Ray Bradbury is one of the most well-known and respected authors of the 1900’s, namely responsible for works such as “Fahrenheit 451,” “the Martian Chronicles,” and “Dandelion Wine.” His genres ranged from Sci-Fi to Fantasy, poetry to mystery. Unfortunately this timeless author passed, but he left some great wisdom to bestow upon we, the writing class. These 9 tips are things I’ve tried to reflect in my own writing, so I’ll summarize them and reflect on my own experiences.
- Don’t start out writing novels. He starts out with a bombshell unpopular to most writers in the young community. Ray explains how the idea of taking a year to write a novel, especially when it’s your first, has a huge margin of error. If you convert that time instead to writing short stories and finishing one a week, he declares, then you’ll have 52 finished short stories in that year. At least one of them must be good.
The moral is that you’ll spend this time learning how to find stories, to become creative with finding endings, and constantly looking for new ideas. For a budding young author, this can really help you formulate a solid first novel when the time comes.
So did I follow this advice to a T? Well, no. But also yes.
Many people know that the finished Sovereign Soul: Akin Minds is actually the second finished novel of its name. This is because, yes, my first novel was published too soon. That said, each edition of my novel has had at least four to five drafts, each drastically different than the last. Most writers do. There were huge differences between my very first draft and my finished product – you’d never guess they were the same thing!
And yes, while I haven’t written fifty-two short stories, I’ve written a few. Some have dabbled in side stories in my working universe. Some have been meaningless. There’s poetry, too – you can check that out here! The dabbling and working around other characters helps expand your horizons, even if it has nothing to do with your true passion project. - Read great short stories. This speaks for itself pretty well, for after all, the best writers are the best readers. I suggest you don’t just read short stories, personally, but the best stuff of all genres you’re tackling. If you’re an avid Fantasy reader (check my #1 inspiration here, and it’s generic), delve into some Adventure too, and not just in the typical Fantasy environment (here’s my closest personal take). Some good ol’ Sci-Fi can really expand the walls of your mind too. Remember that the more you research topics for historical accuracy, the closer you are to Sci-Fi! (Not a book, but here’s my take on an excellent well of Sci-Fi)
3. Stuff your head. This one’s tough for us deep into the working class, but not impossible. Ray Bradbury seriously recommends that each night, you read:
- One short story a night
- One poem a night
- One essay a night (especially for you Sci-fiers!)
So this one is tough for me, especially essays, which aren’t my favorite thing under the sun. Life is demanding, and sometimes we just don’t have the time or energy for this. However, there’s no denying the sheer good this can do for you, and not just as a writer. Filling your head with this kind of material can really sharpen your mind and ready you for anything. Maybe it won’t all be at the forefront of your mind, but it’ll be there when you need it! What if you’re writing, and you find yourself writing about a blacksmith at the local weaponry – and you realize you’ve read several short stories about blacksmiths! Imagine how your summary of this blacksmith and his general day, even in passing, can shine because you read so much about it!
4. Get rid of friends who don’t support you. This is a tough one, but necessary. Especially if writing is your passion, why are you putting up with people who stomp all over your dreams? Who laugh at your manuscript, the result of days spent pouring your heart into the jammed-up keys of your laptop, from jotted notes while you were running someplace that ended up being key points? We don’t need it.
You might rush to defend these people, but consider carefully. If you’ve really put this much work into your manuscript, is it okay for people in your lives to think it’s ridiculous? And if it is, because you haven’t put that much work into your manuscript… well, I think you know now what you’re missing.
5. Live in the library. So this might be a little dated in our age, but there’s still nothing wrong with it. Whether it be the real library (many of which you’ll have to wait for Post-Covid to access) or the digital one you’ve formed on Kindle – hell, even the Youtube playlist of random facts and stories – it can be your saving grace in many ways. Fill yourself with information, learn how to do the things your characters can. Your readers will be able to tell if you, writing of your character’s fight scene, have ever held a sword. Magic sword, different from the rest? I’m sure not all characters in your book have one, or maybe your main has to go without it for a bit. Either way, aside from the point: learn it.
6. Write with joy. This is easily the most important thing. Remember why you started writing. Maybe your story is grim, but your characters should still spark that feeling of joy when you sit at the computer to write your next scene. There should be anticipation, like the rolling boil of a kettle and the sweet aroma of steeping tea, as you wait to greedily drink from what your mind can produce on the paper.
It’s not always going to be perfect, but if you can’t look back on your own finished work and smile, then you must consider if it’s really finished – in my opinion. I can read back on my old works, published or no, and smile like a fool at the sheer atmosphere. And if you’re happy to write it, that joy will spread.
7. Know that it takes a long time for your writing to pay the bills.
YES. Absolutely yes. Forgive me, because this one resonates with me so strongly.
I have my first cheque somewhere from my first actual earnings on my book. If I moved the decimal place a bit, I could match it up to a week of work at a minimum wage job. They haven’t really gotten bigger, either, I assure you. Some people (a rare handful) rake in fair cheques from their writing. Personally, I would love to be able to focus solely on my writing and still be able to live off it, but for the vast majority, that’s just a pipe dream. Even more so, it’s the luck of the draw. You need not only an excellent book (by mass standards, and usually from many backgrounds) but you need the right person to see it, the right person to close that book at the end and decide to write you a damned review. And then you need other people to do that, over and over. (On that note, reviews on my Amazon or Goodreads page are more than welcome…)
8. Be a pack rat. This one is huge to me, and any who’ve ever seen my writing area can attest – I keep everything. Old movie tickets, pictures, knick-knacks I’ve found while hiking, and almost every note or sketch I’ve ever done. Seriously, I’ve only thrown out the illegible or redundant things I’ve drawn or written notes on. And all those little memorabilia are little stories tucked away in boxes or drawers. One little memory can help you bridge a writer’s gap. And as I said up there, the readers can tell if you’re attached to the idea of that memory.
9. Take creativity breaks. And this isn’t talking about when you regrettably have to shut down the laptop and go to work. It’s having that time to write, but choosing to stimulate your mind in other ways. No matter how technical we get, a writer’s brain is their best tool. If you’re staring at the empty page until it gets bleary, or find yourself constantly deleting sentences, paragraphs, pages because none of it just feels like you want it to – then take a break. Go for a walk (yes there’s Covid, but I don’t think the trees have it yet), play a video game, read a book (if you can still read after staring at that empty page) or just go out (with your close Covid circle, masks and whatnot). Okay, so Covid probably is pretty bad for taking those necessary creative breaks, but find a way. Do it for you, and the you that wants to finish that book and absolutely take someone’s breath away – because you can do it, with that great mind of yours that made it to the bottom of this page. I believe in you, and I hope you believe in me.
There’s more words of wisdom from Ray Bradbury, and I don’t have the time nor skill to address everything the wise man has said. For more, including some powerful quotes from him, check out this site. Of course, while the footnotes are my own, the ideas came from Ray Bradbury. If you want to see more of what my mind can do, please check out my first novel here or browse the rest of the website for more about my novels. I have more writing tips in my blog, too – just search the category to see the others, and let me know if you enjoy the read. Thanks for reading, and good luck.
Sovereign Soul 