Hello. I'm looking for a quote that I recall being attributed to Ray Bradbury in a speech or essay entitled, "How to be Madder than Captain Ahab, or On Writing." This was back in high school in the late 70s. The excerpt I'm looking for had to do with advice to aspiring writers, in which Ray Bradbury urged them to read anything and everything they could get their hands on, from the cheapest trash to the most celebrated literature, and let the ideas clash gloriously in their heads. I'd like to find the exact quote, but have been unable to locate the quote or speech/essay in any of Bradbury's collections. I suppose my memory may be faulty, but I hope not. Can anyone help? Thanks!
The essay was originally published in the journal The Writer in February 1974. It is reprinted in the book The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature (Watson-Guptill Publications, 2002).
Quote:
quote:
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 beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next.
You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to snuff 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.
Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.
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and then... Very Nice surprise ~ to receive hellos and thanks in the mail yesterday from Biplane and Mr. B on the same day. From FLA and CA to far NY!! f
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