One of my favorite short stories ever is Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains." It's about an automated house that keeps on running long after its owners have been gone (I won't give away what happens in case anyone hasn't read it yet). I remember first reading it in high school, and I've read it many times since. Every now and then it pops into my head, and it gives me both a smile and chills at the same time.
There's no doubt that Bradbury was a master of short story writing, and some of his longer works are great, too (Something Wicked This Way Comes anyone?). As it turns out, one of his "secrets" to writing was to get up and write when the ideas struck him. That's where today's writing motivation comes from.
It sounds so easy, doesn't it? Wake up; write. Just do it. No excuses, no delays. Pick up your pen or pencil or keyboard and just start putting words to paper, screen, napkin — whatever's handy! I keep a stack of notebooks on the shelf of my nightstand next to my bed, and more often than not my laptop is nearby as well.
Not that I always write everything that comes to mind. I wish I did, but of course I'm human and get lazy far too frequently. But I am proud of myself because last night at about 3:00 AM, after getting up to go to the bathroom, I was thinking about a story that's been wrangling around in my head for a few days. Instead of simply climbing back beneath the warm, soft covers and letting myself drift back to sleep, I pulled one of my spiral-bound notebooks and jotted down a chapter structure for what I think could turn into a pretty decent (short) novel. Not everything's worked out yet, but I've got the broad strokes and the basic plot trajectory, which is a big part of the work.
I'm not claiming to be any Ray Bradbury here, but I am proud of myself for taking that step. Now to push on to the next part of it…
Source: MaxPixel
Quote from “Ray Bradbury’s Nostalgia for the Future” by Timothy Perrin, February 1986
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