Goodreads
Goodreads asked S.W. Hammond:

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

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.

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