Today, I’m saddened. After being a part of the Write On by Kindle community since 2015, Kindle announced it is closing the forum. Many say it was time, but I wanted to express how important a role it played for me.

I loved to write when I was younger.  As I entered adulthood, I had other responsibilities which took precedence over my writing.  Decades later (four to be exact) I received an email from Amazon Kindle about a new website they were developing.  I went online to check it out and began to read some of the posted stories.  Reading the stories and comments left by other writers and readers inspired me, I knew I needed to take a chance.

I began to write Exodus.  It took ten months to write, proofread, revise and edit.  In August of 2016, I self-published my first novel on Kindle.   During the months I wrote I also messaged back and forth with various authors helping them proofread and suggest possible edits of their works in progress just as they had helped me.  Without their support, I wouldn’t have gone through the steps it took to finish the book.

Encouragement between writers played an important role in the forum.  I learned to take constructive criticism with more grace than I would have before I was a participant in the forum.  While writing and rewriting paragraphs and chapters, I discovered I was my greatest critic.   Through this journey on Write On, I have become a better writer.

It saddens me to know this forum will not be available for others in the future.  Yes, there are other forums, but Write On was special.  The bonds we’ve formed with our fellow indie authors will hopefully last.  The books we have written are proudly published on Amazon so others can enjoy them.

I may never be a best-selling author, but it’s nice knowing my book has entertained those who have read it and hopefully will for years to come.