Ray Bradbury

By now I'm sure you have heard that Ray Bradbury has died. I can't say that I was ever a huge Bradbury fan. I recall being a bit bored with Farenheit 451 when I tried reading it in middle school, but I was probably a little too young to appreciate it. I enjoyed The Martian Chronicles, though I read it so long ago that I only remember bits and pieces of it today.

But I did have a chance to see Bradbury speak when I was in college, and he said something that didn't mean much to me at the time, but which now has considerable resonance. You see, I am the sort of writer who is constantly down on himself for how poorly he writes. I can barely stand to open up any of my books, since the only things are all the clunky sentences I wish I had phrased differently.

Which is why I remember with a chuckle what Bradbury had to say on this matter. He said, “Some writers are constantly putting themselves down and are incredibly critical of their own work. Not me! I think everything I write is brilliant!”