So you want to be Nora famous?

I am not sure I feel the same way. I like Nora Robert. I admire her talent, her success, and her ambition, but I don't think I want her life. Or her money.

I am not feeling jealous and do you know why? When I see talented friends do well, I am happy for them. They worked hard for it and to get those words down on paper every day. They write, they sell, and they live breathe and eat their books.

I can't always do that, so I am happy with my own progress. I may not write 9 to 5 pm, but that doesnn't make me any less professional or less driven. The key to true happiness in this business is keeping your nose to the grindstone and not comparing yourself to anyone else.

Forget about Nora Roberts and her millions of fans and that she writes so fast that they have her writing under two pen names and she re-releases books every month from Harlequin just to keep her contract in effect. I don't envy her life for anything. Or many of the New York Times Best Selling authors.

I don't want to give up my life for the moment. I have to work and long for the day I could just write, but that day may never come and even if it did, I still have jobs that will never go away. I will always be a mommy, and a wife. I can't imagine life being so different that would allow me to be Nora rich, so that I could have a housekeeper or a nanny or any of that.

But in the end isn't your life what you make of it? Write because you love it and live life so you can write about it. Stop being petty and jealous and just enjoy what you have. It's too short to look back and regret anything about it.

Those ultra famous authors we love to compare ourselves and hence our writing with didn't get in this business becuase they expected to get rich, and they didn't stay in it because they loved the money. It's hard work and harder work to stay on top, but they did it first and foremost because they loved telling stories. They do it so well, because they didn't think about he results night and day, just getting the words right.

I am writing this to remind myself and others, we all have our ups and downs. Some days we may be able to write 20 pages and others would be lucky to get out two words. It can all be very depressing when you need to produce so many pages a day to make contract obligations or fulfill promises. However it isn't the word count that really matters, but the quality and our own happiness level.

My average of two pages a day doesn't begin to compare to Nora Roberts or many of my friends at the moment, but it is all I can do to do that much. Seeing my kids is more imporatant at the moment. I can't help but think that when they grow up they won't care if their momma is a world famous romance writer, but they will always remember the time I could spend with them. It's all about priorities and yeah, I wouldn't mind being famous, or rich, or a future Nora Roberts, but I'm not and never will be. So am I jealous?

Not even close.

I love who and what I am right now. I am happy being a mom. I love being a storyteller, but I don't resent my choices and sacrificing to just be a mother to my children.

***Waves to Nora Roberts in case she just googled herself.