Status: Am feeling a bit better about life in general. I realized that I had a little more cash than I initially estimated, so that makes me feel relaxed about it, somewhat. (see below for why)

I'm convinced that there's some kind of evil retrograde somewhere.

Why?

My RAM died. The merchant's being as difficult as possible with the return.

My dishwasher died. It needs to be replaced, most likely, since the current unit's old. This is a completely unexpected and unplanned expenditure, but it must be spent.

Yesterday, my site died. It was the new plugin I installed for WP, and it killed my blog. MySQL refused to import my back-ups. I almost died until I found a file that it would import. If you see any errors on the site, please let me know!

Despite it all, I'm trying to stay optimistic. I'm going through the latest draft of Slayer. I can't believe I missed some of the continuity errors that occurred when I made some changes to the story. I was 500% embarrassed when I discovered them. :oops:

One thing that's really difficult for me is the amount of work that is required for the newly added materials. Unlike some writers who I envy, I'm not the most polished writer. It takes me a while to get it to flow just right. So the new materials take several days before they're on par with the other more polished scenes.

Currently I'm using iPod Touch to review my manuscript. I downloaded an app called Files. It works great for me because it can read *.doc and not destroy all my formatting. (I'm very particular about formatting.) So I'm saving money on paper & printer cartridge. The price of paper went up about 50-100% in Japan, depending on what grade, size, etc. So I'm trying to find ways to reduce the amount of paper, etc. I use as much as possible. Does this mean I'll never print my entire ms? Nope. I like to see stuff on papers. I catch different things on different medium. But Files is one of the tools I can use.

I've heard many people say they just want to write something “good enough” to be published. After all, it's not like they're writing a Shakespearean play, right?

Wrong.

How can you be a good writer if you plan to do just enough to get by? How can you call yourself an artist?

Some people actually say, “But it's just romance (or insert any other genre)! With the limitations of the genre and word count, I can't do the story any justice! What's the point of writing something deep and meaningful for just a genre novel?”

If you can't do the story justice in the genre for whatever reason, shouldn't you change your genre and/or write a literary novel? Why show such contempt for the readers and the genre when you yourself can't write the story that they want and expect from you? What are you really afraid of?

We, romance writers, bemoan lack of respect, promotional dollars, ridicule, etc. But isn't that because many of us look down upon the genre ourselves? When you're going for a job interview, do you tell the prospective employer, “I'm the best candidate for the position” or “I'm good enough for the position”?

If we hope to become published, improve the genre's image, and perhaps join the NYT bestsellerdom, we must promise ourselves to do the following:

1. Regardless of the genre — romance, mystery, SFF, etc. — we'll respect it.
2. We'll master the craft so when our Muse comes calling, we'll be able to answer the call with confidence and the right tools.
3. We'll write consistently and regularly — the only exceptions: family emergencies and/or serious illness.
4. We'll always strive to write the best book we can even if it feels like slicing our veins open with a dull spoon at times. There are times you absolutely just love writing, but there will be times when you hate it (because you're revising or whatever). Suck it up because it's all going to pass. (And if it never does….well…then you should probably reconsider your decision to be a writer.)

When we do all of the above, we'll be one step closer to our writing goals. And please don't say you tried. “Tried” isn't good enough.