My Heart Beats for Bradbury

Dear Aspiring Writers,

I have discovered, what you probably already have. And I have fallen, quite suddenly, in love...

He is so wonderful that I forgive him for his semi-mullet...

Ray Bradbury is my newest crush. I forgive all of you who ever heard of him and didn't personally open one of his books in front of my nose and tell me to sit on my butt and read for five minutes. He is humorous, unique, quirky, descriptive, brave, and eloquent. Plus, he writes short stories, which are perfect for my attention span. Consider, this passage from "The Fog Horn":

"One day many years ago a man walked along and stood in the sound of the ocean on a cold sunless shore and said, 'We need a voice to call across the water, to warn ships; I'll make one. I'll make a voice like all of the time and all of the fog that ever was; I'll make a voice that is like an empty bed beside you all night long, and like an empty house when you open the door, and like trees in autumn with no leaves. A sound like the birds flying south, crying, and a sound like November wind and the sea on the hard, cold shore. I'll make a sound that's so alone that no one can miss it, that whoever hears it will weep in their souls, and hearths will seem warmer, and being inside will seem better to all who hear it in the distant towns. I'll make me a sound and an apparatus and they'll call it a Fog Horn and whoever hears it will know the sadness of eternity and the briefness of life.'"

 YES! He just described one sound... In an entire paragraph. So descriptive, rich, and detailed! A dozen word-pictures that make me go "Oh my! That's EXACTLY what a fog horn sounds like!". He is, in my humble little world, genius.

Intrigued? Go read "The Fog Horn"

Also, my fellow aspiring writers, I am superbly excited... Why? Because tomorrow night I'm meeting with one of my dear fellow writers to share, create, and write. We are calling ourselves (go ahead... laugh, if you must) "Writers of AntiquiTea" (because in addition to loving writers of yore we are also a bit addicted to tea................ No shame!). I'm excited because I'm hoping our meetings will begin to serve as a bit of accountability and encouragement for each other. I have a newfound goal... To meet personally with fellow creative people and to glean all I can from them. And to give all I can to them. And to build relationships of encouragement and accountability with one another so that we can spur each other on towards our goals.

Okay... That is all for now... The horrible weather made me drink a second Chai latte today and the words "It was a double Chai kind of day..." popped into my head. Yes, very cheesy sounding. But I think I will go write a short story about it.

Love,
Shena

P.S. Go to Caribou and order an Iced Black Chai Tea. Ask for a shot of sugar-free vanilla instead of simple syrup. You may thank my brother for this miraculous discovery. Shep, I love you!