English poet Stephen
Spender described the writing process of his fellow poets as of the Mozartian
(planners) or Beethovian (discoverers) mode, meaning that Mozartians tend to
create a path or structure for what they will draft, while Beethovians figure
out the path during drafting, as they go along. Reading “Zen
in the Art of Writing” reveals that Ray Bradbury possessed a
healthy balance of both approaches. Like a Mozartian, he was constantly searching
for connections between his experiences and writing; like a Beethovian, he
drafted relentlessly as evidenced by his prolific output of short stories,
novels, plays, screenplays, teleplays, and juvenilia over a career spanning
more than seventy years.
Through anecdotes, quips, and aphorisms in 9 essays and 7 prose-poems
over 158 highly readable pages, Bradbury proffers advice to novice writers to
encourage them in their writing process and continued development. Here are
some gems:
“The first
thing a writer should be is—excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms.”
(page 4)
“Read
poetry every day of your life. Poetry is good because it flexes muscles you don’t
use often enough. Poetry expands the sense and keeps them in prime condition.”
(page 39)
“Read those
writers who write the way you hope to write, who think the way you would like
to think. But also read those who do not think as you think or write as you
want to write, and so be stimulated in directions you might not take for many
years.” (page 41)
“Quantity
gives experience. From experience alone can quality come. All arts, big and
small, are the elimination of waste motion in favor of concise declaration. The
artist learns what to leave out.” (page 131)
“Imitation
is natural and necessary to the beginning writer.” (page 136)
When one of the most influential writers of the twentieth
century speaks about himself and his work, aspiring writers or curious readers should
pay attention. If they do, they will be able to dip into Zen
in the Art of Writing for many points of inspiration.
