Hiya Pals!
If you’ve ever watched Joey Royale’s Pizza Party, you’ve probably heard me mention Zen and the Art of Writing, Ray Bradbury’s masterpiece on creativity, joy, and putting words down like a person possessed.
Bradbury wrote with passion, instinct, and pure love. “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you,” he says, and boy, ain’t that the truth? Every stroke of the keyboard is a sword strike against tyranny, apathy, and complacency. Start chipping away, pal—for all of us!
For me, one of life’s greatest joys is creating. Whatever stands in the way of joy must be conquered. “We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” That’s the game, folks. Fill yourself with life, with weirdness, with joy—then let it explode onto the page.
My biggest takeaway from this book: Let the subconscious spill onto the page before doubt creeps in. “Let the world burn through you. Throw the prism light, white hot, on paper,” he commands. Detach and channel that magic when it hits you. It’s fleeting, so don’t let it slip away.
I dare you to start writing daily—10 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever feels right. I dare you to read voraciously. My schedule only allows for snippets of uninterrupted reading time, so I’ve been focusing on short stories and poetry. You’d be surprised how quickly the muse seeps in after these simple exercises.
A little notebook in your pocket is a portal to new worlds waiting inside you. Create before you can’t. I can’t wait to see what you come up with, friend.
