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Ray Bradbury

Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity Paperback – August 1, 1994

by Ray Bradbury (Author)

4.7 497 ratings

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"Bradbury, all charged up, drunk on life, joyous with writing, puts together nine past essays on writing and creativity and discharges every ounce of zest and gusto in him."--Kirkus Reviews ¶"Zen and the Art of Writing is purely and simply Bradbury's love song to his craft."--Los Angeles Times

Print length

176 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Joshua Odell Editions
Publication date

August 1, 1994
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

1877741094
ISBN-13

978-1877741098
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joshua Odell Editions; 0 edition (August 1, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1877741094
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1877741098
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #484,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,119 in Writing Skill Reference (Books)
- #1,621 in Essays (Books)
- #1,642 in Literary Criticism & Theory

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4.7 497 ratings

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Ray Bradbury

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In a career spanning more than seventy years, Ray Bradbury, who died on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91, inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create. A prolific author of hundreds of short stories and close to fifty books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, teleplays, and screenplays, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated writers of our time. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. He wrote the screen play for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's The Ray Bradbury Theater, and won an Emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree. He was the recipient of the 2000 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the 2004 National Medal of Arts, and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, among many honors.

Throughout his life, Bradbury liked to recount the story of meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, in 1932. At the end of his performance Electrico reached out to the twelve-year-old Bradbury, touched the boy with his sword, and commanded, "Live forever!" Bradbury later said, "I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped."

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Fun romp and exploration of creativity

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2022

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Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity is 170 pages of fun. Mr. Bradbury advocates play as a means of freeing the subconscious, and encourages the writer to relax into the art of writing.
Favorite quotes:
* You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.
* The first thing a writer should be is--excited.
* Passion often saves the day.
* Life is short, misery sure, mortality certain. But on the way, in your work, why not [incorporate] Zest
and Gusto.
* Read poetry every day of your life.
* What we are trying to do is find a way to release the truth that lies in all of us.
* Can we borrow cups of fire from the sun? We can and must and light the world.
On revision: “The main thing is compression.” He says: “there are two arts: number one, getting the [story] done; and then, the second great art is learning how to cut it so you don’t kill it or hurt it in any way.” And: “The artist learns what to leave out.”

This collection of essays doesn’t delve into craft mechanics, but does provide an encouraging overview of the creative journey.

2 people found this helpful

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GS_Jennsen

Simply Delightful

Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2023

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I now strive to bring as much unrestrained joy to my own writing as Mr. Bradbury did to his.

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Happy Reader

PLOT is no more than footprints left in the snow.

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2016

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The essays in this book are, and Ray Bradbury admits this, written from the perspective of a person who MUST write: "I have learned, on my journeys, that if I let a day go by without writing, I grow uneasy."

All eleven essays were previously published, over the 30 years prior to the collection's original 1994 publication. There is a little bit of repetition in the stories because of that, but not enough to be annoying.

The essays are, for the most part, rah-rah, get your imagination out cheerleading. Bradbury writes in direct sentences, with lots of energy and plenty of exclamation points. An important lesson is to take your experiences, especially your fears, and use them in your creations. He gives many examples of how this worked in his own writing. I found the most interesting tip in the final essay (the last chapter is poetry): "Remember: PLOT is no more than footprints left in the snow AFTER your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations. PLOT is observed after the fact rather than before. It cannot precede action. It is the chart that remains when a action is through."

I think plot and action and characters are more of a balancing act, but I understand what he's saying and it's something to keep in mind. I have to admit, though, that I thought "The Martian Chronicles" could have used a lot more PLOT.

Overall, I liked Stephen King's On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft a bit better, but the first part of King's book is a biography which, though interesting, isn't about writing. For me, "Zen in the Art of Writing" is 3.6 stars rounded up to 4.

Happy Reader

28 people found this helpful

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P. A. Muccigrosso

Bradbury on Writing

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2013

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I have been a writer (and been writing) for most of my life. My library of writing books is extensive but the one I turn to when I need inspiration, a break and even a few laughs is Zen In The Art of Writing. Bradbury doesn't give you rules or tell you how to create plots or build characters. He tells you how to use what you see, hear and live in/through every day as fodder for your writing. Sounds small but, as a writer, it is HUGE. I first realized that characters and plot lines could be drawn from the writer's own life when reading a biography of Mark Twain who incorporated most of his relatives and friends into his books. That was an aha moment for me. Bradbury's book was an aha experience - taking that sliver of information and exploding it into 11 essays that show writers why putting words to paper is such a joy. I wish I could find a first edition, hardback. I would give it to my grandson who is studying writing at Pitt. As it is, I gave him a paperback when he left for college and hope it helps him find his joy as quickly as it helped me retreive mine.

