Older Women Writing / Writing Older Women
By Juliet Marillier | November 10, 2021 |
This post is about two things: growing old and storytelling. At seventy-three I’m definitely an older woman writer, and that increasingly concerns me. Can I tackle another trilogy, or will I be too old to maintain the pace and quality by the time I get to Book 3? How do I balance that with the expectations of readers who want a book a year, delivered promptly? Is it time to put myself out to pasture? And by doing that, would I be erasing myself because of age, making my story just another in which the female protagonist must be below a certain age to be considered interesting? There is a lack of older women characters in fiction, especially in my genre of fantasy. I’ve been guilty of this myself as a writer. Many of my novels have young central characters. It’s not because I ever thought older protagonists were boring or wouldn’t sell. In the historical periods of these novels, lives were generally much shorter than they are now. Folk died in childbirth, in nasty farm or workshop accidents, in battles, or from diseases for which there were no known remedies. They were living adult lives by their early teens, and were lucky if they made it to the grand old age of fifty. It’s realistic for my active central characters to be in the age range of sixteen to thirtyish, with a sprinking of (mostly) wise elders.
I stepped out of that pattern to write the Blackthorn & Grim series, in which the two central characters are older (though still youngish by contemporary measures) and severely damaged by trauma. I loved writing that series – it was so rewarding to live the journey with Blackthorn and Grim as they worked their way out from the shadows of PTSD. Those two felt the most real of any characters I had created. But for the following project my agent steered me toward a style of story that was faster paced and featured a younger central cast. At the time I was not happy, feeling my artistic judgement and skills as a writer had been devalued. But he knows the business and his advice made good sense. We reached a compromise that satisfied both parties. The Warrior Bards series has both young protagonists and significant supporting characters who are much older, plus cameo roles for my favourite duo from the previous series.
Then came the pandemic, along with political instability in many parts of the world and the escalating climate emergency. I was not the only writer who found it difficult to be creative in a time of such uncertainty. Many of us struggled, not only to find motivation, but to deal with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. A year went by, and I had not only failed to write a new book, but could not even complete a book proposal to my own satisfaction. I wrote many words but they all went in the bin. And I grew a year older. I started to see people of my own age group move to retirement villages or become so frail they could no longer function without help. And I found that people who did not know me sometimes treated me as less than capable, speaking down to me as if I were infantile, or offering help that was not required (for instance, when I was in the supermarket staring at the broccoli while my mind was on medieval battle strategies.) My white hair and very short stature didn’t help in such situations. I started to doubt myself. Every time I couldn’t put a name to a face, every time I mislaid my phone or keys, I wondered if I was developing dementia. That’s despite knowing the women in my family retain clarity of mind to a very advanced age.
During this time of self-doubt, I continued to participate in online events with other authors and to present live talks and workshops on various writing-related topics quite capably. I was physically active and socially engaged, at least by introvert standards. I should have known that losing my keys did not necessarily equate to losing my marbles. More likely those vague moments could be put down to stress and anxiety. But I didn’t listen to my own common sense. I should have reminded myself of some remarkable writers in the same general age group, such as celebrated fantasy author Jane Yolen, who after a long and illustrious career is still busy each day writing poetry and children’s books, sending in submissions, and recording her activities on social media. I should have thought of the very popular Australian author Liz Byrski, who specialises in novels about highly individual older women who lead full lives. But I didn’t. I’d lost my faith in myself as a writer and as a human. So, did this story eventually get back on track?
I’m pleased to say that at last I’m emerging from that state of creative paralysis. A new book proposal is taking shape, aided by enthusiastic support from women I trust (one young, one middle-aged and one older. How’s that for symbolism?) I’m featuring an older woman as the main protagonist, someone with whom the reader will walk the path from maiden to mother to crone. I love this idea and hope it comes to fruition. We need more interesting, active, complex older women characters in fantasy, and I’m very much hoping I can add another. There are a few great examples around, some of which I’ve mentioned in earlier posts here. There are characters whose origins in mythology make them exceptionally long-lived or immortal. Telling the tale of such a life within the space of a novel is a feat indeed. Examples are Madeline Miller’s Circe, and the witch Angrboda in The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. There are older folk called back into heroic action after effective retirement. A great example is The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst. I salute these writers, who have all created real and engaging older characters. It’s particularly good to find see old women who are not type-cast as cosy grandmothers, cackling wicked witches, or evil stepmothers. Older men also take centre stage in some excellent novels. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles springs to mind – a literary tour de force with a very long time frame and a truly engaging protagonist. I also loved the often hilarious Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames.
Time feels precious when one’s remaining life expectancy is down to, say, twenty years, during some of which one might not have full independence. I considered this when taking on my current pair of rescue dogs in early 2021. As a long-term foster carer and adopter of rescues, I’ve seen too many dogs who’ve lost their homes when an owner died or was incapacitated. It’s heart-breaking. So I have a forward plan for my dogs alongside one for my writing. These days I take on dogs who are unlikely to outlive me – the current bonded pair were well into their middle age when I adopted them. And it seems to me that when the future looks shorter than one might wish, it’s important to keep doing one’s best, whether that’s creating art, or practising kindness, or standing up for justice, or tending a garden with love. I’ve spent too much of the last year worrying, being angry and frustrated, doubting myself. That really is a waste of time.
As for the book proposal, I’ve been buoyed by my readers’ enthusiasm for the new idea (they’d like a trilogy), so I’m continuing to polish it up for presentation. I’ll keep working on my own physical and mental health. And one way or another I’ll write the story of that old woman. She’s troubled, angry, confused. She’s strong, intuitive, wise. She may have her origins in folklore, but she’s one of us. Believe it!
