Customer Reviews

Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity

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Ray Bradbury is my favorite author. So much so that I named my Scottish Fold cat "Bradbury" in honor of him.

And it's all because of books like this.

Zen in the Art of Writing is classic Bradbury: the crisp, short sentences, the vivid mental imagery, the amazing insights into his own writings -- all of it. This book uplifts me, moves me and fills me with awe.

It is, without a doubt, the best book on writing I have ever read.

Why? Because what he shares seems as pertinent to me as if he wrote it FOR me. Example: Page 17. One day, he discovered that his story titles were nothing more than a list of nouns, such as The Lake. The Night. The Monster. The Town Clock. The Carousel. The Crowd.

Such simplicity. Yet, after reading this book I found myself creating my own mental list of titles the same way. Suddenly, just about anything seemed ripe for a story, and infused with some hidden, dark meaning.

The Man on the Corner. The Empty Room. The Ten Foot Oak Tree. The Noise in the Basement. The Tea Leaf. The Knight and the Bishop.

I don't know why it works for me, but it does. Each of those "titles" (that I just came up with as I'm writing this) could be fleshed out into a story. For some reason, when I see things as nouns, my imagination is uncorked and I begin to feel the urge to explore the thoughts invoked.

Try it sometime.

Another example: The chapter "How to Keep and Feed a Muse." Priceless. Magical. He shares ways to awaken the sleeping giant within...and set pen to paper with stellar results.

If you're a writer, you need this book. If you're a lover of Bradbury, you need this book. If you just want to know how one of the 20th century's most lauded authors achieved that status, you need this book.

I re-read Zen in the Art of Writing whenever I feel my muse begin to slip away like a wisp of fog caught by a sudden breeze. And she returns to me. Grudgingly, perhaps. But she returns.

I believe this book could do the same for you.

Ray Bradbury takes you on mind journeys into his past, and perhaps into your future. He treads on the edge of reality, sneaking glances over the precipice, knowing that to jump means to fly.

I bought this book in Miami Beach. I picked it from among other writing-related books when I opened it and saw a chapter entitled "Drunk, and in Charge of a Bicycle."

This book is not about writing mechanics or technique. It forces you to face two absolute requirements for being a writer:

(1) You must love to write and do it every day, and

(2) You must use your own voice.

According to the author, the desire for fame, money, or literary elitism is as useless as a computer without software. (I would suggest that it's more like a program without a computer. Whatever.)

The last chapter, and the concluding poems, are inspiring. Mr. Bradbury knows that writers despise untruths. I finished his book in two evenings. When I put it down I said, "Yeah." Next morning I would be up dark and early. Writing is hard. Everything else is harder.

If you've ever wondered, "Why aren't people more passionate about their work?" then you've never read 'Zen in the Art of Writing.' Whether or not you happen to like Ray Bradbury's work, you can't dispute his passion for writing, which is evident from page one.

Bradbury (who turns 82 this year) is a writer of enormous output. In this series of essays, the author lets us in on many of his secrets, but the bottom line is this: If you love what you do, and are excited about it, nothing can stop you. Much of Bradbury's writing is connected with his childhood experiences and memories, which allows him to jump into writing like a kid jumping into a swimming pool on a hot summer day. Bradbury recounts many of his writing experiences and influences in the book and they are all fascinating. I can't imagine any writer (or lover of stories) who would not enjoy this book. It can be read in an afternoon, but savored for a lifetime. Thank you, Mr. Bradbury, for a real treasure.

There are two books on writing that truly inspire me: this one and Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block. I keep them both at hand, and when my passion flags, I pick one of them up and read it, and they refuel my flame.

This is really a collection of essays, mostly from introductions to other books. However, don't let that detract from their message. To write you must, simply, write. Write until it hurts, and don't stop just because you feel insecure.

Bradbury's style won't work for everyone. He uses free-association to begin his stories. He simply types a word and goes from there. Not all of us can do that, but his passion and love for his work comes through the pages. He also encourages writers to find their own voice through practice, and to write until grammar and story structure become unconscious.

This is a relatively quick read and one that will remain with you long after you finish it.

"Now, go, and do likewise."

