Now that we can be fairly certain the world isn't coming to an end any time soon, we need to get some work done. Decisive Intent are my "creative" words for Strategic Planning, which sounds blah and reminds me of my former life.
It's important to think ahead, and to do that we have to understand where we've been, where we are now, and where we want to be in a year. This list is focused strictly on writing. Whether you're indie published, traditionally published, both, or wanting to be published, I think you'll find some value in exercising Decisive Intent for your career.
1. Have you clearly defined your goal as an author? Is it the same this year as it was last year?
2. What decisions have you made in 2012 that propelled you to your goal? What decisions have you made that didn't? This includes work habits, so don't pretend it doesn't.
3. What collaborations or groups have worked well for you? Which ones haven't? Are there some potential partnerships you'd like to explore?
4. How many books did you produce this year? Does that production schedule suit you or do you want to adjust it for 2013? If you want to increase your productivity, what has to happen to make that possible?
5. If you're writing a series, should it continue or should you begin a new one? If you aren't writing a series, should you?
6. Are your current business partnerships working well for you? This includes cover designers, editors, formatters, beta readers—as well as agents and publishers—anyone who is a member of your production team.
7. Did you invest in your continuing education last year? Did it pay off? What do you want to have happen in 2013 that will benefit your work?
8. Take a good look at your sales and expenses. I recently invested in QuickBooks and am able to see when a book becomes profitable. This also allows me to see more clearly what works and what doesn't. This is probably one of the best business tools you can give yourself as a writer.
9. What Kudos/Awards/Recognition/Milestones did you achieve in 2012? What do you want to achieve in 2013?
10. What social media options are really working for you? Which aren't? Is there something else that will allow you to reach your readers?
11. Do you need to expand or contract your publishing platforms?
12. Is your price point philosophy still sound?
13. Has your target audience changed?
14. Are you happy where you are right now? Are you writing in the genre you want? The amount you want? Are you happy being indie? Are you happy with your publisher? Is it all working for you and enhancing your life?
What else would you add?
My thanks to D.D.Scott and The Writer's Guide to E-Publishing for providing much of the content for this post.
