Sunday, October 19, 2008

A Great Reminder

What I have over my desk:

“To sum it all up, 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 glorious 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 for 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 and 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.”

- Ray Bradbury

29 comments:

Madam Crunchypants said...

What a great quote!



Also, I miss you! I think we've both been crazy busy lately.

Anonymous said...

I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you.

That says it all.

Anonymous said...

Love it! Good quote :)

anno said...

And... may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days! Beautiful reminder!

painted maypole said...

i love that!

nyc/caribbean ragazza said...

this is the first time I've read that quote. I love it. Thank you for sharing it.

Jen said...

I think we have, TC! I'm greatly looking forward to "visiting" with you again. I hope all is going well.

Amy, I agree - it's my favorite part.

Thanks, Maryann! I think it serves for a lot of circumstances, not just writing.

Anno - absolutely. But I think he means with your muse... although on any score that's wonderful.

PM - me, too!

NYC - I'm glad you like it. It's definitely my favorite "inspiration" quote.

glamah16 said...

Great quote. With all thats going on whats happening with the book. I know it sounds crazy, but when things are crazy thats the time to push yourself.

Núria said...

I remember I had Rudyard Kippling's words hanging in my wall when I was a teenager... Y serás hombre hijo mio... this sentences made me think of that :D

Karen Olson said...

Wow. Love this.

Jen said...

Glamah, I'm gearing up again. I came to that conclusion myself.

Nuria, I love that poem.

Karen, me, too. Obviously. I had a great discussion with my writing kids about it today. We talked about the importance of reading "dreadful dumb" books as writers. It was fascinating to get their perspective.

Sister Sassy said...

Ooooh, nice little piece. :)

Jen said...

I agree, Sassy! ;-)

soccer mom in denial said...

Thank you for sharing that quote. I've been wrestling with a muse so this is just wonderful to read.

Brittany | the Home Ground said...

I love this! I think it works perfectly for visual artists, too. Very inspiring for a dreary Monday night. Thanks, Jen!

Liz Dwyer said...

That's a great, great quote and I need to read it more often since I'm gearing up for NaNoWriMo.

Jen said...

SMID - oh, those muses! They never seem to just do their thing quietly, do they?

Brittany, I agree - it is for any area of the arts, I think.

LA - yup, me, too (I think). I'm trying to push myself to commit.

Momisodes said...

I love it. What a brilliant quote. I can see why you have it over your desk :)

Anonymous said...

I love that quote. It's perfect.

Jen said...

Hey Sandy and Leslie - yes, it's fun - Ray Bradbury was such a brilliant writer!

Goofball said...

hmm even if you don't want to create or write, you can enjoy some of that hysteria by reading hunger alone though!
It sometimes bites me and sometimes it doesn't.

Jen said...

Yes, Goofball, but I think he was specifically tying reading to writing.

Brillig said...

Ahhh, what an amazing quote. I'm printing it out right now!

Virtualsprite said...

Thank you. I needed this today. The words are coming hard.

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful quote. I love me some Ray Bradbury. :)

Luisa Perkins said...

Ray Bradbury = genius.

I have loved that quote since the first time I read it.

Jen said...

I thought this might be one of your faves, too. ;-)

Bradbury is definitely one of THE masters.

April said...

Truly inspiring!

Jen said...

Glad you enjoyed it, April!