Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

When is being a novelist happiest?Utsudo lists many moments: thinking of a subject she simply must write about, having her work recognized, finishing a work, finally untangling a stuck plot, receiving reader feedback, seeing character designs and cover art, writing going smoothly, and getting paid. Happiest of all is freely creating work she truly loves and letting its stories and characters live in everyone’s hearts.

The happiest moments of being a novelist

　　I think every profession has its happy moments, and of course how it feels varies from person to person.

　　From my perspective, the happiest times are:

1. When I think of a subject I simply must write about

2. When my work is recognized (whether a contract or readers’ praise)

3. When a work is finished

4. When a plot I’ve been stuck on for ages is finally untangled

5. When I receive little gifts or feedback from readers

6. When I see the character designs and cover art

7. When writing is going smoothly

8. When I get paid

…

..

.

       Seems like there are too many to list XD

Cherished works don’t always get equal returns

　　Although there are plenty of struggles, there are still lots of happy things.

　　Of course you can’t always stay happy. Honestly, creating stories alone is a low-key thing. We spend a long time facing many difficulties on our own, and a lot of time and energy honing the story in our hands.

　　But works we cherish so much don’t necessarily get proportional returns when facing the commercial test. I’m sure everyone who creates knows this feeling QQ

　　Sometimes it’s the offhand little pieces that get a bigger response.

　　I suppose that’s one of the fun parts of creating XD

　　Still, I really wish a random shot could stir up huge waves — the good kind, of course. But if I could really pull that off,even if I’m not a genius, I might as well be one(huh?

A novelist’s greatest happiness

　　I think,freely creating works I truly love, and if I’m lucky, having them loved by everyone or spread through other media, widely known, so the stories and characters live on in people’s hearts — that must be the happiest thing about being a novelist XD

　　What do you all think?

FAQ

Further reading (in Chinese)

• Previous: #43 (in Chinese)
• Next: #45 (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.