Okay, so I admit it, I’m a late bloomer. I always seem to lag behind the approved timeline of what’s considered “normal.”
It’s not that I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer as a kid, but I didn’t even start to think about it seriously until 2006. Until this time, I didn’t think I could actually do something professionally with writing and strive to make it my livelihood.
Now I’m considered of a “certain age.” Which means I’m not a spring chicken. I like to think of myself as a mid-summer hen.
And maybe since I know I have late-bloomer tendencies, this doesn’t even bother me. I sort of see it as the start of my second career or changing paths. But I have a writer friend who really thinks he’s “over-the-hill” for trying to write in his mid-30′s. He groans and complains about all these hot young thangs getting published.
First of all, mid-30′s is old? Not quite. And really age isn’t even a factor in a career like writing.
I remember reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s essay, Some Thoughts on Writing, on her website. This struck me as true:
“Writing is not like dancing or modeling; it’s not something where — if you missed it by age 19 — you’re finished. It’s never too late. Your writing will only get better as you get older and wiser. If you write something beautiful and important, and the right person somehow discovers it, they will clear room for you on the bookshelves of the world – at any age. At least try.”
I can’t speak for others, but I don’t know if I could be the type of writer that I am today in my early 20′s. I just can’t see it. I wasn’t ready. I was still trying to live by other people’s expectations and unsure about my path. I hadn’t yet formed my life perspective and hadn’t learned some tough lessons. Not saying that you necessarily need to have those things fully realized to write—but for me, I don’t think it would have worked out well.
Justine Larbalestier has a recent post, What’s Age Got to Do with It? She also makes a good point:
“If a book or a poem or a movie or a computer game or a painting or whatever blows you away why does it matter how old the person was when they made it? If they were 62 does it stop being amazing? How about 72? If they were only 20 does that make it more amazing? Why?”
I think that everyone is always amazed when someone at a young age does something that’s considered “hard.” In those situations, it could be an act of genius or it could be that’s the age where the artist peaked. Plus, society’s obsession with youth doesn’t help either.
So, if you’re a late-bloomer like me or you’ve been doing this thing called life for a minute, don’t worry about it. Just do it. I think it would be worse if you don’t try because you think it’s too late.
It’s NEVER too late.
If you truly have a story to tell, write it.
