Idea at 18, Published at 55!

I read an article in the March 25th issue of the Wall Street Journal about a woman who had a dream at 18. She finally saw it fulfilled at age 55 with a debut novel that recemtly sold in a seven-figure two-book deal.

The idea for Angelina Boulley's young-adult thriller surfaced when she was only 18. She recently tweeted "I'm 55. #NeverGiveUp." 

The article states that there is a prevailing thought that you must publish when in your 20s or 30s or it's beyond you. Even so, there are plenty of authors who publish for the first time later in life. I was in my mid-fifties when I was initially published. The article states that Sue Monk Kidd was 53 when her novel "The Secret Life of Bees" hit the market. It became a bestseller and late a movie. Nancy Pearl was 72. Ellen Meeropol's book, "House Arrest." came out just months before she enrolled in Medicare. 

I know that Laura Ingalls Wilder published at 65, and I recently noted on a Facebook post that a woman published her first book of poetry at age 95. So, don't ever, ever tell yourself you're too old to publish, that the time has passed so you'll just wander out into the pasture alone. Uh-uh! If the idea and the dream were there once, they can continue. It's you who must keep it alive and feed it little by little. You'll need a healthy dose of patience and perseverance, my two keywords for writers. 

What if Ms. Boulley had tried to write and go through the traditional publishing route when only in her teens or twenties? I'm guessing it would not have been the success that she found these many years later. Think of the life experiences she's had between 18 and 55! All of them most likely figured into the final draft of her book. 

You can google the article, or go to your local library and look up the March 25th issue of the Wall St. Journal. The article is in the Personal Journal section and is titled "At 55, a Debut Author Finds Success" There, you will be able to read more about the book itself and her journey to success.

What I want to convey in today's post is that you are never too old to complete a dream, to reach for success. We all know that whatever we practice becomes better, and so it is with writing. This is not to say that authors in their 20s and 30s do not do a good job. Many of them are super writers who will only continue to become better and better. 

The important thing is to keep that dram close, don't give up. Pursue it until you can catch hold and share it with the world.