I recently had a discussion with one of my writer buddies who was asked to write a novel outside of his usual norm. He was torn. The money was good, but the genre not necessarily one he had a passion for. Still, he was convinced he could suck it up and write to the market.

To which I say, "Uh, nope. Not gonna work, buddy."

Why would I say such a thing? That's not something an encouraging little cheerleading friend would say. But here's the dealio . . .

First off, I look horrible in a mini-skirt, and the plastic string thingees in pom-poms make me break out.

But more importantly, that lack of the writer's excitement about the genre is going to show up in the story, no matter how great he writes. Readers can tell when an author is invested whole-heartedly or not.

This idea (I'll call it the Griep Theorem, mostly because I can) isn't just for writing books, mind you. It applies to any creative endeavor. If you're not excited about a particular task, it will turn out " meh."

And life's just too short to waste your time on meh.

So go forth and pursue your passions, people! But be safe out there. I wouldn't want you to catch a disease or something.