Tribute for Ray Bradbury

TRIBUTE FOR RAY BRADBURY

OJAI PUBLIC LIBRARY, SAT, June 23, 3-5pm (FREE!)

Just returned from teaching two workshops at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference here in CA. Hundreds of writers gathered to share their work and improve their craft and business of being a writer. I taught The Way of Story which is for all forms of narrative writing – both fiction and non-fiction. Also taught a workshop on Screenwriting & Story Structure. Enthusiastic response for both.

I spoke of how media (i.e., television and film) has influenced how everything is written today. This means that the principles I have taught for years which apply for screenwriting are also relevant now to memoir, novels, non-fiction.These include story structure, making sure your story takes off in the first few pages (in a film in the first 10 minutes), character arc where your main character changes dramatically, and other rules. Of course, there will always be an exception to any rule one establishes for writing anything, but for the main, it pays to follow the rules.

Ray Bradbury died last week. He had attended the Santa Barbara Writers Conference for many decades. They had a large blow up of his photograph on the stage so that his presence was with us. When introduced, I was standing next to this enlarged photo so was moved to share how I first met Ray Bradbury.

In 1989, Ray Bradbury was asked to host the premiere of my first film, The Christmas Wife (with Jason Robards and Julie Harris) at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood. For the first time ever, I asked for an autograph as Bradbury was, at that time, my son’s favorite author. So Ray Bradbury wrote to my son, Christopher. Some years later, while I was judging the Ojai Film Festival, Ray Bradbury was honored, and I was surprised when he remembered my film and meeting me. Ray Bradbury had the distinction of being a great storyteller and a fine human being.

One week before he died, Ray Bradbury completed a piece for The New Yorker. He was 92 years old. What better gift for any writer than his example! This weekend, I am invited to speak of Ray Bradbury at one of many Tributes to this wonderful storyteller. Ray Bradbury lived in libraries so it is fitting to honor him in the Ojai Public Library.

I recall reading his story, The Veldt (from The Illustrated Man) when I was a teenager. Decades later, this story remains vivid in my mind. So when asked to read something of his, I chose The Veldt, which I will read Sat at 4pm at the Tribute here in Ojai, CA.

So much today – especially at Writers Conferences – addresses the ‘business’ of being a writer today. Perhaps it is vital to remember why we began writing in the first place and to follow our passion without undue thought of making it pay. Ray Bradbury began when young and never looked back. And, in the end, it paid in more ways than one.

– Catherine Ann Jones www.wayofstory.com