Is It Too Late Too Start Writing?

I read a blog post this morning written by a woman who came to a decision making time in her life. She was about to turn 60. She had been writing for several years but not submitting her work. She decided it was time to begin doing that, to find out if her writing was publishable or not. 

Many people would have decided that 60 was a point where it was time to call it quits. If she hadn't subbed her work and been published by now, maybe it was time to give it up. I'm glad she didn't. Just reading her post let me know that she was a capable writer and I suspect she will get published if she subs on a regular basis. Not everything but some. Anyone who writes knows that every piece we finish will not be published.

Age is not limiting in today's world. There was a time when people reached retirement age and quit doing lots of things. It was time, they thought, to sit in the rocking chair and wait for death to claim them. A woman in my extended family literally turned herself into an old woman when she became 60. Life as she knew it was over. At least in her mind. Thankfully, that attitude has changed over the years. 

If you are 60, or 70, or even 80 and want to start something new--like writing--go ahead and do it. If you're in that age group and have been writing but never submitting your work, give it a try. I did not start writing until into my fifties. Do I wish I'd started sooner? You bet I do! I once interviewed several writers who had not started writing until later in life. Every one of them said they wished they'd tried earlier. All had reasons that those earlier years passed by without their attempting to write. 

Some said a teacher had criticized their school essays so much that they feared trying even though they wanted to. Others claimed that they let life get in the way (that was my own excuse). One said he started writing just to prove a critic of years past wrong. 

If you have ever had the desire to write, don't let age be a factor. Or technology. You can learn the ins and outs of the computer world just as well as a younger person. You can learn how to submit your writing to an editor. You can learn the proper forms to use in the work you submit; how to edit, how to make revisions, spell check and more. The keyword here is desire. 

Follow your heart and start writing, even if it is nothing more than writing exercises you find in a book. Or a memory piece. Or those family stories we all have in the recesses of our minds. Don't ever use age as an excuse for not trying to write. Older writers have far more life experiences to draw from than those in their twenties. 

Go ahead and follow your dream, set another goal. Live life to the fullest as long as you can.