Are you an older writer? What’s your approach to the challenges it presents?
Readers, do you enjoy stories with protagonists in that older age group, and if so why?
Photo credit: Photo 221332230 / Baba Yaga © Alexandr Blinov | Dreamstime.com
(Baba Yaga statue at the city park in Samara, Russia)
Juliet Marillier has written twenty-four novels for adults and young adults and two collections of short fiction. Her works of historical fantasy have been published around the world and have won numerous awards. Juliet’s most recent series was Warrior Bards, of which the third and final book, A Song of Flight, was published in 2021. Her collection of reimagined fairy tales, Mother Thorn and Other Tales of Courage and Kindness, had its trade release in 2022. Mother Thorn is illustrated by Kathleen Jennings and published by Serenity Press.
Juliet is currently working on a two-book fantasy series. The first book in this duology, The Amber Owl, will be published by New Dawn in February 2025.
When not writing, Juliet looks after a small crew of rescue dogs.
The story of that old woman sounds intriguing! Looking forward to reading it when you have finished it … So, please don’t stop! :-) I am middle-aged myself, but I have been wondering about all those young heroes and heroines too, lately. The protagonist in my WIP is very young, too. Is it maybe because it feels save to write “backwards”, looking at the troubles of the young people, rather than to cope with what is happening now or might be lurking around the corner soon? Just a thought.
A friend gave me Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea saga as a birthday present this year. The whole pile of it … and I swept right through it. It was fascinating to see the changes in the characters, the changing viewpoints, the regrets and challenges of their older age.
I am a middle-age female writer who’s been writing for years (published only short fiction/poems up to this point). I’ve always worried about what people thought of my work or how to go about getting traditionally published and such. Since I turned 50 this past year, none of these matter as much. I’m feeling more and more the constraints of time and decided I will write for the reader in me, in my own style and form – traditions thrown out of the window! ;) It’s freeing to take this approach as I find myself writing the kind of stories I want and plan to self-publish them. I don’t have time to wait on the gatekeepers to see if they like my work. :) Most of my characters are in their 20s or younger. I enjoy reliving life through their eyes and experiences! Great article!
Great response, Carrie Ann! I admire your courage. I have told myself I will write this one even if the gatekeepers don’t like it. We’ll see if I can stick to that somewhat scary promise.
“…somewhat scary promise.” Juliet, I’m there too. As of October of this year I’ve had 8 historical novels traditionally published, followed by my first Indie novella releasing in two weeks. Now, at 53*, I’m preparing for a cross country relocation in the coming year, am without a contract for the first time in a decade, and feel the need to slow it down as a new (and epic) 18th century story is taking shape amidst research and plotting. I want to revisit writing a novel without a deadline pressing in on me. Tight deadlines motivate some writers. They stifle me (though I’ve always met them). Yet it IS scary, taking a step back in order to stride forward again on a more sustainable path. But when all else is stripped away from this busy and demanding writing life, it comes down to my passion to serve the work. Figuring out what needs to change right now in order to best accomplish that service is freeing. Just as I feel freed by culling my possessions in this time of transition, I feel the same in stripping away those outside expectations that clutter my creativity and sap my diminishing energy reserves. Yet this choice doesn’t come without its risks, as you’ve well stated. *As a cancer survivor, that age might be nearer the end of my lifespan than the number itself signifies. While I’m in remission, I have grown tired of late. If I want to sustain my ability to write, and I do, then I must maintain a reasonable pace from here on. Writing under contract with that book-a-year expectation is not presently realistic. Not the research-heavy historicals I write.
Good points! I must read Earthsea again at some stage.
If in daily life a woman over a certain age is often ignored or overlooked, she may start to believe she’s somehow inadequate. If it happens to a writer, she may start to believe nobody will be interested in characters of that age. I guess the same might apply to any marginalised group, making this a much bigger topic.
Please don’t stop writing. I have always loved your work . At 70 I certainly don’t feel it when relating to some of your younger characters. (Keeps me young living in my fantasy world) Also rescued a bonded 12 year old pair a year ago and love them to bits..
Oh, Juliet, I could not love this post more! I have been longing to read more older characters, too, vigorous,questing, and all the other things characters of other ages are. I wrote a 74 year old Instagram influencer as a main character in my most recent book. She’s still in the fullness of her life and finds and old love, and I adored her. Readers do, too, and it’s one of my best reviewed books…but it hasn’t been selling quite as briskly as other books. Like the time I wrote a main character who was a minister, and lost.
I hope you’ll keep writing whatever it is that thrills you.
Thank you, Barbara! I will purchase your new book forthwith! (I liked the one featuring the minister.) Yes, I need to remember to heed the advice I give to aspiring writers – write the story you feel passionate about, not the one you think will sell.
Juliet, you’re going to love Write My Name Across the Sky. Plus, there’s a personal bonus waiting for you. Wait until you get to the part where Sam (one of the three MCs) reveals what her all-time favorite book is. (Hint: it’s one of my all-time favorites, as well. :)
I love this piece, just as I continue to love everything you write. I’m with you on wanting to write, and read, more characters in epic fantasy on the mature end of the scale. They can bring so much to any tale. We have no further to look than Gandalf! (Speaking of which, in spite of Elijah Wood’s portrayal, Frodo as he’s written is in his early fifties. Moreover, at the time of the War of the Ring, Aragorn is in his 80s!)
