Getting published is a wild ordeal. Let’s forget, for just a moment, the wacky adventure that writing a book can be… once you’re done with that, you’ll find yourself at the beginning of a path, not at the end. And where you want to go is over the horizon and out of sight. What you can see is hoards of people heading in that direction, many of them crawling, some of them prone–unmoving.

Joining you at the beginning of that journey are a few happy travelers not yet broken by the grueling trek. The ecstatic ones, you can hear them yelping from over the horizon. Their joy will give you strength at first, but soon they’ll become a mystical enemy that you secretly loathe. Most of your fellow hikers, you’ll notice, are sobbing to themselves, trying to figure out how they went wrong and which direction to head next. So many aspiring authors and yet so few agents and publishers willing to take a chance, now more than ever.

I’m still close enough to the beginning of my own journey that I can count my footprints. I’m no expert, that’s for sure. But I’m addicted to the process, the emotional roller-coaster. And I want to hear from others that are going through the same ordeal. I want to have a place where we can swap stories, advice, contacts and help each other out.

To that end, I’ve created a thread in the forums where any aspiring writer that wants to chat about what they’re going through, or needs some help, can drop in and feel welcome. Just click here to join in.