Zen in the Art of Writing

Personally, I found the book exciting to read. I was burning up with enthusiasm to get at the word processor and I actually followed the concrete advice he gives. All I can say is that it worked for me: I had not written before and I have now.

Surely the most important thing for a writer is to write and be passionate about writing? If there is a better way to say what you want to say then be a filmaker or a painter or a critic.


Title is misleading   February 12, 2004
 6 out of 9 found this review helpful

I've had this book for just over a year and have read it twice in that time. Both times I came away feeling unsatisfied in that it didn't give me the information I needed to develop my own writing technique.

It's not really a book about the mechanics of writing or story composition - it is a collection of essays that Ray Bradbury wrote for various publications in years gone by and "Zen in the Art of Writing" is simply the title of one of these essays. During my first read read through this book I was disappointed to find that it seemed to be just a billboard for the short stories he has written. There's a lot of "This happened and I thought of that and became inspired to write this". And because I had not heard of many of these stories, I could not even link his experience to the story and have that moment of "Aah, so that's what was behind it".

Some of the content is useful in that you think that he offers techniques that you can perhaps play with. But I didn't expect that this book would be so autobiographical which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. However, the book is well-written and it may have got a higher rating from me if I had read it with different expectations.

I will keep this book to read again. You do get a sense that there is something inspiring lurking under the surface and I hope that one day I will pick the book up and be ready to receive the inspiration that is there.


This book will teach you almost nothing about writing!   January 5, 2004
 9 out of 11 found this review helpful

Although this book is an interesting read, it doesn't quite do what it says on the cover. There are approximately three helpful tips contained within it, and one of these will only be useful if you plan to write extraordinary fantastical stories without having any idea of what you're going to write before you start!
The book is really just a collection of short and incomplete autobiographies that Ray Bradbury has written over the years. They don't include much more than some accounts of the inspiration behind his stories. The book ends with some of Bradbury's poetry, which was a little too surreal for my taste and very heavy going.
If you want to find out about Bradbury's life and how he concocts weird stories then this is the book for you, but don't be fooled - this book isn't very helpful in terms of improving your writing!


Inspiring   October 25, 2002
 29 out of 29 found this review helpful

Perhaps the most inspiring lesson I drew from this wonderful book is contained in the essay Run Fast, Stand Still, in which Bradbury urges the writer to write very quickly, pushing aside the critical voice inside your head that can freeze the hand as it hovers over the page, and put down the first thing that occurs to you. In this way you are able to get your 1,000 words a day done in ragtime and then go back and do the all-important revision.
Bradbury's writing style is so intoxicating - just like his short stories and novels - that you'll fly through this book.
His enthusiasm for writing - for WORK - is infectious, and this book has done much to reignite my desire to write.


Top notch guide   January 26, 2001
 18 out of 21 found this review helpful

I bought this book over four years ago and have read it once a year ever since. Bradbury discusses the notion of inspiration, with helpful tips on how to keep and feed your muse. Drawing upon and sharing from his own personal experience, this is a book that will make you feel alive- regardless of whether you are a writer or just have the soul and spirit of a writer (or an artist or a romantic or a lover of life)