Week 3: Lists

The Power of Lists in Writing

A few years after opening the Writing House in Istanbul, my students told me about a wonderful new book on writing by Ray Bradbury. At the time, there weren’t many books on writing available in Turkish, and most Turkish writers kept their process to themselves, so this was exciting news. I’ve always loved Bradbury’s work, so I immediately bought the book.

As I read, I was struck by how much of what Bradbury said about writing aligned with what I was already teaching in my workshops. I thought to myself, Wow, I’m good if I’m talking about the same things as Ray Bradbury. But something about it felt familiar. Toward the end of the first half, I flipped to the front inside cover to check the original title. That’s when I realized it was Zen in the Art of Writing, a collection of essays on writing published in 1990—the same year I had likely read it for the first time.

It reminded me of how much I’ve learned from writers, not just through their stories but through their essays, memoirs, and interviews. Writers have always been my teachers, and their insights often resonate deeply, even years later, shaping my approach to writing and teaching.

Inspiration from Jhumpa Lahiri

When Jhumpa Lahiri’s Whereabouts was released, I bought it immediately. At the time, I was living in Germany and struggling to adjust to all the changes in my life. I was 58 and feeling out of place. Only a few pages into the book, I felt as though it was speaking directly to me. I needed to know why Lahiri had written it.

Through interviews, I learned that Lahiri had written Whereabouts in Italian—a foreign language for her—after moving to Italy with her family. Later, she translated the book into English herself. The writing was simpler than her earlier works yet equally powerful. The titles of her pieces, such as On the Street and At the Café, were deeply inspiring. Her courage to write in a foreign language motivated me to put more effort into learning German, and her themes encouraged me to document my own experience of living abroad.

For months, I wrote furiously. My pieces had titles like On the Street, At the Bus Stop, In the Supermarket, At Home, and In the Kitchen. Writing gave meaning to my experience in this foreign country, and through it, I found clarity and purpose.

Lessons from Ray Bradbury

Over the years, many writers have inspired me, teaching me to write better stories through their words, methods, and approaches. Today, I want to go back to Ray Bradbury and share one of his most valuable writing tools: lists.

Here’s an excerpt from Zen in the Art of Writing that illustrates his process:

I began to make lists of titles, to put down long lines of nouns. These lists were the provocations, finally, that caused my better stuff to surface. I was feeling my way toward something honest, hidden under the trapdoor on the top of my skull. The lists ran something like this: THE LAKE. THE NIGHT. THE CRICKETS. THE RAVINE. THE ATTIC. THE BASEMENT. THE TRAPDOOR. THE BABY. THE CROWD. THE NIGHT TRAIN. THE FOG HORN. THE SCYTHE. THE CARNIVAL. THE CAROUSEL. THE DWARF. THE MIRROR MAZE. THE SKELETON.
(Zen in the Art of Writing, pp. 13, 19)

Bradbury discovered that simply listing nouns helped him unlock something within himself. From these lists, he would pick a word and begin writing—a prose-poem or essay at first, which often evolved into a story. Characters would emerge, taking the narrative in unexpected directions. The simple act of making lists became a gateway to his subconscious, helping him uncover stories that were waiting to be told.

Why Lists Work

Lists are a natural part of our daily lives. We make grocery lists, to-do lists, or even mental lists of movies to watch. Writing lists is simple, accessible, and surprisingly powerful. As Bradbury explains, even seemingly random words contain patterns and connections that your brain instinctively weaves into meaning.

The Science Behind It

According to Edward de Bono’s concept of Lateral Thinking, your brain recognizes words, pulls them from memory, and starts imagining scenarios. When presented with multiple words, it searches for ways to link them, creating narratives from stored experiences. Emotions, logic, and creativity all come together, making lists a fertile ground for story generation.

The Lesson for Writers

This understanding—that stories will emerge from within you if you allow them to—can be liberating. Writer’s block becomes irrelevant when you start with lists. Your only task is to trust the process, let the words guide you, and then shape the story as it takes form.

Prompt for the Week

This week, experiment with lists. Here are a few ways to get started:

• Follow Bradbury’s example and write lists of random words that come to mind.
  Emotional Triggers
• Make lists of words or phrases that evoke strong emotions in you.
• Kathleen Adams, in Journal to the Self, suggests writing a list of 100 things in one sitting. Repeat items if your mind keeps returning to them. The goal is to get all 100 down without stopping.
• If a word or phrase starts pulling you toward a story, go with it. Set a timer for six minutes and see where it takes you.

Extra Challenge

Once you’re comfortable with lists, experiment with extending them. Here are some additional prompts:

Make a list of “I remember” and “I don’t remember.”
Write lists of “I know” and “I don’t know.”
Use the lists as a foundation for longer pieces of writing.

Recommended Resources

Book: Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Book: Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono
Book: Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams

Let the lists guide you and trust that everything you need is already within you. I can’t wait to see what stories emerge!

Extra

Here is a brief section of an interview conducted by James Day on 1/21/1974. The interview titled Ray Bradbury: The Intellect is a Great Danger to Creativity was shared by The Narrative art.

And let’s end this week listening to Ray Bradbury in this wonderful talk…“Telling the Truth,” the keynote address of The Sixth Annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea, sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene University. It was shared by the University of California YouTube channel.