Gone To The October Country by K. A. Laity
Farewell to Ray Bradbury, author of Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Illustrated Man, The October Country, Zen in the Art of Writing and so much more.
Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t try to do things. You simply must do things.
Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spent the rest of the day putting the pieces together.
I know you’ve heard it a thousand times before. But it’s true — hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don’t love something, then don’t do it.
If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.
If you don’t like what you’re doing, then don’t do it.
Ray Bradbury Dies by L. Vera
At the age of 91, we lose a great writer. Many of you know him as the writer of Fahrenheit 451 or Something Wicked This Way Comes, some of you as an incredible science fiction author, an inspiration and mentor. Many were influenced by his work; like myself, who had written a story inspired by I Sing The Body Electric.
He was suffering from an undescribed illness and after suffering a stroke in 1999 was wheelchair bound. Yet he continued to write.
If you have time, you need to read Ray Bradbury’s essay in “Snoopy’s Guide to the Writing Life“. He briefly talks about rejections, and being a strong writer. Not in the sense that your writing is strong, but mentally can preserve rejection.
His work will live on.
Sources:
Ray Bradbury on Facing Rejection … and Being Inspired by Snoopy
Ray Bradbury, beloved science fiction author, dies
-L. Vera
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You beat me too it. 🙂 I’ll just add my post to yours. I hope that’s okay.
Sounds good to me!
And I didn’t expand up on it but Zen in the Art of Writing I find indispensable on discouraging days.
I did a post about him today too. Along with Vonnegut, he was my favorite Science Fiction writer.
My novel that’s coming out this year, Owl Stretching, was written when Vonnegut died and I knew there would be no more sad, funny books from him. 😦
Kurt Vonnegut is just awesome.
Word.