Check back next Tuesday for more writerly words of inspirations!
True Grit ~ Tuesday’s Writing Inspiration
Ray Bradbury #ShortStories #BookReview
Ray Bradbury was nothing if not prolific. An American author and screenwriter who dabbled in a variety of genres, he’s sure to have written something for everyone.
This anthology was certainly an eclectic mix, and I feel like it gives the reader a good idea of who Bradbury was as a whole, from his likes (Stan and Ollie), to his dreams (flights to Mars), his moral views, his faith, his time spent in Ireland, memories of his boyhood, and everything in between, this man must have always been writing.
Which is why I read this book. Each story didn’t just give you insight into the author, but also his method. The ways in which he made you identify with his characters, his tricks for endearing them to you, investing you in the story and making you care about the outcome even if the story itself wasn’t something you’d normally read. (And let me tell you, I am not a huge sci-fi fan, yet probably 500 pages of this book was about space travel and Mars colonization and a myriad of other subjects I’d usually avoid, and yet I kept reading!) 4 stars!
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury ~ Nonfiction #BookReview
My reading didn’t go as expected last year. I thought a Goodreads goal of 70 books for 2017 would be a cake walk considering I read 100 in 2016. Yet, come the end of December, I found myself picking only my 52 book of the year. And if my reading when awry, then my writing was a catastrophe and tragedy rolled into one horrible, absolutely blank page.
No need to get into specifics, but 2017 wasn’t my year for anything. 2018 wouldn’t have to amount to much to be better, but I want it to be super excellent to make up from badly lost time. I chose this book to inspire me to pick that blank page off the floor, brush it off, and fill it with all the words that have been dying to get out for the last year.
As far as writing goes, Ray Bradbury certainly has enough experience and inspiration to go around. His essay style is as engaging as his works of fiction. His advice as legendary as the man who typed it. His prose as well crafted as anything an Amish carpenter creates. This writer feels ready to aspire to greatness. This book is quick and easy to read. What do you have to lose? 5 stars!
Shannon Hollinger 