Thank you!
Juliet, thank you for your honesty in this beautiful article. I started writing in my 60s and my debut, The Disharmony of Silence, with older women characters, released when the was 72. One year later, my sophomore novel came out, though those characters were younger, yet the novel, Sisters of the Vine, is set in the 1960s and ‘70s so in a sense, they were me, back then. My WIP, also historical women’s fiction, has sharp, active, smart talented older women as main characters. I enjoy writing women I can identify with, understand their psyche.
I’m no where near as prolific a writer as you, but I have had the same doubts and questions you wrote about. I’m so glad you’ll keep writing and fostering dogs. I plan to do the same, minus the pups, even when that voice in my head asks why. I stamp my feet and yell, because I love it! It’s who I am. It’s who we are. If only I had know that twenty years ago.
Juliet, thank you for a wonderful post. I turned 70 a few months ago while facing the same things, forgetting, aches and pains I never had before, stress of the pandemic, the American political situation, etc. My solution is that most mornings my oldest friend from college and I walk our dogs together and confide in each other, with much laughter, our symptoms of old age.
We need more stories about people like us. We have a great deal of wisdom to add to our characters. Your writing is wonderful. Just keep it up. After all, you have Ursula Le Guin as your example.
Brava, Juliet! You captured the terror and beauty of aging in our current times. Thanks for a truly inspiring piece.
Heartfelt thanks for this wonderful post! I’m almost 73 and feeling fairly activist about the wisdom, gifts, and capabilities of older women writers and older characters. I’ve never felt more positive about who I am as a person in all of my roles, about the quality of my writing, and about the clarity of priorities that this time of life encourages. I hope to continue to share the positive aspects of the gifts of aging for some time to come!
Allow me to ditto your post. I wholeheartedly agree.
I needed this post today! Writing interesting and engaging (and essential) older characters in a sea of teen angst (don’t get me wrong, I love me some teen angst) is an art. Well-written older characters have to have arcs, have to have a point, have to be able to grow. Perhaps we assume older characters (and people) have it all together, don’t need to grow, or can’t.
I’ve recently enjoyed Lydia M Hawke’s Crone War series (waiting for book 2!) Like Harry Potter turning 12, Hawke’s character Claire has something unexpected coming when she turns 60. It’s nice to think that we can take on new adventures at any age.
I loved this article. At sixty-three, I feel many of the same concerns as this author (though I was so happy she is ten years older than me and still going strong). Is there enough time? Do I have the mental and physical capacity to finish my current project? Will my epitaph be, “Still working on my book”? I heard the term “Coming of old” recently that referred to a (supposed) new genre of fiction with older protagonists. This was after I read a wonderful book, The Love Story of Missy Carmichael that features a 79 year-old protagonist. It was one of the best books I have read in the last couple of years. Maybe this is the start of a new trend; a new respect for what older characters and authors have to offer. I hope so!
LOVE THIS: “And it seems to me that when the future looks shorter than one might wish, it’s important to keep doing one’s best, whether that’s creating art, or practising kindness, or standing up for justice, or tending a garden with love. I’ve spent too much of the last year worrying, being angry and frustrated, doubting myself. That really is a waste of time.”
I’m not an older writer just yet (but headed that way with God’s grace). Still, I feel like this is sound advice for all of us. Because you never do know when you time here will come to an end. Let’s make haste to make art. Not hurrying, but feeling the urgency that what we do is meaningful and important.
Thanks for this, Juliet.
Erin, I was coming over to highlight that exact phrase and say what you did — it’s such good advice no matter a person’s age.
Juliet, I’ve spent too much time worrying, being angry and frustrated, and doubting myself over the last few years, too. I appreciate this wise, beautifully written wake-up call.
Write on, my friend.
Great minds.
Great article, Juliet. I’m middle-aged, but I’ve written two older characters as part of a framing device and I love the wisdom and depth they bring to the page that a younger character cannot. And yes, I’ll read books with characters of any age. I like variety.
I commend you on continuing your writing journey in a thoughtful way. I think it’s so important to stop and take stock of what we’re doing and examine how we choose to spend our time, especially after the very difficult year and a half we’ve all suffered. Your readers will be so happy to see you’re back in the game!
I love this post, Juliet. Thank you so much for being brave enough to write openly of your struggles, and for sharing your wisdom and experience on how to make the best use of WHATEVER years we all have left, since no one knows for certain. I also love the books you listed as inspiration, particularly CIRCE and THE WITCH’S HEART. I grew up with a family of feisty older women who took no prisoners and suffered no fools, and I’ve always loved writing them into my books. My first novel had an older protagonist, and my latest, DARLING GIRL, does as well. I cannot wait to read whatever you come up with, and I wish you good health and grace and excellent medieval battle strategies in the broccoli aisle in the meantime.
I’ve reached 57, never married, still have adventures. Maybe I’m biased but older women are the most interesting people I know–their experiences, even traumas, perspective, and unique humor. Perhaps it’s their particular serenity that has them overlooked.
But it really is high time we highlighted in older women the same interesting qualities that got them burned as witches! They know too much. Men in power must contend with the fact that these women diapered them as babies. Did I mention sense of humor?
Thanks for these observations!
