The Go Creative! Planning program for authors is an innovative creative planning program for writing and publishing books, from Orna Ross, novelist, poet, and founder-director of the Alliance of Independent Authors.
As somebody who writes and publishes fiction, poetry, and non-fiction books, as well as runs a busy non-profit, people often ask Orna how she does it all. Her answer always is: creative planning.
For a long time, Orna used this Go! Creative planning system for her own author-business, but in recent times, she's been helping a small band of authors with their own Go Creative! plans. Now, after the recent success of the Go Creative! Planning Program Kickstarter, this program can now be accessed by the wider indie audience.
What is the Go Creative! Plan?
Creative planning meets you where you are, then activates and directs your creative energies (in all their different aspects), so you can absorb the inevitable vagaries of the author's life, and steadily move towards where you want to go, confident that you're on the right path. The answers you need are inside you. Letting them speak to you is transformative.
The Go Creative! planning program:
- draws deeply on your creative passion and mission to emphasize the links between your values as an author, and the value you offer your readers
- recognizes that self-publishing authors must wear three very different hats: maker, manager, and marketeer
- focuses on profit, runs a pay-yourself-first policy, with a “money day” check-in twice monthly.
- sets creative intentions and tracks progress: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly.
- incorporates creative rest and play into your weekly plans as well as creative work.
- fosters creative joy in growth.
The Tools to Go Creative!
The Kickstarter has made it possible to bring these three important tools to authors, so they can map their journey, from where they are to where they want to be.
The Planning Workbook
The planning workbook helps you find what is it that you're actually looking to achieve. This might seem the most obvious step in planning, but it's a question many indie authors falter when answering. Once you know where you want to be, this workbook then helps you sketch out your onward journey.
The Quarterly Planner
The Go Creative! Program breaks down the year into quarters. Quarters are less daunting, yet long enough to achieve something substantial. These quarterly planners help you set your intentions in a way that suits your time and resources for a particular quarter.
Available to purchase on our bookstore at Selfpublishingadvice.org/QuarterlyPlanner
The Monthly Planner
Quarters can further be broken down into months. Granular tasks help our brains to focus so we're only doing one thing at a time. In the indie world, there is never a shortage of tasks that need to get done, but focusing on one allows you to give your 100% which reduces overwhelm and brings back the joy.
Available to purchase on our bookstore at Selfpublishingadvice.org/MonthlyPlanner
No matter where you are in your journey, you can engage with the Go Creative! Program on these varying levels:
Give it a Go Kit:
This is a quick start sample kit. It includes sample sections from the planners and workbook together with a video webinar. This video webinar is to get you started with Go! Creative planning.
The Complete set:
You can access the complete set of three full planners (workbook, quarterly, and monthly) instantly with an accessible PDF format. These PDFs are perfect if you like to download and print your own planners for disc or ring-folder binding. You will also have the option of choosing your color preference (full color or black and white) as you print. If you like putting together your own folders, this is the set you need.
Kickstart with me:
Three-Month Pro-Planning Program:
One-Year Master Planning Program:
This is a one-year creative planning program with Orna Ross. It'll be held online from January through December 2024. By the end of this program, you will be a master Go Creative! planner. You'll attend ten workshops (live or in replay), including an annual planning workshop for 2024. You'll attend these sessions armed with a complete workbook, four quarterly, and twelve monthly planners.