My friend Rosa Pedersen directed me to this wonderful essay. Jennifer Crusie, well-known romance novelist, discusses the parallels between getting published and getting married. A quote:

Publication, like marriage, is indeed a fine institution, but anyone who says, “My goal in writing is to be published” is making the same mistake as the woman who said, “My goal in living is to be married.” Writing and living are about us, about who we are and what we want, about satisfying our needs as individuals, about listening to our hearts. Please note, I am not saying give up publication (or marriage) entirely; I’m saying give it up as a goal.

Check out the full essay–it’s short. (“National” is the Romance Writer Association’s yearly conference.)