Mark Lefebvre, Director of Self-Publishing and Author Relations for Kobo is the host for this episode, and introduces a memorable clip from Episode 279 of The Creative Penn Podcast where Joanna Penn talks compares walking the 100KM "Race to the Stones" with writing.

In her talk, Joanna goes into the details regarding 9 Lessons Learned About Writing from Walking 100K in a Weekend:

Deadlines and specific goals help you achieve more
It’s good to have a goal, but training (and the journey) is the point
Stamina builds up over time with practice
You need a support team, but nobody can do the steps for you
There are fun parts, but some of it will be hell
Don’t compare yourself to others. The race is only with yourself
Follow the path others have set before you
It’s worth spending money to get the right gear
A lot of people give up along the way – persistence is the key to success

Mark then talks a bit about the beginning and end of the year as common goal-setting times for writers, and shares 5 of the bigger writing goals he had set for himself in 2016. He goes into detail, explaining the highs of meeting deadlines and goals, and the struggles with not achieving a goal (including his own 10 year struggle with getting his novel A Canadian Werewolf in New York published - he started working on it on a series from The Writing Show Podcast back in 2006) - something likely every writer faces.

Links of Interest from this episode

The Creative Penn Podcast

Episode 279 of The Creative Penn Podcast with Roz Morris

Joanna Penn's books on Kobo (About Writing)

Joanna's J.F. Penn novels on Kobo

KWL Episode 32 - Interview with Dan Rubinstein

The "Getting Published with Mark Leslie" episodes of The Writing Show

Mark's A Canadian Werewolf in New York on Kobo