Ensure the husband is more conversant on Word. That way he can do the LEM (Lay Eucharistic Ministers) schedule for the church and not have to ask me to do the typing. (I love him, but how did I manage to marry a luddite?)

Spent most of yesterday evening doing that and another newsletter, so find myself without anything witty to say. However, in the fun of working on the schedule, I did find the following among my files, which is an oldie but a goodie.

Ten Writer’s Commandments

1 ) Thou shall never forget to be thankful for days when the words flow, the idea clicks, the story breathes. Even when a month of Sundays separates them.

2 ) Thou shall be ruthless with “pretty paragraphs” that do nothing for thy manuscript.

3 ) Thou shall not organize thy paperclips nor color code file folders at the expense of writing.

4 ) Thou shall not open a second box of cookies to stave off rejection pains. One box is plenty.

5 ) Thou shall resist the temptation to call other writers hacks, even if they are.

6 ) Thou shall find the lesson to be learned in everything that is published, and especially in every draft you write.

7 ) Thou shall not beat thy head against a blank page. Write “The” and go from there.

8 ) Thou shall take comfort in other writers, knowing even Stephen King and Nora Roberts have once thought “Mine work is holy crap.”

9 ) Thou shall not forget Character comes first – in thy books and in thy life.

10 ) Thou shall conquer fear and keep the business in perspective: A rejection Letter is nothing compared to A plague of locusts.