Word by Word

Practical insights for writers from Jessica P Morrell

Ray Bradbury: Living is the center of your life

Written By: Jessica Morrell - Apr• 16•15

puppy and kid leg“The intellect is a great danger to creativity because you begin to rationalize and make up reasons for things instead of staying with your own basic truth –  who you are, what you are, what you wanna be.

The worst thing you do when you think is lie – you can make up reasons that are not true for the things that you did, and what you’re trying to do as a creative person is surprise yourself – find out who you really are, and try not to lie, try to tell the truth all the time. And the only way to do this is by being very active and very emotional, and get it out of yourself – making things that you hate and things that you love, you write about these then, intensely. When it’s over, then you can think about it; then you can look, it works or it doesn’t work, something is missing here. And, if something is missing, then you go back and reemotionalize that part, so it’s all of a piece.

But thinking is to be a corrective in our life. It’s not supposed to be a center of our life. Living is supposed to be the center of our life, being is supposed to be the center, with correctives around, which hold us like the skin holds our blood and our flesh in. But our skin is not a way of life. The way of living is the blood pumping through our veins, the ability to sense and to feel and to know, and the intellect doesn’t help you very much there.

You should get on with the business of living.”
– Ray Bradbury

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One Comment

  1. Terah V. says:

    This resonates with me right now, Jessica, thank you for sharing it. “The only way to do this is by being very active and very emotional, and get it out of yourself.” I’m struggling with the active part, but I’ve got the emotional down. There’s nothing like a bad day when you are so pissed you have to sit down and write about it…but what I would like is on a normal, fair day, finding the “active” passion to write it all out too. My story. Always searching for the energy to make the most of my spare time.

    Yay thanks for linking on FB so I can remember to check out your site. Sweet.

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