#age #writing

~Age and Writing~

I have good days and bad days as a writer. I take into account my age, and, is it worth all the long, arduous time spent in drafting and editing for so little reward. Is it worth the precious time taken from my family?  

As a writer, do you consider age as detrimental? I used to write as a youngster and into my teen years. Then life ignited into a whirlwind romance with my now husband. Between birthing 5 children I did pick up pen and paper, but it was preposterous when I had all these little arms grabbing for me. 

It always amazes me when I read about writer's with full time jobs and raising young children doing well with their books. How do they do it?!

I did a little research on writer's and how old they were when they were published. 

Here's an article about a 93 y/o woman who published her debut novel: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/aug/11/1

11 Authors Who Weren't Published Until After the Age of...

1. Laura Ingalls Wilder, 65 - She didn't start writing until after she retired. Her first book, Little House in the Big Woods, came out in 1932, and kicked off her Little House series. Little House on the Prairie came out in 1935. Laura Ingalls Wilder died at age 90.
2. Henry Miller, 44 - His first book, Tropic of Cancer, was published when he was 44. 
3. Anthony Burgess, 40 - He's most famous for A Clockwork Orange, which came out when he was 45 -- 
4. Frank McCourt, 66 - His debut was Angela's Ashes, which came out when he was 66 -- the oldest debut on this list. 

5. Dead and loving it.

   Bram Stoker, 50 - Five other interesting Bram Stoker facts. (1) He was Irish. Yes, Dracula was created by an Irishman.
6. George Eliot, 40 - Her name was actually Mary Ann Evans. Her first novel, Adam Bede, came out when she was 40. 
7. Alex Haley, 44 - The Autobiography of Malcolm X was published when he was 44, and Rootscame out 11 years later.
8. William S. Burroughs, 40 - He was published for the first time just after he turned 40. Naked Lunch didn't come out until he was 45. 
9. Sherwood Anderson, 50 - Were kids who didn't grow up in Ohio required to read Winesburg, Ohio, aka the Canterbury Tales of the northeastern Midwest?
10. Richard Adams, 52 - Adams stormed out of the gate at age 52 with Watership Down. It was an instant classic, won a ton of awards and vaulted him toward the top of the modern author pyramid. 
11. O. Henry, 42 - O. Henry (also known as "William Sydney Porter" continues to captivate readers with his clever twist endings. 

I found the article here:

http://www.11points.com/Books/11_Famous_Authors_Who_Werent_Published_Until_After_Age_40

I've come to a conclusion ~ Age Doesn't Matter. 

For neurotic writer's like myself, I'm very thankful for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Join in the monthly posting here: 
http://www.alexjcavanaugh.com/p/the-insecure-writers-support-group.html