Was I naive or crazy?

 A writing community?

When I began writing, I knew it would be hard, and I would have more chance to fail than succeed, but I considered as an Indie Writer among other Indies if one did well the glory showed us all in a good light. 

What a jerk I was!

In only a few months, I learned, the hard way, there is NO writing community, it is dog eat dog for any scrap - and putting it politely, as Walter Winchell would say; "Be sure to step on as many fingers going up, because they'll be sure to kick your butt if you fall!"

That is the polite version, to transfer to common terminology, "Anybody will shit on you, if they feel they can gain by putting you down."

By the end of my tird year as a writer, promoter, I cut promoting other writers as nobody did me a favour. Several writers who gained from my help, didn't have the decency to even send a thank you note, or email.

One got a book contract for a series, another got a magazine contract from me writing good blurbs, and the man in Australia had his sales go from 20 a month to voer 200, what did I get? A feeling of ash in my mouth.