head down and write

My son has a make-up writing test today.

He had some trouble with it yesterday. I told him that when he gets distracted he needs to just keep his head down and write.

It's pretty good advice.

There is nothing harder than to write when you don't feel like writing. There are no words, nothing seems interesting, no new insight exists, but still....you must write.

Many authors talk about the tenacity, the persistence as the quality that really separates known writers from absent ones. While I have little desire to be known, I do have a desire to be excellent.

I saw this documentary about a photographer recently who was completely unknown until after she died and all her work come out, by chance. She was amazing and her quality and quantity of work, inspired. But she didn't ever care about anyone knowing. She loved to take pictures. She just really loved it.

And I think about writing that way because there are so many moments when I don't love it, I don't feel like doing it. It is work, it is tedium. Do I love it?

I don't know.
I just know that for now, I am going to keep my head down.
And write.