I recently returned from a weekend intensive workshop in Sunriver, OR, as part of the Southern California Writers’ Conference’s Sunriver Summit. I led one of three separate tracks—mine was “Into the Deep: Mining Substance and Shaping Narrative.” A solid two days about the craft of writing.
It’s my general practice, at the end of any workshop I lead, to leave participants with a final poem or blessing or some inspiring thoughts penned by another writer. But in the flurry of getting all my notes together, packing myself up, and getting myself on a too-early flight—San Diego to Oregon, I forgot to include this detail.
So at the end of our Sunday afternoon session, bereft of any handout that we could all read together, I recited, as best I could, something Ray Bradbury wrote in his beautiful book about the creative process, Zen in the Art of Writing. I pretty much mangled the quote, but I did manage to get at least part of it right and hope the feeling I wanted to express came across.
In apology to Mr. Bradbury, and to the participants in my Into the Deep workshop, here is the complete quote.
“…If you want to write, if you want to create,
you must be the most sublime fool that God ever
turned out and sent rambling. You must write
every single day of your life. You must read
dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let
them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your
head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next.
You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks
like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and
wear books like hats upon your crazy heads.
I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative
Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness
and foolishness and madness upon you. May you
live with hysteria, and out of it make fine
stories – science fiction or otherwise.
Which finally means, may you be in love every
day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that
love, remake a world.”
And out of this, I wish you good writing and a beautiful June.
Ahhhh–I have been on a Bradbury streak. Finished Death is a Lonely Business and started Toynbee Convection. Thank you!
HI Barb, thanks for posting and reminding me of all the Bradbury books I haven’t read.
Great thanks!
Right back at you, Geri.
I very much enjoyed reading the Ray Bradbury quote Judy. Many thanks for this…
I thought I would return the favour…..
Just before his teacher Oda Sessa Roshi died, Gary Snyder, having
stopped writing for six years in order to be ‘ serious ‘ about Zen, said
to his teacher in the hospital: “ Roshi! So it’s Zen that is serious,
poetry is not serious.” The Roshi replied: ” No, no – poetry is serious!
Zen is not serious.”
Anon
Namaste
Michael
A delightful response, Michael. Thank you!
I love this quote!. Thanks.
Me, too, David. Maybe one day I’ll be able to quote the whole thing, but for now… just the image of all of us–“books upon our crazy heads like hats” will do.
Dear Judy,
thank you for the quote from Ray Bradbury’s book. I love it! I somehow will remember that the next time I feel “crazy” and a little wild with enthusiasm about something that excites me. I’m sure your workshops in Oregon were inspiring. I hope you have a wonderful June also!
Hi Arlene, Thanks so much for writing. I love thinking about you going “crazy” and a little wild with enthusiasm about anything and everything in our amazing world. With June out my window, I am feeling a little wild myself.
Hey Judy!
Sounds like Bradbury loved writing almost as much as you do.
Happy lifelong writing,
Linda
Hey Linda, he has been an inspiration for a long long time. Zen in the Art of Writing was one of the first writing books I had on my shelf. It is well worn, believe me.
thank you Judy una been writing a poem about my Muse whose name by the way is Hyacinth.. she named herself..sounds crazy but aren’t poets a little crazy..
I love your Muse’s name. Hyacinth. Beautiful. My Muse doesn’t have a name, or at least she hasn’t revealed it to me yet. Look forward to your Muse/Hyacinth poem. Always look forward to any/all of your poems. xooxJudy