New Year’s Resolutions 2014

2013 was a billboard year for achieving my goals and I am going to push myself even further this year. I’ve lined up ten resolutions. I tend to avoid the cliche ones that people tend to fail. I’m not going to join a gym and I’m not going to get out of debt but I am setting up a number of things to assist me going forward. They are:
Publish The Stamp Collective.
Finish a first draft of Devillenerve.
Write three books.
Record 12 EPs.
Write and record a rap album.
Save money.
Find somewhere to live.
Get fit for Peru.
Research family tree.
Blog at least once a week.

The Stamp Collective is a novel I am in the process of re-drafting. It’s my favourite piece of writing to date and one way or another I’m going to get it out there this year. I’ve sent it to a number of agents and am waiting on feedback. If they aren’t willing to take me on from that then I’ll submit my other works in progress later in the year. If that occurs I will self publish The Stamp Collective and hopefully have a little launch party for it.
Devillenerve is a sitcom I have joked about writing with my wife-to-be Jocasta since around 2007. He won’t get it done. He’s my Antfleck.
Last year I wrote three books; The Stamp Collective, Yallah! and Sue Key. This year I need to write another three. A very smart young man recently told me that it takes most entrepreneurs seven attempts before their idea gets aloft. If that’s what it takes then that is what I will do.
In October I had the brilliantly stupid idea of 12 in ’14 where I would record an EP every month for a year. Each EP will be themed to the month and I am setting myself the rule that it must be at least three tracks, feature one entirely new composition and one cover. The rest is open to interpretation as we move through 2014. It’s going to really test my time and patience but I’ve started on January and really hope I can see it through.
I joked about recording a rap album but I would genuinely love to do it. I know James wants to get involved with it as a project and there is the possibility of The Shoe Brothers making an appearance at Flopsfest this year so it is on the cards.
I really do need to save some money. This goes hand in hand with finding somewhere to live. Unfortunately I can’t live with my old man forever, as much as he would like me to. I need to rent a flat above a shop, having already cut my hair and got a job and therefore fulfilling the prophecy laid down by Cocker in the Britpop wonder-hit Common People. It’s going to be brilliant and also very hard work.
Getting fit for Peru is going to be hard. You can’t prepare for altitude in the same way I could prepare for the heat I knew I would have to face in the Sahara. I just hope I am not one of those people who is badly effected by it. Generally I just need to make sure I go walking a lot, and continue to run, as well as my usual bits of yoga to keep on a level.
Since being contacted by extended family in Amsterdam/Holland I have a renewed interest in my family name and my family tree. I would love to know more about what makes me the person I am. I think it is fascinating.
Although I do try to blog I need to start doing it more often. I’m going to try and come up with a weekly blog where I get an idea down, something that has been bothering me, something interesting. I’ll set a day when I am due to do this by. I’ll be my own editor chasing it.

That’s it. There’s nothing urgent in there. I can just assimilate.

Here is to a cracking 2014 though. Let’s make things happen.