Ray Bradbury, 1920-2012

The writing world suffered a huge loss today. While he hated the term "science fiction" (he preferred "fantasy"), much of Mr. Bradbury's work is classified as such. When you think of science fiction - you think of Ray Bradbury. He invented dystopia decades before The Hunger Games made it popular.

Most people know him from Fahrenheit 451 (required reading for a lot of high schoolers), The Martian Chronicles, or Something Wicked This Way Comes, but he was so much more.

He published at least 27 books, over 600 short stories (he was the KING of short stories), plays, screenplays and teleplays (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, The Ray Bradbury Theater to name a few), fiction and non-fiction, and even children's literature. He was quintessentially the writers' writer, and would write at least 1,000 words a day - no matter what.

His impact on the imaginations of readers and writers will be felt for generations to come. His passion for creativity will be sorely missed. In reading about his prolific writing career today, I came upon this quote that should inspire any writer (me included):

"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."

A True Pioneer
(AP Photo/Lennox McLendon)

Music and Writing

Like a lot of other writers, I listen to music while I write. Creative people like writers often enjoy other artistic endeavors as well, i.e., music, art, or film. Unlike a lot of other writers, I am also a musician. I have sung lead vocal in a few bands, and even played drums in a few. I also play piano. This parallel love of music and writing however, can sometimes cause problems as they cross paths. Often, the music I love to listen to prevents me from writing what, or how, I want to write.

Case in point – Pride and Prejudice. I absolutely love the score to the 2006 version of the film and listen to it often, BUT, I’m not writing anything like Jane Austen or that book. So I can’t listen to it while I’m writing. The composer of that score though, has done many films, and I found one that I can listen to while I write – Atonement. It even has the sound of a person typing on an old typewriter in some of the selections, which can be very inspiring to get me moving on my own keyboard. The composer, by the way, is Dario Marianelli, and I highly recommend him.

Another problem is regular music. You know, with people actually singing and stuff. Can’t do it while I write. I find myself singing along in my head, and of course, that’s not conducive to writing anything. Even if I don’t know the lyrics, my mind will stretch to try to figure out what they’re saying, no matter how unintelligible. It’s a useless exercise.

Besides Atonement by Dario Marionelli, I’ve found a few other scores that work – The Duchess by Rachel Portman is one. Still a bit of a period piece, but there are mysterious selections, which fit into what I’m writing. I need to greatly expand my current selection, and find other mystery/thriller-type movies that might have decent scores.

Writing and music go hand in hand for me, and ‘setting the table’ so to speak, will work wonders with my prose…now I’m off to find another score, and write another chapter.