Oh, my, I think somehow you got into my 68-year-old author head and rummaged around in there, didn’t you? I write characters over 30 for a series for my publisher, Tule, but they aren’t seasoned characters. I worry that I don’t know what’s in the mind of a 30-something anymore. I’m too far in years and life experience to even remember being in my thirties. I love writing the little town of River’s Edge, Indiana, but I confess, the older secondary characters come to me so much more easily than my mains. That said. I soldier on because writing is my life and I can’t imagine a life without it. I talk to young people and listen in unashamedly on their conversations at airports, stores, and coffeeshops. How else can I learn? Thank you for your words today, I needed to hear them.
As Sheree said, above, maybe this is the beginning of a new (and welcome!) trend. As an American, as yet unpublished and in my 60’s, I thirst for characters who embody the wisdom that comes with age. Blackthorn will forever be one of my favorite heroines. Strong. wounded. Magical and brave. We do a service to the world when we offer the wisdom of the crone to younger women. The Sacred Feminine has been missing for far too long. I’m so glad you’ve emerged from the dark time, and I suspect, its with deeper wisdom.
Thank you, Juliet, for writing about an issue that affects what is still the largest generation, boomers like you and me. Your post has clearly touched many as shown in the comments.
While I absolutely agree one should plan wisely for the inevitable, for me it is debilitating to dwell on it, so like Pollyanna, I ignore what an old woman “should” be doing and charge ahead with what I want to do. I am loving retirement because for the first time in my adult life, I get to do exactly what I want to do. I am very grateful because I know not everyone is as fortunate. The enforced social isolation of the pandemic reminded me to appreciate what I have.
I absorbed much of my attitude about aging from my mother-in-law who lived to be 101. This is the woman who at 85 told my husband she would be driving from her home in Florida to Nova Scotia. She had some friends who wanted to visit relatives there and they were afraid to fly, so she drove, and I quote, “those old ladies to Canada to see their cousins.” She was indomitable. She looked hardship in the eye and stared it into submission. She was also fortunate that her health remained robust until her last few years. I think her secret to being active long after many of her contemporaries had given up was that she never considered her age a handicap. She saw what she wanted to do and figured out a way to do it. There is a lot of truth in the old saw about age only being a number!
I love your idea of writing older characters. Older people are capable of doing almost anything that younger folks can, but we have the wisdom of experience. That will surely make for some good stories!
At 84 years of age I have not yet put down my pen and don’t plan to do so any time soon. My trilogy The Women of Beowulf featured a female as maiden, then mother, then crone, and most people liked the third/crone book best! Never stop doing what you love to do!
Your trilogy sounds amazing!
Beautiful, wonderfully insightful and thought-provoking. As others have pointed out, none of us know the numbers of our days. And, if we’ve learned anything from this pandemic, it should be that tomorrow isn’t promised.
Lately, I’ve seen a flood of reports stating that middle-aged women (40s through 60s) have been hit hardest by the pandemic’s economic fallout. Those articles also indicated that middle-aged women are being passed over for promotion in greater numbers than before the pandemic and may be the most likely candidates for layoffs. Also, that group is most likely to not have adequate retirement savings. And, I know quite a few women in that age range who have been the only ones laid off at their companies.
Coupled with those articles, I’ve read more than a few opinion pieces bemoaning the lack of interesting roles for older women in film and television. Hollywood has an abundance of talented, older women who could bring interesting older characters to life. But getting funding for projects focused on older women is a battle.
Those articles have left me feeling unsettled and frustrated. I’ll turn fifty soon, and I’ve been concerned that my contemporaries and I might be running out of time already. The doom-and-gloom tone suggests that we only have a few years left to leave a mark or be interesting to others.
Thank you for this timely reminder that some things–like the kinds of stories I tell and the characters who populate those stories–are within my control.
If I’m tired of seeing older women excluded from the conversation or shunted off into a corner and ignored, then I have the responsibility to tell the stories that aren’t being heard.
May we all have the courage to write older women characters who revel in their complexity and lived experiences.
I too love this post, Juliet, and am admiring of your work and all the positive responses that you are getting today. There is no limit to creativity. As an RN who helped my mother when she struggled with her memory in her late nineties, her ability to read, think, create, encounter criticism and DEAL with it, added to her strength, to the strength we women have. I say BRAVO! And will tell you that I will be at my desk today, writing. What better way to seek out life, to find connections through nature, people, the emotions that drive us. Writing is you, Juliet. I always will be. Thanks for this post.
This article and all the comments are encouraging to me. I’m 77 and have been working on several stories over the years. I’ve been told that my writing is great and hold’s a person’s attention. It’s difficult to keep momentum because I am a care giver for my husband and his mentally challenged sister and have precious little time for myself. I can start writing and the interruptions began – SIGH. Maybe one day I’ll finish something; I still have hope. My passion is to write romantic/mystery stories about folks in the 50s and beyond. So many novels these days seem to have characters in their late twenties and early thirties. I’m thirsty for stories with older characters.
A trend I want to embrace. In the process of writing seven novels, I found that I like creating older women characters even though I’ve never considered myself someone who’s good with the elderly. I deny that I qualify for the word “elderly.” So now I have a novella forthcoming called Six Old Women. By old, I mean 93. The novel I’m working on now features a woman who’s traveling alone at age 80 and keeping a journal for a book called Travels with Connie. Write on, I say. It’s all about the jouney.
I loved this, Juliet! I began seriously writing about six years ago. I’m 62 now. Last year, as the pandemic took hold and my job disappeared, I hit rock bottom. Then, something clicked and I said, NO. I had a fantasy series to finish and publish (I’m finishing it now). I had other stories in that world drafted. Enough waiting, I was going to make it happen and self-publish. I took up meditation and yoga and these days I take a vigorous walk most days, biking in the summer.
