We can share our work and get valuable feedback. We can share anecdotes and frustrations about writing and publishing. We can share our trade reviews and either cringe, laugh, or celebrate together. We can talk about whether or not to read Goodreads reviews and how it’s helped or hurt us mentally.

Being in the same place career-wise helps. Many of my friends, some of which are Luckies, published around the same time as I did. How have you coped with the stress? Do you have activities, or friends, that have been particularly helpful? We all deal with bad reviews, manuscript rejections, changes in the industry, etc. Writing can be a lonely business with a lot of ups and downs. Instead of “Are you still writing?” or “When are you going to be published?”, now the questions are “Are you a best-seller yet?” and “When is your next book coming out?” No matter what, I need to block out the external noise and find satisfaction in the fact that I’m doing what I love doing. When, in reality, all it did was change the questions. In the beginning, I felt that being published would prove to my friends and family that writing was more than a hobby. To not worry about being “legit” because I’ll never feel that way. To not focus on an end result of publishing because that’s not where the most joy is. I’d tell myself to relax and enjoy the writing process more. I would go all the way back to where I started calling myself a writer.

If you could go back several years to give advice to your pre-published self, how far back would you go and what advice would you give? How might that advice change where you are, or what you’re doing, today? Kelly answered these questions on her writing journey: With multiple award nominations for her 2013 debut, 45 POUNDS (more or less), Kelly’s new novel is eagerly anticipated and just happens to be coming out on April 5th, the same day as my new book!!ĬHARLOTTE CUTS IT OUT, which Kirkus says “offers important lessons in self-realization and collaboration,” is destined to be another beloved book, especially for teens struggling to forge their own path amid the competing pressures of family, friends and romance. Today we welcome Kelly Barson to the Lucky 13 Then and NOW Blog series.

45 pounds by ka barson