Throughout his life, Bradbury liked to recount the story of meeting a carnival magician, Mr. Electrico, in 1932. At the end of his performance Electrico reached out to the twelve-year-old Bradbury, touched the boy with his sword, and commanded, “Live forever!” Bradbury later said, “I decided that was the greatest idea I had ever heard. I started writing every day. I never stopped.”

Ray Bradbury was a fabulous writer. I have read many of his books, and even a few interviews with him, but I had never heard the above anecdote.  It resonates with every writer, I’m sure. It certainly does with me.

My books are my children. They will outlive me.  They will be all that future folks know about me.

I have written millions of words for thousands of other people, and my words will become part of their legacies, so I will have blessed lots of people I have never met and will never know.  And that’s all right.

The only thing people really need to know about me is in my words, here on this blog and in my books. My inner life is all right here. My outer life is very much like yours, I suspect, filled with daily chores, forgettable conversations, and moments of  joy and tedium.

But my books… my books and these blog posts.. this is where I truly live. Inside my head and through my fingers. I can get into The Zone fastest when I sit down at my keyboard and just start typing.

I was born for this.  I have always known it.  From the moment a teacher taught me to string words together into sentences and sentences into stories, I have been a reporter and a storyteller.  This is my happy place.

Ray Bradbury’s anecdote explains it all!

Thank you, Ray Bradbury! I love and miss you!