I’ve had those experiences where society looks at me, deems me infirm, and dismisses me. After awhile, yes, you can come to believe it yourself. I’ve discovered that my battle has less to do with remaining mentally competent and more to do with the assumptions of others. I also don’t regret my journey. I was ready to write when I was ready to write. That’s my outlook towards stories. A good story is a good story. A boring older character is just a boring story with an older character. It’s like climate change. We can blame it on humans and industry and other sources, but we can’t blame the number 2021. It’s just a number in a story.
I find this a common concern (or worry) for older writers. True, we have more time behind us than in front of us, but that fact inspired me to let go of all fear where my writing is concerned.
Age freed me. Frankly, I don’t know what anyone under the age of 30 has to write about. Few young writers have the life experiences needed to pen great works worth reading. I read a well publicized paperback this summer, a true “beach read” written by a young author who clearly had not written from life’s trauma. Pain. Perseverance. Maybe it wasn’t meant for anyone over 30 to read.
I am a much better writer than I was in my thirties, or even my fifties. Not because I have been at it so long. No. Aging hones your craft, giving you more than a promised pulse. The patina of age seeps into your work. It affords you the opportunity to draw from pain and passion like no other time in your life.
Aging allows you to laugh in the face of all the rule makers. Fear is driven out. And all that’s left is a clear path. Time is no longer an enemy.
An inspiring post! Thank you for your courage.
Fabulous post! I, too, fall into the “older women writing older women” category—daring feats, I must say. I made my published fiction debut at age 71. Most of my next seven trad pubbed novels star lively people in their 50s or 60s. I believed this MC age group was sorely unrepresented, and understand most avid readers occupy that group plus.
The WIP? It’s about a modern sharpshooting octeganarian. At 77, I still ride my horse 4X weekly. Why shouldn’t my kickass 80 year old heroine?
Aging has freed me. Time is no longer the enemy. Allowing me to laugh in the face of fear, I find “old age” is the best time of life to be a writer.
Lately I’ve been reading up on aging burlesque queens. Some of them are still shimmying up on the stage at burlesque reunions in their 70s and 80s. Tempest Storm, a feisty redhead who recently passed away, had been working in Las Vegas almost until the end of her life at 91. If exotic dancers can still show off their aging bodies in their senior years, older writers can continue to show the world their creativity.
And don’t forget that many readers are also of a certain age and can relate well to older characters. Mike Befeler, who writes mysteries featuring a senior sleuth, likes to call his work geezer-lit. When you think of it, those of us who have lived it all: childhood, teens, young adult, adult, middle aged and senior, have the experience to write believable characters of any age. Embrace it!
Great and timely topic. Thanks for posting.
(P.S. Don’t accept that age automatically means cognitive decline. Anyone who is worried that they aren’t as sharp as they used to be should look up Dr. Dale Bredesen’s books. His research into dementia has produced a protocol that has in many cases even been successful at reversing Alzheimer’s.)
Another good one, Juliet. Look at all this passion everyone is showing here. This whole post is about all the things that keep me awake at three in the morning. I feel considerably less lonely after hearing from all the other geezers. Regarding the gatekeepers, I decided to suit myself a dozen years ago when my first book was turned down by an agent who said I had a nice style and entertaining voice, but my main character, at 29, was too old for the Fantasy market.
In my humble opinion, writers need to care far more about their readers than the narrow opinions of literary agents. Write your heart. Find your readers. Ignore the rest.
Oh my! When I read the first few Ines of this article, my attention captured by the title, I began to wonder if I wrote an article in my sleep! It could have been me, except I don’t read much fantasy, though oddly, I write some paranormal. My go-to is historical fiction, and I started my first novel at age 66. But all your points struck home. “Can I finish this novel before I die?” Then, I ended up writing a trilogy (due to the recommendation by Tex Thompson), and I’ve decided ‘never again!” I am also 73 and have decided a series is too much commitment for me. The last of my trilogy should have been done in 2020, but I could not seem to write it during the pandemic, and I gushed poetry. Finally finished that novel last week, but poetry is my new love–yet at my age, I feel I’m too old to get the requisite MFA. Now, I’m twisting my arthritic hands!
But like Pamela, above, said, age has freed me. So I’ll just keep running with it. I look forward, Juliet, to your new book about a befuddled yet intuitive and determined old woman full of purpose and doubts!
Great post, Juliet. I love that you addressed the difficulties of we ‘age challenged’ writers. Being a senior certainly has its drawbacks. For one, I hate that word. But my vision isn’t as sharp as it used to be, nor can I walk as far or as long as I’d like. But my imagination is as strong as ever. Next to writing, I love growing grapes. I just finished pruning my vines and tucking them in for the winter.
I can’t recall any recently read novels with older protagonists although I’ve always been a mystery fan and I appreciate Agatha Christie’s clever Miss Marple.
I included a highly opinionated, fiery old fellow in my debut novel. He constantly got into scrapes he couldn’t possibly win. As he’d served his purpose by mid-novel, I killed him off as kindly as I could. I won’t say I got hate mail for leaving him behind but readers were none too pleased he was gone.
If ever I get to feeling I’m too old for this writing game, I can’t help but be encouraged by Joe Biden. Whether or not I agree with his politics, I am inspired by him taking on the demanding job of President of the United States at aged 78! I recently read of a 70 year old woman who scaled El Capitan in Yosemite. Pretty doggone impressive.
Thank you, Juliet. I’m sharing this essay with the Sisters in Crime “SinC Links,” a monthly collection of useful articles on the craft and business of writing. It’s the perfect audience!
