# Ray Bradbury



## escorial (Apr 2, 2016)

[video=youtube_share;tTXckvj7KL4]https://youtu.be/tTXckvj7KL4[/video]

have you got feeling in your writing....


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Apr 2, 2016)

Hey, Cran! Is ... _that you_? No! It's your twin! 

I love Ray Bradbury's work! I recently mentioned about him this past week. 



PrinzeCharming said:


> Whether it be 10, 25, 50, or 100 years, it's great to look back on decisions and circumstances. Have you ever read Ray Bradbury's _A Sound of Thunder_? My students had to read this story for an exam. Feel free to check out the PDF here. If it wasn't for those men in your story, what do you think would have happened with Ireland?



In case anyone doesn't have nearly thirty minutes to spare, ... 


*Some Great Points as Questions


*1. Ray Bradbury claims the ability to fantasize is the ability to grow and survive. Could you grow and survive without fantasizing? How would your life be different if you chose to grow and survive without fantasizing? 

2. Ray Bradbury is not a science fiction writer, but a writer of fairy tales. Can you recall how you became a good story teller? 

3. Bradbury discovered early in his career that if he wanted something, he must go for it, and he'll get it. He believes that nobody ever goes anywhere or wants anything which results to achieving nothing. Can you recall achieving something without going out of the way for it? 

4. Bradbury never went to college. He didn't believe college was designed for writers, claiming that such institutes were dangerous. He believed the professors were too opinionated and too intellectual.  Bradbury addresses his concern to young writers, mentioning that "the intellect is a great danger to creativity." Do you agree with him when he advises never to think at the typewriter, but feel what you write? Keep in mind, Bradbury says that your intellect is already buried in that feeling anyway. Would you say, in Bradbury's words, that you're _living _at the typewriter? 

5. Bradbury suggests that the typewriter should be an Ouija board. Bradbury says "your hands move on it and reveal things about yourself you don't know." Can you recall any literary work you have written that may reveal things about yourself to your audience? 

On a personal note, going from #4, I am the same way with interview questions. I never think, but I feel and react.


----------



## aj47 (Apr 2, 2016)

Bradbury and I have the same birth month and day--different year.


----------



## escorial (Apr 2, 2016)

every writer is somewhat self obsessed because they make the world and let you in...his point on the story being just away to find out about the author sounds odd to me but the more i think about it the more i come around to the notion...


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Apr 2, 2016)

escorial said:


> every writer is somewhat self obsessed because they make the world and let you in...his point on the story being just away to find out about the author sounds odd to me but the more i think about it the more i come around to the notion...



Yes, I can understand that. Do you feel as if this self-absorption is a product of outside praise and self-awareness? Can someone rub a writer's ego to the point of becoming a self-absorbed author?


----------



## escorial (Apr 2, 2016)

self awareness....then added onto that outside praise but often i think his feelings as he says are all that rolled into one in many ways...


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Apr 2, 2016)

escorial said:


> self awareness....then added onto that outside praise but often i think his feelings as he says are all that rolled into one in many ways...



That's interesting! So it's a ... writer's lasagna - _if you will_. It's layers of experience. The frosting ends up as a thick layer of praise covering self-awareness. It is true though. I agree with him when he says as a writer you have to dive into different genres. A writer should have experience with many ideas. I love his take on libraries. Grab a book. Fall in love. If you don't fall in love, grab another book.


----------



## escorial (Apr 2, 2016)

grab a book....one could not put it better...then grab another.....the way he talks about shapes and turning yourself into that shape feels so right to me...as he says a born storyteller for sure


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Apr 3, 2016)

escorial said:


> grab a book....one could not put it better...then grab another.....the way he talks about shapes and turning yourself into that shape feels so right to me...as he says a born storyteller for sure



Yes! I agree with him on that note. Why bother to create a list when the opportunities are endless? That's almost like listing all the girls you want to date as a young teen. Well, exposure is great only if you allow it to happen. When a teen is limited, he will have limited experiences. I admire his shape philosophy. I can relate to that as well. This guy has a legacy for many writers to follow.


----------



## escorial (Apr 3, 2016)

if you where to be asked the same questions..i'm sure you would answer them in your own unique way....but still it's nice to get to know the person behind the words,which for me comes after reading and not before..


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Apr 3, 2016)

escorial said:


> if you where to be asked the same questions..i'm sure you would answer them in your own unique way....but still it's nice to get to know the person behind the words,which for me comes after reading and not before..




As Bradbury mentions, regarding being asked questions, he tries to say things that are meaningful. However, he also brings up that if we thought too long, we'd fall asleep. I personally wouldn't fall asleep. I'd be curious to watch body language as it unfolds the answer and the response. If, perhaps, we spoke over the phone - yes, that's a possibility to fall asleep. Someone might even hang up and call again because the silence was _modern silence_ over the phone. See, that alone, is a funny thing to say. _Modern silence_. What_ is _modern silence over the phone? It's unfortunate that we cannot stop and pause for a minute over the phone without thinking the line was cut off. Modern silence seems to be a way of being a technological error rather than a pause to reflect and review. Interesting thoughts here.


----------



## escorial (Apr 3, 2016)

[video=youtube_share;XESDRP82png]https://youtu.be/XESDRP82png[/video]

that modern silence you speak of here is covered in a scetch of his and his research covers it so well...


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Apr 3, 2016)

I absolutely love this clip! His ambition, motivation and determination is exactly what I have used when I started blogging. I wasn't getting paid. I didn't expect income. I just "had" to do it as he mentioned. It took him over a decade to find some income, let alone reasonable income. I finally received some income from my blog after four years. That actually paid for my premium features of WordPress.org. So, it was a free trial with great experience. As you've mentioned, this modern silence is introduced here. It seems to always be something or someone. It was never nothing. Thanks for sharing! 

Going on to the topic of literary agents, discussed in this clip, do you think this has changed significantly since the Internet evolved? 

On a personal note, I can relate to Bradbury with driving. I learned to drive (unlike him), but never received my license. I run to work. I never owned a car. I use my legs for most of my transportation, even avoiding the public bus transportation system.


----------



## escorial (Apr 3, 2016)

i have no idea about the publishing of work on all formats...for me writing is therapy...as he said you must have passion and you got that...


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Apr 3, 2016)

escorial said:


> writing is therapy...as he said you must have passion and you got that...



Writing is very therapeutic. I can talk to a psychologist or I can write like I'm talking to one. In the end, I'm still listening to myself think and reflect. Writing is very addictive. It's not finding the next high that wakes me up in the middle of the night. It's discovering how it happened and who dealt it.


----------

