Which is Utsudo’s signature work?The work she’s most satisfied with is Oops, I Became a Mimic!, contracted with Original Planet, which combines writing craft, inspiration and character appeal. The one that best represents her beliefs is Liumuye, Fairy of the Forest, a fairy-tale-style fable about the balance between people and nature.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

My most satisfying signature work: Oops, I Became a Mimic!

　　For me, a “signature work” leans toward… the work I’m personally most satisfied with, or the one that best represents me XD

　　So far, I think the work I’m most satisfied with is the one contracted with Original Planet,Oops, I Became a Mimic!. I wrote it two years ago, and it’s a fine piece that brings together writing craft, inspiration and character appeal (in my own opinion XD

　　I feel the characters alone could spawn lots of fun four-panel comics or spin-offs. Besides that, I personally love these characters — while plotting, I’d crack up at plot twists that came out of nowhere.

　　When it was released, the response was good too, so it seems to suit popular tastes.

The work that best represents my beliefs: Liumuye, Fairy of the Forest

　　But if we’re talking about the work that best represents my beliefs, it would beLiumuye, Fairy of the Forest。

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　　This work is a bit like a fairy-tale-style fable, telling of the balance between people and nature, the conflicts arising from the differing values of fairies and humans, and a boy whose self was twisted by the world being reborn through meeting a fairy…

　　Because I love nature (including plants, animals and all phenomena),I’ve always had a special fondness for fairies who live in nature and possess mysterious powers. Those pure, sacred beings have an indescribable charm。

　　This work was once in partnership with a publisher, but it hasn’t been published yet QQ

The earlier the work, the more you can see the me of that time

　　Also, I find that the more I write, the better I get at separating the story from myself. Maybe that’s why my work can be more imaginative or span different genres — I think veteran writers know this feeling XD

　　So the earlier my work, the more you can see the real me of that time…

　　Hm? Why do I feel kind of embarrassed…

　　— I’m not telling you which one I wrote first ˋ\\皿\\ˊ!!!

　　Though I think I already mentioned it in an earlier Ghost Island entry Orz

　　If you remember, forget it!

　　If you don’t know, pretend you didn’t see!!

　　If you’re not interested — I’m not talking to you, hmph (tsundere

FAQ

Further reading (in Chinese)

• Previous: #45 (in Chinese)
• Next: #47 (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.

📚 More on this topic: Writing Mindset & a Writer’s Life: Ghost Island Column Guide