To write or not to write

I'm a technical writer, have been for more than fifteen years. I can interview an engineer about a product or process, review engineering drawings and designs, organize the thoughts and produce an article suitable for publication in a trade journal. I've done this many times, with great success.

So why in the world do I have this nagging desire to write fiction?

I know how it all started. Fan fiction. Where the readers are undemanding and will praise almost anything. Except, of course, if you put your heroine with the wrong hero. Then watch out for the cursing and nastiness. But for the most part fan fiction readers are easy to please.

So now I find myself with the beginnings of an original romance novel. The ideas have been tumbling around in my head for months and this week I'm putting pen to paper--okay, really fingers to keyboard--and beginning.

It's agony.

Do I really want to do this? I'm ambivalent. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

One of my writing buddies referred me to an article by author Stephen Bergman, Five Laws of the Novelist. Rule Five says there is only one reason to write... only write if you can't not.

Can I not write? That's my question of the decade.

We shall see.