I spent the weekend at Boskone, the oldest science fiction and fantasy convention in New England. I love, love, love events like this one. I get to meet fellow fans of the genre, hang out with talented writers and artists, and share my own experience on panels and in workshops. I’ve met folks who’ve become friends, fans, and mentors, and I always learn something new.

At some point or another, I’m usually asked to share my most valuable piece of writing advice. I tell folks that the right advice resonates at the right time. The information I needed several years ago as baby writer is different than the mentoring I look for now as an author who has produced a body of work.

But, when put on the spot, I come back to this little gem - finish something. A half-finished manuscript will never become a book. Further, even if that finished manuscript never gets published, there’s great value in understanding the process of writing it and of seeing it through to completion. There’s great value in learning to write through the sticky middle, to keep at it when the shine has worn off, to understand how to end well.

This bit of wisdom transcends writing. Finish the season. Finishing the degree. Finish the race. Sometimes winning, publishing, or making the Dean’s List isn’t the point - it’s the fact that we got through and learned something valuable along the way. We made it through something challenging. We accomplished something. And now we know we can.