Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing

I’m a HUGE Bradbury fan. I have been since I picked up Halloween Tree in fifth grade. One of my major intents for this blog has been to create a synopsis of each chapter. Ideally, once a week. Yeah, that hasn’t happened. You know, life and all that.

So here’s me piggybacking a daily prompt with one of my goals.

Here’s chapter three – How to Keep and Feed a Muse

Ray starts out the chapter talking about the allusiveness of the muse. If you try to force it, it won’t come. Stare directly at it, and it will wither like an alfalfa sprout on a hot sidewalk.

Being the man of his time, he describes the muse in a feminine form – the most timid of virgins. I’m sure most of us have experienced this. We stare blankly at the screen, trying to write the next great poem or a blog post.  The harder you try to be profound or creative, the worse it gets. Your head feels empty and stuffed full of hot garbage all at once.

Sometimes, I try too hard to write what other people want to read. I know it’s not what I should be doing, but I do it anyway. The words aren’t my own, and I have no enthusiasm for them. It’s only when I focus past it, like those “Magic Eye” images from the 90’s, when something pops into place.

Do not, for the vanity of intellectual publications, turn away from what you are – the material within you which makes you individual, and therefore indispensable to others.

So, to find the muse, you give it just a sideways nod. No pressure  – just breathe easy. You’ll get a glimmer. Sometimes, it’s all you need. Now that you found it, in order keep it, you must offer it food.

What does a muse like to eat? Bradbury emphasizes that writers must regularly indulge in activities that stimulate their imagination and curiosity. He recommends three things to read every day – a poem, a short story, and an essay. Ray says he grew up in a time where there was equal parts trash and treasure. He wrote this chapter in 1961. It’s somehow comforting to know that nothing much has changed. Both have offered his Muse a smorgasbord to feed upon.

He said that he is just as much Robert Frost as he is Charles Schultz’s Peanuts. All have value in their own way. Treasure or trash, they all hold one thing in common. Everything he has ever done, read, smelled, touched or passed through his digestive system, he has done with excitement.

In summary – feeding your Muse involves observing the world, and immerse yourself in experiences that spark joy and wonder. This constant feeding helps keep your Muse alive and active, ready to inspire new stories and ideas. Bradbury’s message is clear: a well-fed muse is a prolific muse. What activities feed your creative spirit?