My work habits are an extension of
my study habits in college, but those were
an extension of the lessons I learned
being an enlisted man in the service,
and from high school coaches and art teachers.
1. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.
2. If you start a job, finish it. Nobody likes a quitter.
3. Don’t complain or make excuses. Suck it up.
We don’t need any more whiners or Alibi Ikes.
That’s about it. If you write several thousand words a day,
for decades, you will leave, willy-nilly, an oeuvre complète,
and somebody else will have to figure out what to do with it.
It won’t go away. Adversity is the jewel in the head of the toad.
You did something splendid. Maybe you’ll be recognized for it
after you are dead, if you’re lucky. Maybe you won’t. What difference
will it make to you then? What difference will it make to anybody?
Our civilization values money. You didn’t respect money.
What did you expect? I respected art for art’s sake.
I did it as a labor of love.