What is Penana’s author Q&A project? It’s an event where Penana invited novelists to anonymously answer questions from readers and writers, and Utsudo took part. She found overly vague questions—or ones you could answer with a quick search—harder to respond to, while questions from people seriously wanting to become authors got her most careful answers. Some people asked lots of questions when their real problem was simply putting off writing. Her advice: if you want to be a writer, start writing now.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Invited to Penana’s author Q&A

I was invited to this little event and found it fun. It’s over now, but you’re welcome to read the record, where novelists answer everyone’s assorted questions (?)—some of the answers are really funny.

Since both the answerers and the askers were anonymous, I responded to some baffling questions just as bafflingly. Nobody knew who I was anyway (X

Also, when the event took place, something major had just happened at home and I was extremely low, so some of my answers were very blunt. Later, when I went back to read what I’d written, even I thought I’d been savage—hilarious w

Midway through, I actually wanted to tell the organizers I’d like to drop out. But then I thought spending some time answering questions might take my mind off things, so I didn’t ask to stop.

Good thing I didn’t, or I’d have missed a fun event.

I recommend reading the Q&A record

I think these anonymous questions and the authors’ answers will help many of you, so I highly recommend taking a look.

Here’s the link: https://www.penana.com/article/890118

After taking part, I found that all the authors were very interesting, and almost every one of them answered more seriously than I did (covers face).

What I noticed while answering questions

When answering, if a question was too vague, or its answer could be found in one second with the great Google, it honestly felt like a waste of time—it showed the asker hadn’t really tried searching.

There were also askers who seriously wanted to become authors. Answering them, I hoped my answers would help, so I replied especially carefully.

Of course, some people asked lots of things when their real core problem was just putting off writing.

Want to be a writer? Start writing now

Writing isn’t easy to describe, but it isn’t actually hard either. It depends on when you make up your mind to type the first sentence, gradually finish the story, and then write one story after another. Worrying too much is pointless.

Want to be a writer?

Then start right now!

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #155: Depression
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• 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.