The Qualifications

I am meant to be a romance novelist. This realisation comes to me approximately once a month. I think about it really intensely, and then I consider myself a failure and give up. Often, I don't get past the early planning stages of writing a romance novel, so sure am I that I will fail.

I've told myself the story that it doesn't come naturally to me. That my soul is not romantic enough. Why not? I fall in love. I read romance novels and romantic comedies. Those are the qualifications needed to write in the genre. So, why do I act as if I'm not qualified?

Maybe it's because I don't like the alpha male hero type. I find anything that even hints at bullying a huge turn off. That's okay, though. My novel can be more focused on the heroine. And my hero can be a gentleman. A gentle gentleman. That's the whole point of this endeavour: I get to create him from scratch.

There are a few ideas flitting around in my mind. One is to do with this idea of the "perfect" guy. What makes someone perfect on paper might not be ideal in real life. And what if you have too much of a good thing? Yes, the ideas are really coming to me now. I'll have to get a notebook and pen and start jotting them down.

I have the basic qualifications, I have ideas, now all I need is the dedication to turn these ingredients into a romance novel. All I need is discipline, something I haven't shown an abundance of in the past. The important thing is to show up at the page every day. To make a small start and keep going. I need to throw away all the negative self-talk I've been doing up until now. I am meant to be a romance novelist.