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Happy New Year 2014. My Creative And Writing Goals for 2014

OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn

Happy New Year 2014!

When the new year dawned just three years ago, in 2011, I was still an IT consultant, hating my job and dreading that first day back at work.

Things have changed so much for me, and I'm utterly grateful for the life I lead now. I don't take any of this for granted. I am a creative entrepreneur, writing, speaking and creating for my living. Happy times! I hope that you're feeling just as positive for 2014.

Here are my creative and writing goals for this year – I'd love you to share some of yours in the comments below.

(1) Stick with Plan A: Write more books and attract more readers

This is what's on my creative list for the year, although I'm not entirely sure of the order or how much I can realistically achieve 🙂

  • Publish non-fiction book on public speaking. It is in the final stages of proof-reading and will be out in Jan.
  • Delirium, crime thriller, next in the Jamie Brooke series. Sequel to Desecration.
  • ARKANE full-length novel #4 – themed around Kabbalah mysticism and Spain
  • Stand-alone crime thriller set around UK pilgrimage sites .. composting ideas right now, this may be epic …
  • Stand-alone thriller featuring O, a character from Desecration. Perhaps a novella.
  • Non-fiction book on creative entrepreneurship to underpin the new direction of the blog and also support my professional speaking
  • Screenplay for Desecration … this is a whole new direction but I can't get the idea out of my head
  • Post-apocalyptic novella … composting ideas … and I have this idea for a technothriller too

This goal includes assumes all the publishing and marketing aspects of publishing these books, which I basically count as ‘business as usual' work these days. This list is definitely too long for one year, but you gotta aim high, right!

I'm also assuming that I can speed up my process, and I'll be trying the ‘beats' writing technique outlined in Truant & Platt's Write, Publish, Repeat – a great book I recommend for all authors.

(2) Exploit more rights and focus on global territories

I've written in detail about rights exploitation and in 2014, I intend to get serious about mine!

  • Focus on translation. In 2014, I will have Pentecost out in German, Spanish and Italian through joint venture deals with independent translators. I am also looking to work with foreign rights agents and other translation professionals to expand the number of books available in other languages. Please do Contact me if you're interested in working with me on further translations.
  • Focus on specific foreign markets – India and Germany, Spanish for USA and other territories.
  • Produce my own audio of One Day In Budapest – podcast this for free as lead-in to the Audible audiobooks
  • Look at audio options for Jamie Brooke series. Potentially sell audio rights for Desecration, or produce through ACX and read it myself.

(3) Professional speaking

  • Move my professional speaking to the next level – in terms of income, audience size and topics covered. I am now a Member of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA) UK so I will be developing more in 2014.
  • Speak more internationally. Yes, I can speak all over the world! Please check out my speaking page if you know of any opportunities.

(4) Focus more on creative entrepreneurship on the blog, podcast and YouTube channel

As per the article on my 5th blog anniversary, I have shifted focus to being more of a graduate program in creative entrepreneurship. I'll be continuing to share my journey with:

 (5) Travel junkie

Cycling down the Western Ghats from Ooty into the tea plantations

Yes, I had two weeks cycling through India in 2013 – woohoo! But I want more 🙂 I added a travel goal halfway through 2013, so I thought I'd just get it out there. I ALWAYS want to travel!

Part of the reason I write is to dive down the rabbit hole of research, and my research involves visiting the places I write about, which in 2014 will include a little jaunt to Cordoba and Granada in Spain.

My brother is getting married in Toronto, so I'll be in Canada, and also hopefully NYC for Thrillerfest, but that is tentative at the moment. I'd love to visit somewhere new in the latter half of 2014, ideas to come on that … and of course, I want to speak internationally, see above.

OK, that's me. Please share your creative and writing goals for 2014 in the comments below. I'd love for us to be accountable together.

Image: Flickr Creative Commons champagne corks by summerbl4ck and globe by Bobot.

Tags: goal settinggoalsnew years resolutions
Joanna Penn:

View Comments (28)

  • Ok, here goes...

    1) Six episodes (20K words each) of Season One of my steampunk adventure series, Lady Jessica: Monster Hunter
    2) Three novellas (50K each) in my 'cosy crime' series set in 1950s Scotland
    3) Two novellas (30-40K) in my Victorian comedy pastiche series featuring Balfour Bryce McAlpin
    4) Start a podcast
    5) Edit, revise and proof the draft crime/serial killer novel I wrote last year
    6) Plot & outline the sequel to my teen adventure novel which I completed last year
    7) Brainstorm ideas for another novel, most likely a modern day thriller with some element of the occult/supernatural
    8) Continue to develop and train as a traditional oral storyteller
    9) Sleep (currently scheduled for October 2014...)

    Happy new year!

  • I'm hoping to get two books published in 2014. One about the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege (already started), and one other.

    I want to finish & publish a game that I've been ignoring for the past while.

