But it was 'The Lake' (1942), in which he discovered his distinctive style that would provide the 22-year-old enough confidence to quit selling newspapers and to become a fulltime writer.For the next several years, Bradbury focused on churning out short stories most notably 'The Watchers' (1945), 'Invisible Boy' (1945) and 'The Small Assassin' (1947). He next had his first paid piece published, 'Pendulum' (1941), written with Henry Hasse and published in Super Science Stories.

Also in 1938, he published his first story, 'Hollerbochen's Dilemma,' in the fan magazine, Imagination!, and followed by publishing four issues of his own fan magazine, Futuria Fantasia (1939). Instead, he sold newspapers on the street corner while continuing to spend his free time devouring books at the library. After graduating from Los Angeles High School in 1938, Bradbury passed on attending college because he was unable to afford it. Meanwhile, he began to write and started the habit of rising every morning and heading straight to the typewriter when he was a teenager. His persistence paid off when a good-natured Burns used some of Bradbury's writing in the vignettes that closed the 'The Burns and Allen Show' (CBS, 1950-58). He even pestered famed comedian George Burns to read his screenplays. Meanwhile, in 1934, when he had just turned 14 years old, his father - who had been unemployed for two years as a result of the Great Depression - decided to pack up the family and leave Waukegan behind for Los Angeles, CA, where Bradbury would wind up residing for the remainder of his life.When he first arrived with his family, Bradbury soaked up the Hollywood life, taking in as many movies as possible - many by sneaking into the Uptown Theater - while roller-skating all over town in search of autographs from movie stars. Early on, Bradbury displayed a vivid imagination that overflowed with stories about spaceships, Buck Rogers, and traveling through outer space at a time when such thoughts were so far-off as to be considered downright strange.

Not athletic thanks to poor eyesight that required him to wear thick glasses, Bradbury instead took refuge in libraries, which he later attributed to being responsible for his true education versus schools or universities.

He would do tricks on stage for anyone willing to watch, complete with a fake mustache that would fall off during performances. Brimming with energy and enthusiasm, the young Bradbury was set on becoming a magician long before wanting to be a writer. Born in Waukegan, IL, Bradbury was raised by his father, who installed and maintained transmission lines for the power and telephone companies, and his mother, who was an immigrant from Sweden.

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