Quote wall: Colum McCann

On the bulletin board above my desk, I keep a handful of quotes that have taught me something, or that I hope to learn from.

Here's one:

You have to show up for work. You have to sit in the chair and fight the blankness. ... You have to put in the time. If you are not there, the words will not appear. Simple as that.

—Colum McCann, Letters to a Young Writer

Do the work, do the work, do the work. It really doesn't matter if it's good; do the work, and you'll get better.