So many have said everything I wanted to say. But want to add my voice to the chorus of Brava! Keep going! Why should we establish a use-by date for the things we love to do? Does that mean we have no goals or new adventures as we age, and just wait to die? Sounds terrible. I cannot imagine retiring (although I’m at retirement age) to just sit on the couch and watch television, the endless, empty day stretching before me. Perhaps, ideally, I’d like to go in my sleep at 100 after a rich, full life (while still mentally and physically active and healthy, haha). But if not, let me be 100 years old, with hands poised over the keys, working through a scene, or out in nature, hiking a mountain trail.
Juliet, Please do not sell yourself short. You life has meaning for many and they are not judging you by your age. Time brings love, compassion, security—the list goes on and on. We must support those of us who have been fortunate enough to live to see this screws up world. Many believers in Christ say we are lucky to be living in this time. I wake up some morning guessing and wondering about that—thankful God has given me another day to write and read, love and just Be Me. Reflecting back on 2020, many of us went through hard times more or less than others. I took time soul searching to come out feeling empowered, ready for the promise of tomorrow. Time helps us let go of ego of things that have no power over us. How we get to the end of this journey, hopefully, will be up to us. I say keep doing what you love. Age is only a number.
I think writing is more about gene and how believable the writer is than the age of the writer. If we all took the time to write about our lives, I’m sure the world would be a better place for all. We would see though we are different, we are so much alike.
Thank you for sharing. Maybe you need to look at writing dog stories—that covers all ages.
As I read this, I thought back through the last two years and the things I’ve allowed to keep me from my writing. As Covid slowly took over the world, I found it difficult to find sources to interview for my magazine articles. The veterinarians I needed to talk to were too busy to take the time. Dog owners simply didn’t respond. I had nothing with which put together an article. That and the overwhelming losses I experienced stymied my creativity.
I began to wonder if age was my problem. Maybe I was getting too old for this writing thing. Maybe I couldn’t come up with any relevant topics. I also found that a lot of the veterinarians I’ve known through the years are either retired or dead.
Then it occurred to me that I did have time to finish that nonfiction book I’d always wanted to finish! So I got to work on that. I’m now in revisions and working on a book proposal. But I’m also seriously considering self-publishing it.
I’m not too old. I have a lot of knowledge and experience in this old body to share.
Juliet, Thank you for this post. I’m 83, on my fourth fantasy book, writing about a 20 year old in today’s world. I forget things, and I forget that I’ve always been absent minded. It’s nothing new. Once, while I was remodeling a house, I forgot the word sheetrock for months, very unhandy. And I was a lot younger then.
But I needed your words today. My family is long lived, so I probably have another ten years or so, and three more books in mind. If I can keep the doubts away. It’s those doubts that do me in. So thank you again.
It is simply false that lifespan was that short once one passed early childhood. While the very high infant mortality rate brought down the overall *average*, once one reached adulthood, the expected lifespan was only somewhat shorter than it is now. Yes, people died in childbirth, in nasty farm or workshop accidents, in battles, or from diseases for which there were no known remedies. People today die in car and airplane accidents, in battles or civilians being bombed or drone attacked by enemies, and from diseases.
That people only lived to be 30 or 40 is a myth that it would be nice if authors stopped perpetuating.
I needed this article. I’m 72 and have been working for 5 years on a near future dystopian series set in San Francisco. I have an older woman who is woo’d by a younger man. That echoes my last marriage where I was 26 years older than my husband (he was 20 and I was 46 for those who don’t want to do the math) and we were together for 13 years. He fledged when he felt the need to breed. I have another older female, a hustler, carving out a life in the grey/black market and she has apprentices that she’s teaching so she can pass on the torch before she dies. I have an older female antagonist because not all old women are nice. I have a number of older female side characters who play their part by imparting wisdom to younger folks. I also have older men who are mentoring young people in their survival skills. I want my story to reflect all age groups, genders, sexual orientations, and ethnic groups. I want my story to represent my life and be a story I’d like to read had I not written it. Thanks for writing the article.
Hi – I’m 73 and I just sold my debut picture book, Latkes for Santa Claus. It took decades, but Perseverance is my motto! Thanks for sharing your story
Congratulations!!! Reading through the comments, I’ve been delighted by how many people chimed in to speak about their own later-born creative endeavors.
Juliet, I enjoyed your reflection very much. Even when I was young, I’ve enjoyed stories by and about older people. They had the best stories, for one, and much wisdom. I write for kids but I read across the board–picture books to novels. Keep writing! I’ve always felt time was short, even as a child, and unlike other things, like money or possessions, time lost is lost forever. It’s the one thing that keeps on marching. It’s the one thing I have to confess on a regular basis, wasting time.
I self-published my debut novel, ‘Karrana’, at 75, and am finishing a memoir, ‘Voices from the Deep’, about healing from long-term depression based on childhood trauma. As you get older, you have so much more to give to others, to beginning writers and to people struggling with mental illness, loss and fear. Wisdom grows with age. A sense and knowledge of ‘otherworldly’ realities goes hand in hand with accessing wisdom. Thank you, Juliet, for opening up this discussion about older writers.
