"Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way."
— Ray Bradbury
American Novelist
1920 - 2012
When Bradbury was 12 he visited a carnival and was touched on the nose by an electrified sword. Mr. Electrico, the carnival entertainer shouted at Bradbury: "Live forever." From that day forward, Bradbury began to write every day. Some of his influences included Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, John Steinbeck, Aldous Huxley, Thomas Wolfe and Eudora Welty. In high school, he was active in both the Poetry Club and the Drama Club, but he did not attend college. His education came from the library where he spent three days a week. His novel Fahrenheit 451 was written at UCLA's Powell Library.
Bradbury earned his first money as a writer at the age of fourteen when George Burns hired hime to write for the Burns and Allen show. Bradbury sold his first story, The Lake, for $13.75 at the age of 22. Homecoming, one of Bradbury's early stories appeared in Mademoiselle. Truman Capote, a young editorial assistant, spotted the story which was selected for publication also in the O. Henry Prize Stories of 1947. Bradbury also wrote plays.
Bradbury married Marguerite McClure in 1947 and they had 4 daughters. He never had a driver's license.
Video
Here is Ray Bradbury talking about writing.
Commentary
Sometimes our rational mind is a barrier to our creative output. Our intuition makes mental leaps that our rational mind does not understand. Our rational mind plays the role of the naysayer in our minds. "You can't do that. That don't make sense. It's not rational. People will laugh." If we listen to our rational minds, we will lose some very creative ideas brought to us by our intuition.
Learn to listen and trust your intuition. It may not make sense to the rational mind and that is okay. In fact, if the rational mind is too resistive to an idea, it probably means it is a great idea. The more the rational mind resists the better the idea. Our educational training has taught us to trust our rational mind, not our intuitive mind. To follow our intuition, we must be able to step outside our comfort zone and go where few others have gone.
Creative Practice
When you write or paint this week, let go of the rational mind. Listen to your intuition. If your rational mind tells you not to do something, listen instead to your intuition. Follow your heart.
Biography
Ray Bradbury, the son of Esther Moberg and Leonard Bradbury, was born in Waukegan, Illinois. His family moved back and forth between Waukegan and Tucson, AZ multiple times while he was a child. They moved to Los Angeles, CA when he was 14.
Bradbury began to write stories at the age of eleven. His earliest influences included Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and H. G. Wells. He began writing horror stories at 14 in imitation of Poe.
Ray Bradbury, the son of Esther Moberg and Leonard Bradbury, was born in Waukegan, Illinois. His family moved back and forth between Waukegan and Tucson, AZ multiple times while he was a child. They moved to Los Angeles, CA when he was 14.Bradbury began to write stories at the age of eleven. His earliest influences included Edgar Allan Poe, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and H. G. Wells. He began writing horror stories at 14 in imitation of Poe.
When Bradbury was 12 he visited a carnival and was touched on the nose by an electrified sword. Mr. Electrico, the carnival entertainer shouted at Bradbury: "Live forever." From that day forward, Bradbury began to write every day. Some of his influences included Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, John Steinbeck, Aldous Huxley, Thomas Wolfe and Eudora Welty. In high school, he was active in both the Poetry Club and the Drama Club, but he did not attend college. His education came from the library where he spent three days a week. His novel Fahrenheit 451 was written at UCLA's Powell Library.
Bradbury earned his first money as a writer at the age of fourteen when George Burns hired hime to write for the Burns and Allen show. Bradbury sold his first story, The Lake, for $13.75 at the age of 22. Homecoming, one of Bradbury's early stories appeared in Mademoiselle. Truman Capote, a young editorial assistant, spotted the story which was selected for publication also in the O. Henry Prize Stories of 1947. Bradbury also wrote plays.
Bradbury married Marguerite McClure in 1947 and they had 4 daughters. He never had a driver's license.
Video
Here is Ray Bradbury talking about writing.
