Who: Joanna Penn
Claim To Fame: Joanna Penn is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers under J.F.Penn and also writes non-fiction for authors. She’s a podcaster and an award-winning creative entrepreneur. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com has been voted in the Top 100 sites for writers by Writer’s Digest.
Where To Find Joanna: Her Website, Amazon, Twitter, Instagram
When and where do you like to write? Are you the same-thing-every-day kind of writer or can you write anytime, anywhere?
I love traveling and am often away for book research, but I definitely need routine to write. I have a certain desk at a local cafe here in Bath, UK, and when I’m working on a book, I’m there from 7am and work for a few hours before heading to yoga or spin class. Then I book a room in a local co-working space for a few hours in the afternoon during first draft phase.
I have a desk in my home office but I use that for marketing and business activities. I find that I need to write fiction especially in a different physical location.
Do you have any pre-writing rituals or habits that you do before you sit down to write?
Going to a separate physical space is one ritual, but I also listen to Rain and Thunderstorms on repeat. As soon as I hear the sound, I know I’m there to write. I have an offline album but also use RainyMood.com as an app on my phone where you can adjust the levels of rain, thunder, and birdsong. I also drink a lot of black coffee!
What do you do on days when the writing doesn’t come easy? Do you struggle at all with that dreaded enemy of writing: writer’s block? Do you think such a thing exists?
I’m currently writing book 28 and it’s still not easy! Simple — just get black on white — but not easy.
If I’m struggling for words, I will often go back to research because my story ideas often come from real-world places, objects, or books. I also set deadlines and word count goals, so I work towards those during first draft phase, or pages edited when I’m further in.
I’m also a full-time writer, so this is my job. There were many days back in the corporate world when I didn’t feel like doing something, but I did it anyway. I have that same attitude now. I’m paid to write words, so I need to keep writing them, or I will have to go back to that old day job to pay the bills — and I certainly don’t want to do that! So writing for me is a constant balance between art and business. It has to be both to be sustainable for the long term.
You have that interesting challenge of balancing fiction and non-fiction writing. Do you find that your routine varies for each?
Not really. I still need to create that first draft and then go through the editing process. I love writing both. Non-fiction is a great palate cleanser between fiction projects and helps people in a different way.
Deciding on an idea to pursue writing about can be the most challenging aspect for a writer. How do you come to the point of ‘this is something I need to write about’?
As I write these words, I’m surrounded by notebooks. I’ve been journaling for 30 years, mainly in Moleskine or Leuchtturm journals and they are filled with ideas that have not been expanded on or taken as far as a book … yet!
I also have an Evernote folder full of links and useful articles, plus a folder on Things app on my phone with ideas and quotes. I keep filling the creative well, and I get everything out of my head onto the page even if it’s just one line. But when an idea keeps coming back, or something ‘feels’ big enough to commit to a whole book on, I will investigate further.
For example, I recently started a new podcast, Books And Travel, which has enabled me to start writing a travel memoir in public based on my many journals. I know that will turn into a book. For fiction, I was recently in Amsterdam and visited the Portuguese synagogue, which I know will feature in my next ARKANE thriller because the Portuguese empire has huge potential for a modern-day adventure.
You’re always writing and have published so much. What’s your secret to keeping that momentum?
I worked in the corporate world for 13 years, implementing IT systems and I was seriously miserable. My life felt pointless and everything I did disappeared as new systems overwrote what I had done, new Managers changed direction and all the money I made inevitably disappeared. The years passed and I had little to show for my life and my creativity shriveled up into nothing.
When I decided to change my life and become a writer, I decided to measure my life by what I create. So every year, I focus on writing books and (hopefully) delivering great value to my readers.
Every time I put another book on my shelf, I can say, “I made this!” I have something creative to show for my time, and I even get paid for it these days, which makes me super happy! I truly love the creative life and there’s so much more to write and so little time. That keeps me motivated.
You’ve interviewed hundreds of writers on The Creative Penn Podcast. What have been some of your greatest takeaways?
I’ve been podcasting for 10 years now and I continue to do the show because I still learn things every week. I started writing fiction because of an interview on writer’s block in 2009. I realized that I had hemmed myself in thinking I should write literary fiction when I really love thrillers, and that realization changed my life.
I’ve also learned the power of voice for connecting with people and that the spoken word can change people’s lives just as much as the written word. My podcast has been downloaded more than 3.2 million times in 215 countries, which is a far greater reach than my books are likely to have. So, the act of creation for me now includes audio.
What are the best pieces of writing advice that you’ve ever received or read? The worst?
Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird is a fantastic book for writers and contains great advice around writing a “shitty first draft.” Like many avid readers, I thought that writers magically streamed a finished book onto the page and I had no idea about the editing process before I started writing myself. The truth is that your first draft of your first book will likely be terrible — and that’s okay because you can self-edit and then work with a professional editor to make it better later on.
The worst piece of advice is probably ‘write what you know,’ because that is seriously boring most of the time. I prefer ‘write what you’re curious about,’ because you need to keep learning and expanding your life in order to have a long term writing career and still love the creation process along the way.
What books or writers have most influenced the way you think and the way you write?
I read 3-5 books per week in ebook, print and audiobook formats on all kinds of topics and in different genres for fiction. I’m always reading so it’s hard to say what influences me the most!
I would recommend a few other books for writers. I like Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert for inspiration, On Writing by Stephen King for long term creative advice, and Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield for mindset.
My fiction side is most influenced by Dan Brown for opening up the market for conspiracy thrillers, Stephen King for tapping into my dark side, John Connolly for an edge of the supernatural, and Laini Taylor for fantasy.
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