Amazing Juliet, Long live the Crones!!! You and your stories inspired me for the past five years to dive deep, imagine a story world and breathe life into unexpected characters. My first 1st draft is well in hand. And I won’t celebrate my 71st birthday without next spring without completing it. I used to wonder how crazy I would have to be to call be to jump into creative writing at 65. Then I read Prickle Moon. The wisdom and beauty of crones-eye view of life ran everywhere through its pages. And so on good days and bad, think of you and say— “Run, Outlaw, run! I am Baba Yaga in her shivering house of bones! I am Morrigan swooping black-winged to gather her harvest of souls! I am Hexebart and Atropos and Granny Weatherwax! I am Draguţa, I am La Loba, I am the wise old woman at the heart of every tale! I am she who shakes the earth, I am she who bursts the banks in spring flood, I am she who hears the secret thoughts of an acorn sleeping the winter long. I speak to the thunder and converse with the lightning. Out of my way, for a quest is afoot, and the path is as long as the tale I tell!” —Juliett Marillier, Back and Beyond 🐾 I hope our paths cross again at a Workshop or Conference and I’ll tell you what revision I’m on. Admiration Society is in session. Thanks always for your insights. 🦔🦔🦔 Torrie
Great article. I’m an older writer- 77 in two weeks time – and I write about older characters.
Lovely to hear from you, Torrie, and thanks for reminding me of that passage in Back and Beyond.
Setting the 71st birthday celebrations as a deadline is an excellent idea – I wish power to your pen! And yes, I too hope our paths will cross again in the relatively near future. That’s one thing I left out of my post – the question of whether one might be too old for international solo travel by the time everything opens up again. I won’t even think about that!
The world will open. And I’ll travel with you. Age isn’t the issue. It’s all about sorting out who treats the dogs 🐾
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this, Juliet! I am embarking on my first YA fantasy at 68 and doubting myself at every turn. This piece is truly inspiring! Can’t wait to read your new trilogy!
Good luck with the YA fantasy, Nancy! I hope you conquer the self-doubt and thoroughly enjoy the process of writing. My suggestion – when in doubt, try brainstorming with someone in the target readership for your book. (If you have grandchildren who love to read, this maybe the time to make good use of them.)
Fantastic idea! Thank you, Juliet!!
I’m 77 and just published my second book, “Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression.” The first was published when I was 75, “Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II.” Five sons served, only two came home. Leora was their mother, and my delightful grandmother. “Leora’s Early Stories” is underway. Those early years already show the grit she’d need to get through those tough years and live to the age of 97!
Thank yu for your wonderful books. I am a failed writer of historical fiction, now 74, and have decided to write about my life as a crisis community worker. Bit more violence and sex then my books. What comes to mind is that younger people are more dramatic, lives more chaotic as the experience of life is immediate, whereas older charaters may think of the consequences a little more. I often identify with the holy women dressed in gray and who lived in a community in the Sevenwaters series. Pats to the doggies.
Antonia, the doggies say thank you very much, all pats welcome! Your experience writing historical fiction will help you even when working on such a different story – all our writing is part of our journey toward improving our craft. I hope your new project goes well.
Another point about younger readers may be the immediacy provided by the digital age, something we did not have when at that age. That may give some people a preference for fast paced reading with frequent dramatic action scenes along the way.
Thank you so much for writing this honest and insightful article, Juliet! I found it so helpful as you named the very fears and upheaval, I’ve been experiencing at age 67. In this challenging time, I too, have stood back and wondered if I should go on writing, yet my love for storytelling is deep and essential. And the topic of empowering those who feel like outsiders, encouraging them to dream new endings for themselves, still feels strong. During my career writing for children and young adults, my YA medieval fantasy novels have focused mainly on strong, young women for the reasons you mentioned as well as my choice to explore the slightly freer time in a woman’s life before marriage and family when she’s still choosing her way. You and Ursula K. LeGuin have been my writing mentors. Your voice is strong. Your worlds are deeply satisfying to visit. I’ve read all your books. Some more than once. Please keep writing, Juliet. And, yes, to the new project with older characters. I can’t wait.
Thank you for those kind and encouraging words, Janet. I think you’re absolutely right, if the love of storytelling is still there, why stop?
When I was six, I knew I was an artist. But pressure from practical parents steered me away from painting into commercial art and I became a graphic designer. I finally obtained a fine arts degree as a ‘mature’ student when I was forty. It was glorious. My parents had been right. Painting was not remotely practical, but I didn’t care. I was in my element.
When I was sixty it served my purpose to focus on something else I felt born to do. To this end I studied the craft of writing, one book, one writing conference, and one master class at a time. I followed Yoda’s advice: ‘do or do not; there is no try’ and wrote my first novel. After twelve years of dedicated writing, I consider my literary progress of learning-by-doing an accomplishment.
Now in my seventies, I’ve written, produced, and self-published 14 full length books (including revisiting my first book to rewrite it into a brand-new trilogy). I completed book three a few days ago, in October (2021). It has not proved practical as a means of ‘winning bread’ but I am in my element.
Creativity is the journey; dedication to excellence is the path; art is the destination. Only unconscious people use words like addled, feeble-minded, and over the hill to describe elders. Prove them ignorant by continuing to create. Write for readers who appreciate ageless timeless stories. Aging is natural; ageism is an ironic waste of time.
The consummate storyteller, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, is an accomplished matriarch in her own right who shares mythological tales with a world that celebrates the three phases of womanhood: the maiden, the wise-woman, and the crone. I love the way she addresses her female audience as the ‘scar clan’. I can relate. I am impractically successful.
When it comes to ‘isms’ it’s a proven truism that the ‘wise woman archetype’ comes of age in their ‘crone phase’ where nothing is lost, and everything is gained.
