Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

When can you call yourself a writer?Utsudo’s answer: whether or not you have commercial works, as long as you pour your heart into your work and strive to complete it, you are a writer. But if you want to be recognized by everyone and become a well-known writer, you need to keep producing work and build yourself up.

Different definitions of “writer”

　　I’ve been pondering this question since I was a total newbie, and I’ve asked many friends around me who also write.

　　Everyone has a different answer to it.

　　Some think you count once you officially debut with a publisher; some think you count once you start serializing online; others think you need to be recognized, with a name people know, to be called a novelist.

Still not daring to call myself a writer after publishing

　　Before I published a book, I also thought an official debut with a publisher (whether an online contract or print) made you a novelist. But after I actually published a print book, I still felt I wasn’t qualified to call myself that…

　　Because I wasn’t famous. Whenever I said I was a novelist, people’s first reaction was usually to ask “Are you famous?” Facing their sparkling eyes, I wanted to crawl into a hole, so I still couldn’t say it XD

　　Through publication after publication, I’ve now built up over thirty print volumes, and only gradually gained confidence. I’m still just a little ant, but I’ve achieved something, sowhen filling in the “occupation” field, I can finally write the word “writer” with pride。

　　Because of that, doctors often ask me all sorts of questions… um, doctor, you seem more interested in my profession than in my illness QQ. But they probably assume I write literary fiction, so they’re especially respectful. Explaining what light novels are to the older generation is a bit tricky.

　　It may be a bit different from what they expect, but I really love the works I’m producing now(narcissistic

My answer now

　　If I’m asked this question again, I think I’ll change my answer.

　　It’s true you can be called a writer no matter how many books you’ve written, but if you want recognition, you should build yourself up, aim to keep producing work, keep fighting on the path of writing — and be proud of yourself.

　　— Whether or not you actually have commercial works, as long as you pour your heart into your work and strive to complete it, you are a writer。

　　Of course, if you’re more ambitious and want to be widely known, be prepared: becoming a well-known writer is definitely not easy — neither the visible work nor the hard graft behind it, nor all of life’s twists and turns.

　　Now, do you think you are already awriter?

FAQ

Further reading (in Chinese)

• Previous: #28 (in Chinese)
• Next: #30 (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.