Review Wednesday: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Title: Zen in the Art of Writing

Author: Ray Bradbury
1st Date of Publication: January 1, 1987

ISBN: 9780884961024
# of Pages: 176

Genre: Memoir/How-to

Age Rating: 13

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Book Description:
Zest. Gusto. Curiosity. These are the qualities every writer must have, as well as a spirit of adventure. In this exuberant book, the incomparable Ray Bradbury shares the wisdom, experience, and excitement of a lifetime of writing. Here are practical tips on the art of writing from a master of the craft—everything from finding original ideas to developing your own voice and style—as well as the inside story of Bradbury's own remarkable career as a prolific author of novels, stories, poems, films, and plays.

Zen in the Art of Writing is more than just a how-to manual for the would-be writer: it is a celebration of the act of writing itself that will delight, impassion, and inspire the writer in you. Bradbury encourages us to follow the unique path of our instincts and enthusiasms to the place where our inner genius dwells, and he shows that success as a writer depends on how well you know one subject: your own life.




Setting: Venice, CA in the 20th century
Point of View: 1st person- Ray Bradbury

Goodreads Rating: 4.11

My Rating: 4.25

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: I think the pencil is very interesting. Every grain is distinct as if it is important to represent writing to be clear but beautiful.
View on Title: Writing can seem very stressful so getting relaxed and "in the zone" probably really helps the flow of writing.

Pros:

• This book is more of a memoir than a how-to novel. At the beginning of a few sections, there is advice about having passion in your writing and letting yourself have an easier time writing a novel.
• It's really interesting how times have changed because the rent was only $30/month when Ray Bradbury was writing. He earned enough money through his writing to pay rent for a year and prepare for the new baby. It shows inflation at its finest.
• It shows the struggles of being a writer while providing for his family, which puts life as a writer into perspective. How many people have tried to do the same thing, but fail? We only really hear about those who have succeeded, not those who have not.
• This novel has humor in it similarly to On Writing by Stephen King.

Cons:

• I wish this book had more advice in it for writing. It was misleading when it was recommended as a writing how-to/memoir.

Ray Bradbury's Website:
http://www.raybradbury.com/

Other Recommendations:

On Writing: A Memoir of Craft by Stephen King
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Amy Tan's "Where the Past Begins" Book Discussion

***This event occurred on October 25, 2017, from 7:00pm-8:15pm in the Seattle Public Library in Seattle, WA***

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• Amy Tan builds her credibility as a writer from the very beginning (on page 3) of the novel by writing in the novel that the things she may remember may be inaccurate.
• This may seem like we shouldn't read it because it may not be completely true, but she follows what she has written with the fact that we revise how we see things as we get older and change. This is simply a matter of perception and perspective vs. reality.
• To continue to the idea of perception and perspective vs. reality, Tan continues to talk about how photographs also do the same thing. A photograph is indisputable and simply a snapshot of time, but there is no context to the photo. Questions come up: What happened to the photo? Why is the photo really taken? Who requested the photo? If it's posted, what were the feelings of the subjects before and after the picture was taken?
• Amy Tan primarily writes fiction, but Where the Past Begins is her first nonfiction or memoir.
• When asked whether the memoir was easier or harder to write she responds, "Writing this memoir is the hardest thing I have ever written but eventually became natural...it came pouring out of me."
• "This book I started out feeling insane but eventually I went on to enjoy the ride."
• Amy talks about how there is no set Asian American culture because every family is different especially as a different generation of Asian Americans live. She is a first-generation Asian American and remembers how her parents really wanted the best for her by expecting a great future. They wanted her to become a concert pianist or a neurosurgeon. Amy admitted that she didn't measure up in intelligence for being a neurosurgeon and didn't have the skill or passion to be a concert pianist. Her failure to live up to her parents' expectations has followed her in every little failure, even as a writer. I completely understand where Amy Tan is coming from.
• She gives advice to struggling writers:
• "Novelists need to lose their consciousness and write off the top of their heads. Then, they can revise it or toss it."
• Writers have to give 15-30 pages a week of their new work and must arc. The arc means a beginning that leads to a climax eventually ending with a resolution to that chapter or section of what you're writing.

Here are some pictures from the night.

My seat which is a row above the VIP section. I saw a seat empty next to an older couple and asked if it was taken. The man's response was perfect, "Yes, it's yours." Don't be afraid to ask for something like this for a popular event. I've definitely learned that after today.

I am next in line! She looks so happy to be seeing such a large turnout. I think Amy Tan was the perfect author to be my first meet and signing.

She is signing my book. I told her I finished it on Tuesday and thought it was really great. Her response was, "Thank you and that was fast."

Isn't it great?1 It says "Joy and Luck" which is a reference to her book The Joy Luck Club.

I am one happy reader and writer!