Many writers write about writing—Natalie Goldberg, Julia Cameron, Ralph Keyes, Pamela Painter, Stephen King, and the list goes on. But few write about writing the way Ray Bradbury does. Bradbury was, of course, a brilliant and prolific author, but that’s not the only reason I recommend his work on writing. I recommend his work because his discussions are so uniquely joyful, vibrant, and alive. They are also profoundly useful. For example, just last week, I came across this passage from Just This Side of Byzantium, Bradbury’s introduction to his novel, Dandelion Wine:
“This book, like most of my books and stories was a surprise. I began to learn the nature of such surprises, thank god, when I was fairly young as a writer. Before that, like every beginner, I thought you could beat, pummel, and thrash an idea into existence. . .
“It was with great relief, then, that in my early twenties I floundered into a word-association process in which I simply got out of bed each morning, walked to my desk, and put down any word or series of words that happened along in my head. I would then take arms against the word, or for it, and bring on an assortment of characters to weigh the word and show me its meaning in my own life. An hour or two hours later, to my amazement, a new story would be finished and done. The surprise was total and lovely. I soon found that I would have to work this way for the rest of my life.”
I would love to add to or elaborate on what Bradbury is saying here, but why would I? It’s perfect. A simple technique that yielded hundreds of stories and nearly 50 books. A method that breaks through the numbing idea that you start with Sentence 1 of your story and don’t stop writing until “The End.” It’s a liberating technique, and a fun one.
Time for full disclosure: I don’t write this way. I’ve never written by word association. And yet, when I read this passage last weekend as I sat on the shore of Lake Superior in far northern Minnesota, I thought: Why don’t I write this way? Why don’t I at least try it?
And so, I’m beginning an experiment. Starting with tomorrow morning, I’m going to do what Ray Bradbury spent a lifetime doing: get out of bed, walk to my desk, and put down whatever words come into my head. Then go from there.
I’m not doing this because I’m struggling with my writing. In fact, I’m in a very productive and creative phase at the moment. But I love trying new things, pushing my writing into new paths, experimenting and exploring. Will Bradury’s technique work for me? Who knows? I’m not Ray Bradbury, I’m me, and every writer is different. But at the very least it will be an exciting experiment. And at best, it may open my writing up onto new vistas. I’ll keep you posted.
Why don’t you try it along with me and share your experiences here?