One person found this helpful

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Alex

5 stars for inspirational content, 4 stars for universal writing advice

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2016

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This book is a good read for writers of any genre (including non-fiction). I wish I had found this book earlier in my life. Bradbury uses a series of lectures to talk about finding your voice, self-confidence, and "zest" for writing. I'll admit I am a graduate student and when I need encouragement to go finish that paper for publication, I turn to this book and read a chapter -- any chapter -- for inspiration.
All that being said, why on Earth would I give this 4/5 stars? Because if you're looking for a guide on writing, this is really not it. View this book as a a TED talk, and it's totally worth 5 stars. If you're looking for advice on how to polish your writing, you may want to consider something else. In a nutshell, I'm not sure this book is as universally relatable as a more basic style guide is but it's an excellent addition to your bookshelf -- especially if you need an inspirational boost.

8 people found this helpful

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Bartleby

One of my favorites from this author

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2012

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This is one of my favorite books on writing by Bradbury. A little woo-woo but still a classic. I especially like the title essay, in which he talks about his writing process back in the day. He'd get a story, write a draft on Monday, rewrite it Tuesday, rewrite it Wednesday, type a final on Thursday and drop it in the mail Friday. (Or something to this effect.) In this way he was writing and mailing to magazines a story a week. Amazing, and necessary for his income. He also tells in this book how he sold his first book, The Martian Chronicles, pulling together a "novel" at the suggestion of his editor from lots of short stories. He references a lot of short stories in the course for the book that you will want to run out and read if you don't know them already. That's one of the downsides of the book. You kinda have to know the stories to appreciate their behind-the-scenes genesis. But still, a great book but not for every Bradbury fan. If you don't care about his process, you can safely skip.

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Brad

A peek into Bradbury's mind.......................

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2022

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This is a must read for all writers. Bradbury is one of my favorite writers and one of my biggest inspirations. This book is like taking a day trip into his mind and exploring every dark corner. One of the most celebrated writers of the 20th century, Bradbury will indeed live forever through his writing.

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D. Morris

All of Bradbury's strengths and weaknesses on show

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2022

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It's Bradbury, so lots of fun to read, but not really a lot of use as a how-to manual, other than the tip to disengage your critical self on the first pass so as to get something written. As William Goldman put it: "Do something, then you'll have something to change."

Bradbury also returns to Fahrenheit 451 and gives a backstory to the fire chief Captain Beatty. That's just horrific, a terrifying error of judgement that reminds us, sadly, that creative talents usually don't keep on getting better with age. Thank goodness he didn't go back and revuse the novel to include it. Come to think of it, Goldman also has something to say about unnecessary backstory (when discussing The Ghost & the Darkness) that Bradbury would have done well to take on board.

Bradbury's analysis of "The Veldt" shows his main strength (lapidary prose) and main weakness (grabbing for any old twist ending even if it makes no sense).

David J. Widmann

My third copy of this book

Reviewed in Canada on June 19, 2014

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I really have to stop loaning this out to people. It never comes back. Yes, I'd like a Kindle edition. :)

Many writers have put out many memoirs about their writing lives. They've done a good job of covering the "what" (their subject matter, genre, form, influences) and the "how" (techniques, style, business, schedules), but none have done better than Bradbury at getting to the meat of the "why" of writing. I'm returning to writing after a long absence caused in part by the fact that it just became a drudgery every single day. After dabbling again for a while, I picked up this book and remembered why, as a child, I was drawn to writing in the first place. Bradbury was truly an artist.

3 people found this helpful

Tiggy

A wonderful read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2012

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This was an expensive book, but worth every penny. It is beautifully written, inspiring and full of enthusiasm and joy. I limited myself to reading one essay at a time and then taking a pause to ponder and absorb. He is a better writer than poet, but that is really to be a little nit-picky. I keep dipping back to re-read sections and remind myself not only to write with gusto, but to live with it too. And now I intend to go back and read a whole lot more of his other writing.

4 people found this helpful

DGKaye

Inspiring

Reviewed in Canada on June 9, 2014

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Bradbury takes us through his writing journey of the beginning of his writing career and his work and his creative process. He emphasizes the joy of writing, not to be regarded as a chore, but a passion. Write about what your passion is, not what you think you should be writing.

3 people found this helpful

tuitikki

Totally not the book I expected, but still love it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2015

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I wanted to get one of those cookbooks about writing, and since I respect Bradbury deeply as a writer, it seemed to be the best choice.
However, it is a book of a general mood of writing, about fun about discoveries and about his personal experience. Written in an excellent and lively manner, lots of fun to read.

3 people found this helpful

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Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity Paperback – August 1, 1994

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