Ask the Author: S.W. Hammond
Answered Questions (4)
S.W. Hammond
Finish things. Finish what you start.
When I was younger, especially throughout my twenties, I had tons of ideas and started countless projects. I had so much energy and optimism when I’d begin, but eventually the drudgery of actually doing the work turned into me becoming easily distracted by new ideas or any other randomness that fell upon my desk. I started multiple bands, I’d start a new blog, I’d begin writing a book, I’d do a woodworking project—all of these things would get a ton of attention at first—but eventually I’d hit a snag. All I’d be left with was a bunch of half completed projects and stress—a feeling of being overwhelmed and foolish for never getting anything done. The more things you give-up on, the easier it becomes to give-up.
Looking back, I regret not focusing and finishing a few of the these projects. Ultimately, never finishing anything came down to mental weakness. The process of writing a book is very much like a marathon—the best advice I can give is to make sure that you truly love the journey, because releasing a novel is a long, long road. It took me 6 years to write and release The Final Book: Gods.
Commit to a project and finish it. There’s a great sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from finishing something—even if that something doesn’t go on to sell a bunch of copies or ever make it to print. The act of finishing becomes part of who you are—a character trait.
When I was younger, especially throughout my twenties, I had tons of ideas and started countless projects. I had so much energy and optimism when I’d begin, but eventually the drudgery of actually doing the work turned into me becoming easily distracted by new ideas or any other randomness that fell upon my desk. I started multiple bands, I’d start a new blog, I’d begin writing a book, I’d do a woodworking project—all of these things would get a ton of attention at first—but eventually I’d hit a snag. All I’d be left with was a bunch of half completed projects and stress—a feeling of being overwhelmed and foolish for never getting anything done. The more things you give-up on, the easier it becomes to give-up.
Looking back, I regret not focusing and finishing a few of the these projects. Ultimately, never finishing anything came down to mental weakness. The process of writing a book is very much like a marathon—the best advice I can give is to make sure that you truly love the journey, because releasing a novel is a long, long road. It took me 6 years to write and release The Final Book: Gods.
Commit to a project and finish it. There’s a great sense of accomplishment and pride that comes from finishing something—even if that something doesn’t go on to sell a bunch of copies or ever make it to print. The act of finishing becomes part of who you are—a character trait.
S.W. Hammond
There’s a few simple external things that, if kept in order, make creativity happen more fluid for me. For one, a clean and organized office.
Clear off your desk, pick up piles of papers / books, and reduce the clutter. This can also translate into the rest of your life as well—a dirty house or bathroom—there’s this weird little nagging voice in my subconscious that seems to suppress creative thought until my environment is organized. I must also mention, this didn’t come naturally to me at first. I’m not a neat freak or that type of person, but I did notice that when things were clean, I’d actually get to work a lot faster when I sat down. No 45 minutes of staring into space trying to get into the zone.
Next, and this goes along with the first, is atmosphere. To me, it’s really important to be comfortable and truly enjoy the location / surroundings where I write. Whether that’s next to a window with a view of tree, a spot filled with comic con art and toys, or your own writer’s sanctuary—a spot created just for your writing is a nice touch if you’re able. I’ve never been able to concentrate in a coffee shop or hotel lobby.
Exercise. A regular workout routine is super important for a few reason—most of them being the obvious. Exercise has tons of great affects on the brain. Beyond that, almost all of the greatest writers and and philosophers of the world walk. These kats could walk over 10 miles a day. One, there’s the exercise aspect and all of the goodness that it does for your brain, but second is that it’s sort of half meditative—a mindless place your thoughts go when engaged in repetition and exercise. Physical activity is freedom for the mind and it’s important to let it wander. The first 10 or 15 minutes I’m usually consumed by all my worldly troubles—bills I have to pay, something Gina said that got under my skin, upcoming social things I have to be a part of—but eventually all of that stuff fades. Worlds come alive or I’m able to navigate super complex paths of thought. In this space I work through writer’s block (see my other tip on that), character development, or get flooded with ideas for a brand new story.
