Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity

Ray Bradbury

Jan 2018 · RB Media · Narrated by Jim Frangione

About this audiobook

Ray Bradbury presents Zen in the Art of Writing, a collection from one of the most legendary voices in science fiction and fantasy on how his unbridled passion for creating worlds of infinite impossibilities made him a master of the craft.

Part memoir, part philosophical guide, the essays in this book teach the joy of writing. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of putting words on paper, Bradbury’s zen is found in the celebration of storytelling that drove him to write every day. Imparting lessons he has learned
over the course of his exuberant career, Bradbury inspires with his infectious enthusiasm.

Bringing together eleven essays and a series of poems written with his own unique style and fervor, Zen in the Art of Writing is a must-read for all prospective writers and Bradbury fans.

Ratings and reviews

I think Bradbury's essays are very motivational and they are a passionate appeal to would be writers to get up in the morning and practice their craft. Write about what moves you. Play with words. Follow your passion with pen and paper. Some writing books will spend the first 3 chapters admonishing hopeful writers for not sitting down to actually write. Well, that's a real downer. Bradbury is like Patton giving an awesome speech inspiring us to write. You can skip the first three chapters of any of those books on writing now and just listen to one of these essays.

As a Bradbury fan, I am sorry to say this book is mostly big ego with a little explanation of the craft thrown in for good measure. Still, it is worth a look.

About the author

Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois on August 22, 1920. At the age of fifteen, he started submitting short stories to national magazines. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 600 stories, poems, essays, plays, films, television plays, radio, music, and comic books. His books include The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Bradbury Speaks. He won numerous awards for his works including a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1977, 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. He wrote the screen play for John Huston's classic film adaptation of Moby Dick, and was nominated for an Academy Award. He adapted 65 of his stories for television's The Ray Bradbury Theater, and won an Emmy for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree. The film The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit was written by Ray Bradbury and was based on his story The Magic White Suit. He was the idea consultant and wrote the basic scenario for the United States pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair, as well as being an imagineer for Walt Disney Enterprises, where he designed the Spaceship Earth exhibition at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center. He died after a long illness on June 5, 2012 at the age of 91.