I just recently picked up a copy of this book and having read others like "Writing Down The Bones" by Goldberg and "Becoming A Writer" by Brande. What I found interesting was that what you find being said in many of the other books nowadays was already discovered by Bradbury back in the mid 1960's. His essays are 'to the point', without all the fluff in-between.

In my opinion, this is a must read for every writer or would-be writer. Even if you've read every other book out there about writing, it would be well worth reading this one too.

This collection of essays is the most helpful "how-to" book on the market. There are great ideas from the start. For example, create a character, give him his own fears and hopes, let him loose, and follow as quickly as you can. That is how you create a story. Thank you Ray Bradbury.

Read enough books or quotations about writing and you're sure to think it's one step below breaking rocks or ditch digging as a profession. Nothing's always fun, but come on! Bradbury's approach brings a certain spirit of joy and sometimes even yes--fun--to what can sometimes be a solitary, difficult line of work. The guy's created about thirty books and umpteen articles, poems, and a few screenplays. He must be doing something right.

Some writer's have produced a fraction that at a cost of sometimes great misery. Hey, whatever works for you, right? Personally I'd be willing to produce a few less books and have some enjoyment of the process of writing and marketing them. After all, most writers aren't going to make a lot of money for all their solitary creative efforts, so why not come away with at least some enjoyment out of the writing process? But Bradbury believes your sense of joy will infect your readers and make them want to return to the well for more. It certainly worked for him.

Also recommended: On Writing by Stephen King (sometimes hilarious and sometimes profound--if you can deal with a dash of salty language he throws in for effect) and If You Can Talk, you Can Write.

This book is like getting a transfusion. Not of blood, but of Ray Bradbury's enthusiasm. His motto was "Exactly one-half terror, one-half exhilaration." Well, this book takes out the terror of writing, and leaves us with pure exhilaration.

Even if you are not a writer, you may want to get this book just for Bradbury's zest.

This book is a tight tapestry of several ideas. It is part autobiographical, with the story of him ripping up his Buck Rodger's comics because his friends (like Job's friends) mocked him. Later he ripped up his friends as he stood strong for his conations and returned to his true bliss.

Bradbury also retells the story of his meeting Mr. Electrico at the carnival. Besides being the basis of "The Illustrated Man" and "Something Wicked This Way Comes," this meeting with the carne was Bradbury's equivalent of First Communion. He was never the same afterwards.

He also has some "nuts and bolts" tips for writers.

1. Let yourself explode. There are two types of explosions. One is the IED (improvised explosive device), where you just go to pieces. But there is also the explosion of popcorn. Be popcorn. Drop your restraints and inhibitions.

2. Write 1,000 words a day. This is not a whole lot, the equivalent of one full Amazon.com review. Trust me it works--it gets the garbage out of system. Practice makes perfect.

3. Follow a weekly regimen. Monday write. The next few days rewrite what you have written. This is crap filtration. Saturday send off the manuscript. Wash, rinse, repeat.

4. Don't think. That is, don't over think. Listen to your subconscious--that shadowy figure in the back of your heart that keeps talking to you. She tells you what is right or wrong. She's the same being who tells you things you had never thought of before. This is the muse. Without it, you cannot write.

This review cannot do justice to Ray's prose and sage advice. All I can do is whet your appetite, and hope you'll bite. The book is delicious!

ACTUNG: !!!BE SURE YOU GET THE EXPANDED VERSION!!!

When I was twelve, I ran across The October Country. Now at the age of thirty, I still go to that book for inspiration. That book, and now this one.
Bradbury is completely unpretentious and his sole goal is to to tell other aspiring writers that it's all right to be insecure and to have different ideas. There really are no rules to writing except being true to your own ideas. What I've learned from this little book is that you have a mind to swim in, so splash about.
Bradbury gives you ideas on how to sift through and play in the waters that swish about in your mind. Make it fun, don't make it labor. The world is yours.

The thinking person's alternative to any self-help writing book by other well-known authors.

Ray Bradbury is eminently qualified to spin such a work and he does so elegantly and thoroughly.

The inherent spirit of writing is captured nicely in these pages!