Who would have thought that I'd ever manage to write a book? Not me ^^
As long as I can remember, I've loved writing and even tried to create stories when I was a teenager. But I kept giving up.
At some point, my creativity returned through my love of music. I took music lessons, and after years, I started writing poems and song lyrics again. My style may seem unusual to some, because I don't want to confine language to rhyme—I use it as a way to paint feelings.
In any case, I once wrote the song (or rather, the lyrics) "Saturn Is Not Too Far" for a friend—a song about friendship, or maybe something more. Suddenly, I liked it so much that I had a cover created for it. And that cover looked like something out of an anime story—and that's how the idea for the web novel "Saturn Is Not Too Far" was born.
For me, web novels are a very special format. They're a bit raw and don't focus too much on perfect language. The story develops continuously. At the beginning, I had no idea where my story was going. And suddenly, new characters appeared, or some became more important than I had originally planned. It was fascinating to watch this "life of its own." You try to put words into a character's mouth, but then you realize—no, that doesn't fit—and the character overrides the author's intentions.
Sometimes I wanted to write a single chapter, and suddenly it turned into three or four, because more happened than I had expected.
It was also interesting for me to receive such a wide range of feedback. Some people found the style and the idea so bad right from the start that they couldn't continue reading. Others liked the beginning and then became daily readers, always wanting to know what would happen next.
Tastes differ. But that's also the core of my story. For many, Princess Evlina would be the perfect—or the logical—choice. But what if someone who doesn't seem perfect is suddenly seen? Someone who would otherwise be overlooked.
What if someone can see beneath the surface?
The language of my story isn't perfect—but it isn't meant to be. Who among us thinks perfectly all the time? Whose thoughts don't sometimes go in circles? My story is meant to reflect that.
Was that intentional? Who knows. Maybe it's simply because, for me, plot and emotions come before linguistic expression.
The feeling of a story comes before its appearance.
I'm grateful for everyone I've been able to bring a little joy to with this story—or still can.
I hope you enjoy my story.
Yours,
Ailun Gao
P.S.: I think that if I were Prior, I would choose Zho over Prince Kashion. But then again—I'm not Prior.