very; greatly; much; just about to; almost; very nearly
to imitate; to copy; to mock; to trace; to forge
hand; arm; handwriting; penmanship; 'shake' (command to have a dog place its paw in your hand)
to; for; from the standpoint of; as far as ... is concerned
enjoyment; pleasure; diversion; amusement; hobby
determination; resolution
previous work; preceding work; first crop grown in a double-cropped field; preceding crop
debut; doing something for the first time; starting anew; starting afresh
to create; to bring forth; to invent; to think up and bring into being; to give birth to; to bear
character; personality; (fictional) character; letter; character
there's no (other) way; cannot be helped; unavoidable; it's no use (doing); pointless; hopeless (person)
writing (e.g. as a profession)
illustration; picture; sketch; drawing; figure
original story; original version; this volume
words of praise; eulogy; compliment
junior high school student; middle school pupil
small fraction; small proportion
spare time; free time; time (e.g. time it takes to do something); time off; day off; quitting (one's job); firing someone
to see the light of day; to be revealed (to the world); to be realized
to knit; to plait; to braid; to compile (anthology, dictionary, etc.); to edit
words of thanks; words of gratitude; acknowledgements; apology
to give; to confer; to bestow; to kindly do for one; to oblige; to favour
Mr; Mrs; clan; he; him; counter for people
precise; accurate; appropriate; exactly the right
to do one's best; to put forth every effort
opinion; intention; thought
work (e.g. book, film, composition, etc.); opus; performance; production
happiness; blessedness; luck; luckily; fortunately
shrine; palace; imperial residence; Imperial prince; Imperial princess; headboard with built-in shelves, drawers, etc.
end of a century (esp. 19th); fin-de-siècle
youth; springtime of life; adolescent
light novel; young-adult illustrated fiction
author; writer; novelist; artist
futon; Japanese bedding consisting of a mattress and a duvet; round cushion used for Zen meditation (traditionally made of woven bulrush leaves)
to lead (a) life (usu. preceded by the type of life)
being resolved to (do something); having a wholehearted intention
creation; production; creative work (novel, film, etc.); fabrication; fiction; invention