Zen in the Art of Writing

Ray Bradbury’s book is actually a collection of previously published essays, pulled together under one roof. Some of the essays were originally book intros while others were published in other books or magazines.I purchased the book without reading the advertising blurb, seeking to learn secrets from one of my favorite authors. Alas, one of the most prolific and descriptive writers is extremely mundane in his advice to aspiring writers. In short, WORK, RELAXATION, DON’T THINK (caps are Mr. Bradbury’s). Obviously, work is the operative word here, and if you haven’t already been writing on a regular basis, he suggests one to two thousand words a day, every day, for the next twenty years. Have an initial goal of one short story a week, fifty-two a year. What does Mr. Bradbury believe this will bring about? “…I believe that eventually quantity will make for quality.”So if the book is not a teaching manual, why should one purchase it?Fans of Ray Bradbury will enjoy the intuitive methods he used to create his stories and books. It was interesting to see how everyday events could produce a spark that he would turn into something wonderful. Writers reading between the lines will learn that each writer must discover his own road to creativity. Mr. Bradbury can point in the right direction, but it is each prospective author’s duty to forge his or her own way.Along the way, the author shares with us his experiences as he worked his way into becoming a writer as well as the people who helped and shared and celebrated those success with him. Very enjoyable read. Five stars.

This book reminds me of another book that I enjoyed. That being "On Writing" by Stephen King. It's sort of funny. When I first read "On Writing" I knew nothing of Stephen King's writing, I had not yet read any of it. It was a strange thing to read an author's book on writing without ever having read any of that authors actual writing. Be that as it may, I really enjoyed it. And now I've done it again.This is, strangely enough, my first Ray Bradbury book. As was the case with King's book however, it didn't detract from the experience. You can sense from this book Bradbury's passion behind his writing, just as you could King's. This is a man who has spent his lifetime writing because it's what he loves to do. So naturally he has written a book about that writing. I have a feeling that, just like King, this little book will propel me forward into Bradbury's writing and that I have some wonderful future-experiences ahead of me.

Ray Bradbury will remain among my favorites. This collection of some of his essays share the themes of love of art, especially the art of writing, and memoir. His purpose is to inspire beginning writers by describing his method as he recounts the history of some of his major works. This reads beautifully and I'm lost with the author in his daydreams of revisiting Clarissa, Montague, Faber, and The Mechanical Hound (which he based on The Hound of The Baskervilles, he tells). He emphasizes the importance of zest, passion, and the need to "be you" in finding your voice. At nine, he tore up his collection of Buck Rogers comics when taunting peers found him out. Heartbroken, he "sealed his own city" and resolved never to call prey to detractors. "If your friends don't support you, find new friends." This early experience never left him as it is mentioned several times throughout. It is fortunate for the readers of this world that, by sheer exercise of optimism and belief in his talent (helped along the way by Mr. Electrical and others

Ray Bradbury is on of the foremost American writers in America, who better to help the writer learn his craft then one of the masters. I could say that it all happened when he was a small boy collecting Buck Rogers’s comics and then to be considered normal he ripped them u and threw them away. This was a sin against his soul, something he deeply regretted. So the young boy rebought the comics and decided to stay true to himself. Smart decision.The true writer must stay true to himself and find his own voice. The writer must live life to the fullest. For the writer cannot be a good writer if he or she does not live life to the fullest. He or she must have gusto and zest and it will infect his or her writing. Or should I say it will infuse his or her writing.The writer by requirement to survive must write every day. Some writers will write a whole story in one day. Other writers will do only a few pages. The main thing is to write. Like any other art and in this I do consider sports and dance art forms, it must be practiced every day. Writing everyday does not only make the writer better at his or her craft but rather writing cleanses the writers mind.Along the way through these easy to read and equally entertaining chapters, Ray Bradbury will tell you about his writing experiences and over several good tidbits on how to boost creativity. One thing a writer must realize is that short stories or poems can become novels. Novels can turn into screenplays. Just because your work is rejected by one publisher does not mean it will not be accepted by another publisher. Remember you are not a failure at writing until you stop writing. Ray suggest writing every day even if you end up trashing 4/5 of what you write that one fifth is what will make it.A couple of techniques that the beginning or struggling author might find useful are word lists and realizing that your characters are really alive. The word list is nothing more than a word association. You write down a word on a piece of paper and after you get enough of them start writing your own story. Don’t worry the subconscious will feed the rest . It is good to remember that when writing you should immediately write down your story. Just spit it out. Do not worry about editing or correcting the words just get the story out . Another technique is to create or discover the character and let the character run. Your character will run forward and write the story for you. All the aspiring author has to do is just narrate what was seen in the minds eye.Poetry and screen writing have a lot in common. Whereas the novelist strive to write the word but ow sot need to condense words or turn a paragraph into a picture. As writer he was frustrated when he had to condense his writing by to thirds but it was done and it was a success. Poetry is a picture contained in a stanza or paragraph.Writing is Zen. The author must find their voice and not be an imitation of others. There is only one you just like there is only Shakespeare. Do not write for money but rather work , don’t think and relax.