In short, these little tricks may seem like a distraction from doing actual writing, but my productivity skyrockets when I can get into a routine and stay organized.
Clear off your desk, pick up piles of papers / books, and reduce the clutter. This can also translate into the rest of your life as well—a dirty house or bathroom—there’s this weird little nagging voice in my subconscious that seems to suppress creative thought until my environment is organized. I must also mention, this didn’t come naturally to me at first. I’m not a neat freak or that type of person, but I did notice that when things were clean, I’d actually get to work a lot faster when I sat down. No 45 minutes of staring into space trying to get into the zone.
Next, and this goes along with the first, is atmosphere. To me, it’s really important to be comfortable and truly enjoy the location / surroundings where I write. Whether that’s next to a window with a view of tree, a spot filled with comic con art and toys, or your own writer’s sanctuary—a spot created just for your writing is a nice touch if you’re able. I’ve never been able to concentrate in a coffee shop or hotel lobby.
Exercise. A regular workout routine is super important for a few reason—most of them being the obvious. Exercise has tons of great affects on the brain. Beyond that, almost all of the greatest writers and and philosophers of the world walk. These kats could walk over 10 miles a day. One, there’s the exercise aspect and all of the goodness that it does for your brain, but second is that it’s sort of half meditative—a mindless place your thoughts go when engaged in repetition and exercise. Physical activity is freedom for the mind and it’s important to let it wander. The first 10 or 15 minutes I’m usually consumed by all my worldly troubles—bills I have to pay, something Gina said that got under my skin, upcoming social things I have to be a part of—but eventually all of that stuff fades. Worlds come alive or I’m able to navigate super complex paths of thought. In this space I work through writer’s block (see my other tip on that), character development, or get flooded with ideas for a brand new story.
In short, these little tricks may seem like a distraction from doing actual writing, but my productivity skyrockets when I can get into a routine and stay organized.
S.W. Hammond
Creation. It's an incredibly Nietzschean sense of purpose that gives meaning to me and the universe. All acts of creation–whether it's writing or building something out of wood, coding, entrepreneurship, illustration, and so on–is the greatest achievement and blessing of mankind. Having the opportunity to express and fulfill this profound human ability through writing is my greatest joy in life.
I also really, really love my characters. I love the different universes I construct in my head–they make so much more sense than the actual world. It might be a little weird, but I love immersing myself in the perfection of design space. I use writing as a place to find true excitement and it acts distraction from my worldly troubles–or, perhaps, helps to abstractly work through them.
Again, it's the ability to create something any way that you want. It can sometimes be difficult to articulate all of the madness swirling within my mind, but there's no better feeling than arranging an infinite array of words in such a way that brings a tear to someone's eye. Giving emotions through something you've created is a great big circle of all the most meaningful things in life.
I also really, really love my characters. I love the different universes I construct in my head–they make so much more sense than the actual world. It might be a little weird, but I love immersing myself in the perfection of design space. I use writing as a place to find true excitement and it acts distraction from my worldly troubles–or, perhaps, helps to abstractly work through them.
Again, it's the ability to create something any way that you want. It can sometimes be difficult to articulate all of the madness swirling within my mind, but there's no better feeling than arranging an infinite array of words in such a way that brings a tear to someone's eye. Giving emotions through something you've created is a great big circle of all the most meaningful things in life.
S.W. Hammond
Someone once told me that the biggest reason you can't move forward in a story is because you're unable to make sense of the past. Something within the story needs to be reconciled.
If I'm experiencing some sort of writer's block, I usually use the opportunity to go back and rewrite. This helps me flush out logical inconsistencies within the dialog or plot, reengages my mind on the consequences of what's at stake at that moment in the story, and usually by the time the section is rewritten--I come out the other side on a roll.
If I'm experiencing some sort of writer's block, I usually use the opportunity to go back and rewrite. This helps me flush out logical inconsistencies within the dialog or plot, reengages my mind on the consequences of what's at stake at that moment in the story, and usually by the time the section is rewritten--I come out the other side on a roll.
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