Zen in the Art of Writing

It’s a slim collection of essays, from the acknowledged grand–master of genre–defying forms, Ray Bradbury. Growing up, his work was a seminal influence, always in the background, as not quite real Science Fiction, but not quite anything esle. Lyrical and poetical at time, soaring prose.

“But it is easy to doubt yourself, because you look around at a community of notions held by other writers, other intellectuals, and they make you blush with guilt. Writing is supposed to be difficult, agonizing, a dreadful exercise, a terrible occupation.”

Bradbury, Ray. Zen in the Art of Writing.
Capra Press: Santa Barbara, CA. 1990. Page 50.

My take-away was that there is joy in this work. I agree. I’ve experienced very few seasons when I am not pelased with this as a way to work. It happens, but it happens so infrequently, it must just be an aberration in the planets and their orbits.

There’s an earlier passage I have underlined, about my personal dictum, to write every day.

E–mail, from an Aries, cycled through the other day, exclaiming what an excellent meditation and message was included in that week’s horoscope.

A lot of effort goes into making
this look effortless,
I’m just sayin’.

Zen in the Art of Writing

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