    I'm also intending to be more efficient with marketing, and plan it better.

    I want to write some articles, especially one about the ZSU-23-4 Shilka (I named my publishing company after it, after all :) )

    I have a plan that will hopefully go live at the start of March, maybe earlier. I don't want to say any more about that, though ;)

  • I haven't planned any new year resolution in the last, what, ten years... but this one is different. I have recently resigned from one of my two jobs, in order to have more time to write (and to *live* in general). So, in no particular order:
    1 - revive my blog, but with posts also in English and not just in Italian
    2 - complete my first novel (1 of 3)
    3 - complete a few short tales that just need some editing and revision
    4 - think a lot about the best way to publish my novel (look for a publisher? self-publishing? in print? ebook? additional contents available on the web?)
    5 - build an author's platform
    6 - have a couple of short tales translated into English (from a professional translator) and make them available for free, just to "test" the reactions of different readers from the Italian ones.
    Enough for one year only, yes? :-)
    Happy new year everybody!

    • You're definitely going to have a busy year Valentina! But many of us here work on similar goals, and we are all progressing together - so welcome, and all the best for 2014.

  • Those are great goals. I like how focused they are (mostly production - need to create in order to succeed!) rather than being well-rounded, balanced life segments. I think you could do more traveling though along with the writing... spending a month in Thailand or Mexico can be great for cranking out novels.

    My goals:
    1. Finish 2 non-fiction and 3 novels (a Creativindie Manifesto, my book on revolutionary terrorism, and 3 books hitting the most popular genres: zombie romance, dystopia romance, and fallen angel romance)
    2. Finish my PhD
    3. Build passive income so I can spend more time writing.

    • I love your positivity Derek, and I know you'll have an amazing 2014 :) I'm looking forward to your manifesto, and fallen angel romance sounds interesting ... or what about fallen angel zombies??!
      On travelling, I would love to do a lot more. But my husband has a "real job" and is therefore subject to the vagaries of the leave schedule. Until I can liberate him from that with more income, we are constrained by time away, as I just can't do it without him. It wouldn't be fair :)

  • Happy New Year, Joanna!

    1. Write and publish #3 in the Mindspeak series and one other standalone or beginning of a new series.
    2. Write and publish a nonfiction book (details to come later).
    3. Blog and vlog more often. (Even while busy with the day job January through April-tax season.)
    4. Continue to tweet helpful links daily about the business of indie publishing.
    5. Work on getting the Mindspeak series translated.
    6. Produce audio of Mindspeak series, probably through ACX.

    Thanks, Joanna, for being such an inspiration in this creative world and teaching us all so much.

  • Love that you refer to Delirium as the next in a series - would love to see more Jamie

    And love the sound of more collaborations :)

    I'm going to be focusing on my speaking too this year, and taking that and my performing to the next level - I really am happiest in front of a crowd.

    Have a wonderful 2014 - really look forward to following your progress - and Jamie's, and O's!

  • Happy New Year Joanna!
    Reading your book on marketing, and planning to implement your advice.
    Will begin PODCAST reading my first book " Spirit Fellowship" Experiencing life in the presence of God.
    Will begin YouTube channel with spiritual teachings and interviews.
    Continue regular writing schedule.
    HOPE FOR THE BEST!

  • I can hear the excitement in your voice as you wrote this post! I love your enthusiasm. Can't tell you how excited I am that you're writing a public speaking book! I've been hoping you would as I plan to begin doing PS on a small scale this year and more in 2015.
    So, my plan:
    1. Finish preparing debut novel to publish mid-May
    2. Write a short story for newsletter giveaway
    3. Write sequel to debut, and two more stand alone novels
    4. Write 6-10 (depending on length) short stories for an anthology
    5. Write a non-fiction guide on a topic I can't yet reveal
    6. Lock in dates with several libraries for multi-author signings
    7. Taking a cue from Joe Konrath and planning drop-in signings at local indie bookstores - Indie stores will soon begin accepting indie books for their shelves - I plan to give them a good reason to do so and make it a pleasant and profitable experience for them in my town
    8. Learn the art of chocolatier-ing and of pairing wines with chocolate for research
    9. Continue to blog 4 times a month; schedule daily tweets; continue to start a conversation on facebook daily; continue to use images to draw readers to my pinterest book boards
    10. On weekends, continue to refurbish and paint old chairs and other small pieces of furniture; get out of the house and people watch, listen in on conversations and take weekend trips to new locales for creative inspiration.

    I'm excited you'll be traveling to my side of the Atlantic this year! If you're going to Thrillerfest, I'll try to go to - I look forward to saying 'hello' to you in person. I'm only two hours from NYC.

  • Excited to see the new direction you're taking the blog in! I look forward to seeing your e-mails hit my inbox. :)

    And yay! You're visiting my hometown of Toronto! Hope you enjoy the city!!

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