As writers we learn things about life even as we incorporate life into our work. It tends to be little nuggets of truths that we didn't foresee picking up along the way; and once in awhile it is some big glaring reality we could live much happier without though, in the end, benefit from by humble acceptance. Some truths an author learns are very individual to our personal experiences and circumstances; e.g.: in my case, it seems inevitable that the manuscript I expected the best reviews for will be the one most harshly knocked by reviewers.. and vice versa.

But most writer/life truths, I feel, are pretty dang well universal within the profession. Here are some I've gleaned over the years:

1. Not everyone has a painting that has to be put on canvas, and not everyone has that song that begs to be put to music; but almost everyone who can read and write has that one novel or story just dying to be penned.

2. Writers are by nature jealous creatures.

3. Jealousy cripples skill, imagination and quality, and in the end, compromises our goals. It also makes us very miserable people and worse, very miserable people to be around.

4. Allowing one's Muse to express Itself through popular fiction is a satisfactory endeavor. Conversely, writing with the strict goal to be popular will silence the Muse.

5. Literary Critics will only be remembered if they were -at one point or another- writers themselves.

6. The terms "obscene" and "pornographic" have always been and forever will be subject to popular cultural mores.

7. The most satisfying manuscript is the one that prompts the writer to get up from her bed at four in the morning, put on a pot of coffee and perhaps even make her forget to get dressed while she types -even if the temperature is 20 degrees outside.

8. If a critic spends two or more hours a day complaining about how erotica in their romance isn't romance then it's an almost certain bet the critic's husband or boyfriend isn't "getting enough".

9. The most memorable horror for adults involves quirky emotions and things unseen. The most memorable horror for children is told by quirky adults who make them believe in the unseen.

10. The person who deluges loops with "enriching" motivational messages day after day, week after week, month after month will probably be the one who suddenly has a very depressing life crisis and hint for charity to keep them from poverty.. day after day, week after week, month after month.

11. The writer who spends the most time expressing herself on her blog will inevitably be the one whose book has the least to express.

12. If we learned to push back from the table, "Diet" books would be a genre of the past.

13. Reading a poorly written book every now and then can be the first tool to polishing one's writing skills.

14. Those who profess to be the experts on ancient classics rarely are.

15. If you are married to someone who works in law enforcement or the corrections/penal profession, don't even bother submitting to an E-book publisher who is married to a felon.

16. Patience truly is a virtue and more times than not our best ally.

17. Self-proclaimed "Sex experts" write the least sexy books.

18. The best Science Fiction is rarely considered anything other than just a story by the author.

19. Educators who entertain the idea they know the meaning of a literary piece will end up providing the author the hardiest laugh.

20. Book banning appeals strongest among those who haven't read the book.

©December, 2007 by Desiree Erotique

Readers may visit Desiree's website at
http://www.romanticsurrender.com