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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"a little pointless"? "no lesson learned"? I could not disagree more.
Alright, so maybe Ray (I cannot, after reading this, be so unfeeling and impersonal as to call him Bradbury) does not sit you down and spoon-feed you the elements of style. But then, that's what books like "The Elements of Style" are for.
In an age when everyone seems to have a novel in their drawer, and when (as a direct consequence of the drawer situation) everybody who's published maybe half a book once feels qualified to tell you how to and how not to write, it is actually refreshing to bump into a book that does something else altogether: make you want to write.
There is little talk about techniques (although there are a few invaluable practical pointers). What there is a lot of is the passion, exhuberance, childlike joy of a man who tells stories because it is what makes him feel alive, real, sane. Ray calls this "zest, gusto", and he is right in saying that too many writers nowadays are so busy agonising over the right way of saying something and making money in the process that they have forgotten what these words mean - they are doing the best job in the world, and have lost the ability/innocence to enjoy it.
In conclusion. If you're looking to be taken by the hand along the mysterious, mystical avenue where writers "find their ideas", this is not the book for you - nor is any other real book in the real world, so good luck to you. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a friend, a mentor, a teacher whose wise, entertaining, inspiring words will make your fingers itch for a keyboard/typewriter/H.B. pencil/you name it, then get this.
Alright, so maybe Ray (I cannot, after reading this, be so unfeeling and impersonal as to call him Bradbury) does not sit you down and spoon-feed you the elements of style. But then, that's what books like "The Elements of Style" are for.
In an age when everyone seems to have a novel in their drawer, and when (as a direct consequence of the drawer situation) everybody who's published maybe half a book once feels qualified to tell you how to and how not to write, it is actually refreshing to bump into a book that does something else altogether: make you want to write.
There is little talk about techniques (although there are a few invaluable practical pointers). What there is a lot of is the passion, exhuberance, childlike joy of a man who tells stories because it is what makes him feel alive, real, sane. Ray calls this "zest, gusto", and he is right in saying that too many writers nowadays are so busy agonising over the right way of saying something and making money in the process that they have forgotten what these words mean - they are doing the best job in the world, and have lost the ability/innocence to enjoy it.
In conclusion. If you're looking to be taken by the hand along the mysterious, mystical avenue where writers "find their ideas", this is not the book for you - nor is any other real book in the real world, so good luck to you. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a friend, a mentor, a teacher whose wise, entertaining, inspiring words will make your fingers itch for a keyboard/typewriter/H.B. pencil/you name it, then get this.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I didn't know Ray Bradburry when I bought this book and I mainly bought it to see if I could induce some Zen into my writing process.
Though the book is mostly a collection of personal essays regardings Rays own feelings on the matter of writing as well as recapping some specifics about his writing career. In other words there was no lesson learned and so I would recommend this book to fans of Ray Bradburry only.
Though the book is mostly a collection of personal essays regardings Rays own feelings on the matter of writing as well as recapping some specifics about his writing career. In other words there was no lesson learned and so I would recommend this book to fans of Ray Bradburry only.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have read only one of Bradbury's works - Fahrenheit 451. I thought I'd give this book a go as I am interested in how writing works. I did not like the style nor the layout of the book. It is a series of anecdotal short autobiographical stories. Perhaps because I was expecting something else, I didn't click with the book and struggled to complete it.
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