Wolf wrote:

And how do you define a real writer?  (A *few* people?  Wanna see if I
can get over a hundred people on this list to say they like your stuff?)

and Hitomi-san answered:

Quite a number of ways.

Such as having a strong idea of language.

Concise form of writing ideas

No oversplurging.

Writing things they know about, and not hearing second hand.

Those that do a lot of research.

Hitmomi, I agree with everyone else. Your work is excellent and I wish 
you would allow yourself to admit it. And you have done something 
which most of the rest of us will never do. Get published. (and the 
last time I checked, the romance genre was considered fiction. ^_^)

And a person may have and do all of the things in your list above and 
still not be able to write worth squat. You have a gift for writing, 
whether you admit it or not.

I, for one, am looking forwards to anything else you choose to share 
with us.

Shannon