I'm not saying this book is bad, but rather it turned out to be a lot less useful than I was hoping. Here are my few scattered thoughts:1. The essays here span several decades, and yet Bradbury's writing style and tone of voice don't tend to change much. I guess he settled on his voice early on and it just stuck.2. He talks about his own novels a lot - where the inspiration came from, what it was like to write the story - but he does so with the right modest:humblebrag ratio. In other words, it doesn't grate.3. There's not a lot of highly usable info here. The central point is this: write more and you will get better. I'm not sure I agree. While it's true that the more you write, the better you will get at writing more, I think without feedback you might find that the writing is simply never improving. There's just more of it.4. Bradbury lived in a time that has vanished - writers don't get the opportunities he had, and while he certainly worked to achieve his success, the path was not strewn with the obstacles that the writer of today must somehow get past.5. Boy, he really wanted to get his poetry published somewhere! I didn't read much of it - I'm a poor judge of anything more free-form than a sonnet - but how this ended up here is a mystery.So should you read this book? I picked it up for a few dollars, and it was probably worth the read. It motivated me to write, so there's that to go in the plus column, if nothing else.

Ray Bradbury was one of my earliest writer heroes. I read a lot of his work when I was a teenager and young man. Along with Asimov, Clarke, Aldiss, Heinlein and Wyndham he was one of the authors who created my love of science fiction.I hadn’t come across this collection of essays aimed at other writers in the genre until a couple of weeks ago, when I happened on a post on the blog, ‘Books: Publishing, Reading, Writing’, about the blogger’s rereading of Zen in the Art of Writing. I was at once inspired to buy a copy.More importantly, as a writer, I was inspired to read it. Ray Bradbury’s work is poetic, exciting, evocative, enthralling. So I assumed his ideas on writing would be as rewarding, and I was right.The book consists of a series of dated essays that recount his experiences, influences, motivations and encounters as a writer. You will not find advice on technique or marketing, language or grammar, story structure or characterisation in these pages, although some of these topics are tangentially referred to along the way. This is a book about what it is to be a writer, what drives that urge to put words on paper, what matters to the author.I’ve been writing fiction in various forms for more years than I care to consider. Without knowing it, I’ve approached my writing in the same way that Ray Bradbury approached his, except I lacked the luck to be writing in America at the time he started. It was the golden age of science fiction, when the reading public suddenly began to understand that science fiction, far from being a genre for kids who liked comic books, was and is actually a field full of ideas, questions and possible solutions. I was interested to note that Ray advises his readers of this book to acquire a copy of another of my favourite writing books; ‘Becoming a Writer’ by Dorothea Brande. Along with the more recent work by Stephen King, ‘On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft’, these are the only books I urge would-be authors to read before they attempt their first work.Reading this book has re-ignited my early enthusiasm for writing. Not that I ever lost the urge, but that, over the years, the motivation can dim a little. Ray’s words of wisdom, written in his effortlessly poetic style, empower authors with his idea that the prime emotion you should feel when writing is excitement. If you feel this, the reader will be infected with the same exhilaration. And, it’s true. The emotional state of the writer seeps onto the page, no matter what the scene describes, how the character feels. It is the writer’s state of mind that creeps into the mind of the reader. That’s why honesty is fundamental to good fiction. Any attempt to dupe the reader with an author’s false feelings will seep onto the page and undo that effort.I’m so pleased I came across this book. I wish I’d read it earlier. It’s good to know that, instinctively, I’ve been following Ray Bradbury’s advice and suggestions for much of my writing life, but reading this book has inspired me to renew my approach to the work of the author, to make sure I enjoy the work and pass on my enthusiasm to my readers. Thank you Ray Bradbury. I’ll now revisit your back catalogue and find the works of yours I didn’t read as a young man and see how many I can read now that I’m older.

I loved this book. I did a dreadful creative writing course in 2003 which destroyed my confidence and desire to write. This book is about writing as a creative expression of the self. That sounds rather woolly which the book most definitely isn't. It is packed with excellent examples of Bradbury's writing and guidance for the aspiring writer. If you want to write quality fiction or just enjoy writing this is for you.

I really enjoyed this ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at how Ray Bradbury viewed his life as a writer. Based on essays written over a period spanning three decades, it was full of insights and anecdotes. Interesting too, that it reveals how some aspects of a writer’s life has changed over that time, and how others have altered very little.This is very much a book about Bradbury’s unique interpretation of what made him tick as a writer. However, although it may not be laid-out in the format of a guide to writing, I found it brimming with ideas on how to approach everything from note-taking, to coping mechanisms when one’s muse chooses not to play fair. In fact, the chapter dedicated to handling a muse, with its somewhat whimsical look at the psyche of a writer, was my favourite.Another of the delights of this book, is that Bradbury is generous both in his praise of the writers he admires, and doesn’t hesitate to recommend specific books. His honesty and enthusiasm regarding the highs and lows of his experience of a writer’s lot, are refreshingly explained without any hint of guile, or bile!A book that I read in an evening, but one that I have no doubt I’ll re-visit at some point. A very good read.

Ray Bradbury's non-fiction is as enchanting and mesmerising as the best of his fiction. "Zen in the Art of Writing" is a superb example. This book blends personal history, thoughts and reflections on life, plus much motivational and practical advice to creative writers. It is (of course) very well written and a page-turning read. Highly recommended for aspiring writers and for those who simply want to know more about Bradbury, the man.