Thanks so much Karen. I love it when people say it's good timing--makes me feel plugged in to life's great story. 😉

MDavis I hope you see my comment to you above as well. I know it's discouraging! Surround yourself if you can with believers, and wickedly smart people who are a few steps farther down the path you want to travel. You'll get there!

Wow, MDavis, you DID go the distance with that note! Thank you!

But I agree, it's better to know so you can adjust expectation. At one point of discouragement along my own path I came across a multi-published author who told me the adage she'd heard, so similar to what Martha Graham would tell young dancers: it takes ten years to become a fiction author. At that point, nine years into my journey, I was getting "good" rejections and making significant relationships in the publishing world, and this author told me, "You're doing well. Right on track." That helps, right?

Dear Catherine, Sending you a 'thank you' from Kathmandu is hard today, for some reason. The point: one is NEVER told that it takes years to 'hone your skills...' and it does. Best, Mary Ann Davis

Thanks so much, Nina!