S28E9 - The Habit of Finishing Your Work

Actually finishing a piece of fiction, especially something of novel length, is a great accomplishment. Many writers start out with grand ideas, but the inspiration eventually falters. They stop writing because the ideas aren't there anymore. The book is never finished. That is why it's important to build a habit of finishing your stories. Not just writing to "The End," but to stop editing and making constant changes.

Leigh has often said that finishing Toxic opened the floodgates for the rest of her books. It helped her realize she had both the motivation and ability to write an entire book, if only she would stop waiting around for inspiration to strike.

In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss habits you can build throughout your writing journey that can help you do what many writers have failed: finish writing a novel. These include things like setting deadlines, and creating a checklist so you can know when it's time to hand your book over to someone else, such as an editor or your readers.

First aired January 31, 2022.