Summary

The web content is a reflection on Ray Bradbury's literary works and his philosophy on the future, advocating for quality over quantity, and it introduces readers to "The Commonplace Book Project," recommends Bradbury's short stories, and discusses the "Ray Bradbury Theater" series as resources for writers and enthusiasts.

Abstract

The article titled "To hell with more. I want better." delves into Ray Bradbury's perspective on the future, emphasizing the importance of creating a better world rather than merely predicting or replicating the present. It introduces "The Commonplace Book Project," a collection of writings that includes a series of posts for readers to explore. The author highly recommends Bradbury's short stories, suggesting that reading them is an excellent way to understand the short story form. The article also highlights the "Ray Bradbury Theater" series, an anthology showcasing Bradbury's speculative fiction, as a valuable tool for writers to study the craft of storytelling. The author shares personal anecdotes about their life during the time the series aired and expresses enthusiasm for discovering the series now. Additionally, the article provides links to Bradbury's works, including "Bradbury Stories" and "Zen in the Art of Writing," and ends with a poem by Bradbury, inviting readers to subscribe for daily inspirational content.

Opinions

The author admires Ray Bradbury's skill in writing short stories and considers his collection "Bradbury Stories" to be a masterclass in the form.
Watching "Ray Bradbury Theater" is recommended for writers, especially those interested in short stories, as it offers a visual interpretation of Bradbury's written work.
The author has a personal connection to Bradbury's work, particularly "Something Wicked This Way Comes," and reflects on how life circumstances during the series' original run would have made it inaccessible to them at the time.
The article suggests that readers should take their time with Bradbury's works, savoring them like a fine wine, rather than binge-watching or reading through them quickly.
"Zen in the Art of Writing" is praised as an exceptional book about writing that also serves as a memoir.
The author encourages readers to engage with the content by subscribing to a mailing list for daily inspiration, indicating a desire to foster a community of readers and writers.

To hell with more. I want better.

Ray Bradbury on the future. (The Commonplace Book Project)

You can find all the posts in The Commonplace Book Project here:

The Commonplace Book Project

The Commonplace Book Project is part of the 1000 Day MFA.

medium.com

(This post contains affiliate links.)

“People ask me to predict the future, when all I want to do is prevent it. Better yet, build it. Predicting the future is much too easy, anyway. You look at the people around you, the street you stand on, the visible air you breathe, and predict more of the same. To hell with more. I want better.” — Ray Bradbury, Beyond 1984: The People Machines, 1979

Every time I think about Ray Bradbury, I want to write short stories. He did them so well. So perfectly. Last year I read through Bradbury Stories, 100 of his most well-loved short stories, one story a day.

I highly recommend it, if you want to understand the short story form better.

Tonight, while I was writing this, I started watching Ray Bradbury Theater. It’s an anthology series that started with two seasons on HBO in 1985 and 1986. Then it had four more seasons on USA from 1988 to 1992.

It’s similar to the Twilight Zone — a self-contained speculative story in every episode. All 65 episodes were written by Bradbury, most were based on one of his short stories. They’re short — less than 30 minutes each.

Remember when I talked about watching TV like a writer? Ray Bradbury Theater would be a fantastic way to do that, if you’re interested in writing short stories.

The opening sequence is fantastic, too, featuring Bradbury himself.

I can’t recommend the series highly enough. Especially for writers. Part of me wishes that I’d found it earlier, but another part is exhilarated at the chance to watch it for the first time.

The mid-80s to early 90s were a weird time for me. My dad went to prison and our family finances took a steep downturn. I wouldn’t have had access to HBO to watch Ray Bradbury Theater when it first came on. I think I would have wanted to, though. Something Wicked This Way Comes was a favorite of mine.

I didn’t have money for TV period through the early 90s. My older children were babies, my marriage was falling apart. There’s a sort of cultural blackhole for me right around that time. I missed most TV and movies.

I think I’ll take Ray Bradbury Theater in sips, the way I read Bradbury Stories. Just one at a time. Maybe two. Instead of a binge.

It’s a fun experiment to watch an episode and read the short story it’s based on. The first episode, Marionettes, Inc., is based on a short story with the same name. It’s not in Bradbury Stories, but I found it online here.

I share this video so often, but it really is worth watching. I watch it at least once a year.

Zen in the Art of Writing is one of my most favorite books about writing, and it’s part memoir. So good.

Today’s Poem:

If Only We Had Been Taller by Ray Bradbury (read by the author)

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Shaunta Grimes is a writer and teacher. She is an out-of-place Nevadan living in Northwestern PA with her husband, three superstar kids, two dementia patients, a good friend, Alfred the cat, and a yellow rescue dog named Maybelline Scout. She’s on Twitter @shauntagrimes and is the author of Viral Nation and Rebel Nation and the upcoming novel The Astonishing Maybe. She is the original Ninja Writer.