’ experience and background, you’ll find something interesting — most people who teach writing haven’t published many books, while those who are good at writing books aren’t good at speaking in front of people, let alone teaching.

　　Of course I’m not trying to mock this phenomenon — I just want to say everyone’s innate attribute points differ, and their later cultivation and training aren’t the same either.

　　Unless it’s a quite serious inner illness or disorder, basically missing skills can be trained — like courage.

　　However, being good at writing books and being good at teaching writing are two different things, requiring different skill points and mental makeup. Writing and public speaking too. Some people have both skills, but they’re a minority after all.

　　But one thing’s certain: in this era of self-marketing, people who can both write and present themselves do better. Sometimes you only need to be good at marketing yourself — your writing skills needn’t be that high — and you might live more comfortably than those who just keep their heads down writing.

Life is about choices

　　Everyone chooses a different way of life and hopes for a different future. Some find writing books hard, others find public speaking terrifying; some find teaching classes a hassle, some want to quietly write their whole lives, and some can’t bear to remain unknown forever…

　　There’s no absolute right or wrong in life; everything is a choice. However,“choice” sometimes pays off more than “effort”. But what you want to accomplish, and how to get closer to the way of life you long for — I think that’s what matters most.

　　Of course, there are always many voices around you trying to sway your thinking, even interfering. But if you can set aside that noise and choose with your true inner voice, not caring about others’ judgments of achievement, good or bad, right or wrong — maybe that’s true freedom?

　　Only you know what kind of life you want to live. Living according to others’ wishes may give you some security in the short term, and relief from the quiet in your ears, but in the long run, the knot in your heart will only grow bigger.

　　Some choose to compromise; some feel indignant and regretful. But in a word: life is about choices, and there’s no right or wrong.

　　So, what’s your choice?

FAQ

Further reading (in Chinese)

• Previous: #91 (in Chinese)
• Next: #93 (in Chinese)
• Start from the beginning: #01 — Utsudo’s debut
• Column introduction
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.