Wise words, Veronica. Your track record in writing is very impressive (and possibly, like me, you found that your life experience made you a better writer at sixty than you would have been at twenty.)
I love Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ writing and philosophy. Women Who Run with the Wolves was a life-changing read for me. Estes was due to present a Wild Women workshop in Melbourne in September 2020, which I and my daughter were going to attend together, but the pandemic meant it was cancelled. We were very sad.
I’ve written for years, but things–family and work, primarily–have kept me from being able to sustain the focused effort needed to be a success. Plus a healthy dose of impostor syndrome. I allowed someone I thought was a friend to talk me out of writing fiction in the ’90s, out of writing completely, actually, in pursuit of another creative art. It’s only been in the last twelve years that I’ve really had time to write, and part of that time was spent juggling a demanding teaching job and–family, again. I had far too many “love your voice, love your work, can’t sell it” rejections for work that I honestly think would now be marketable to traditional publication…ten years later.
Honestly, I’m in the “to heck with the gatekeepers” mode. While I’m only 64, my mother died at 69 and my father at 75, so I’m well aware that time is limited and I can’t play the traditional publishing hurry up and wait game. I’ve wanted to write a solid book about elder women and, well–my latest book, Justine Fixes Everything: Reflections on Mortality, is about a powerful woman in her 70s who is preparing for one final battle against the digital clone of her megalomaniac father. As she–and those around her–prepare for that fight, she reflects on what she has done to get to that level of power, and what it cost her to reach that point. But you don’t want to mess with Justine Martiniere, even in her 70s.
Nor do you want to keep her away from the love of her life.
I’ve come to the conclusion that if I want to read more work about elder women, I either need to reread Ursula K. LeGuin or else write what I want to read. So I’m wishing you much good fortune with this book proposal–it sounds marvelous!
Thank you, Juliet, for this wonderful, timely blogpost. Sometimes I feel as though there are no accidents—that I was meant to see your post today of all days.
Well, I’m 76, and at the age of 66, I decided to self-publish. I got all the way to seven novels, a few novellas and half dozen short stories, which brings me up to about two years ago. Then the troubles began.
All of a sudden, I couldn’t connect with my life-long passion to write, indeed, my life-long activity OF writing in some form or another (journalist, newspaper editor, feature writer, public relations, corporate communications, etc, etc). And through all those years, my true love was fiction.
So, I was stunned when I couldn’t “Feel” the passion. I having trouble feeling much of anything, to be honest. I had just finished my novel House of Bliss, so I thought it was post-book blues. Most of my work is historical romance novels for the women-loving-women set, but over the years, I worked in a Noir novella, a comedic novella, even a vampire series (which I’m still finishing!). So starring into the abyss of imminent disaster, I looked around for what I could do until the Muse returned. She would return….right???
And that’s when I realized, as a self-published (Indie) author, I had come aboard the small Indie trawler almost at the beginning. I had learned all about formatting, editing, cover designers, Amazon, etc etc before there were any, or very many, how-to do it guides. So I let my author website, http://www.ttthomas.com, carry on as best it could, and went to WordPress, wrote up a page on my new Indie Publishing Services gig (www.tarrathomas.wordpress.com).
For the last couple of years, I’ve had a couple dozen clients, most of them new authors but also a few hybrid authors (traditionally published AND Indie). I have done a variety of launch, pre-launch and post-launch assignments ranging from formatting to line editing to developmental editing. I play Project Manager with my clients and that means uploading onto the platforms, finding and recommending cover artists, helping with social media, etc. When I say help, I’m talking about uploading photos, how to write a post, how to follow people, how to maneuver around…the basics!
I mention this because the majority of my clients were over 60, one is 84, several are in their 70s, and all but 3 are women. Some didn’t have a clue about track changes in Word, several had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century of the dreaded Facebook and Instagram milieu (currently getting my niece to teach me TikTok, btw—less convinced that will fly for me! LOL). One client announced, while we were working on Chapter 24 of a 50 chapter book, that she had a short story due to turn into an Anthology contest and could I look it over, format it….in two days! HAHAHA. Her short story won a place in the Anthology!
Interestingly, though I write for the WLW market, only a couple of my clients has come from that tribe The others tease me that I’ll never find romance with the “geezers,” until I remind them I’ve been married to my partner, Karyn, for 22 years, and the reason THAT works is she’s a gardener and NOT a writer! Plus she’s a fabulous woman. OK, she’s only 61, but that’s a good thing because I don’t do dirt and things that crawl. LOL
OK, so to bring this back around…the principle I was working on when I couldn’t write but wanted to stay involved with writing, is something I learned in a 12-step programs 42.5 years ago: when in doubt, reach out to someone else who needs what you’ve got even though you think you have nothing to offer.
It worked! Of course, I did and do make some income from this Indie Publishing Services gig, and members of Sisters In Crime and other writing organizations have been a great help to my business. I’ll be getting a new iMac M1 soon because this old geezer 2008 iMac is totally out of memory and has no more energy for my complicated formatting tasks and the huge amount of research I do when writing my Historicals. But what began as a diversion became my roadmap back to writing.
Oh, the writing? I’M BACK! Last week, I sent 15 pages to my critique group after submitting nothing, zero, zip for over 12 months. Moreover, most of them have been faltering, too, but I seemed to falter more. I’m very jazzed about finishing the Vampire thing (talk about getting old…. my protagonist is 899 years old! Doesn’t look a day over 40!) and a young adult book I began two years ago.
I saw a lot of writers, particularly women of a certain age, struggling to figure out this Indie publishing thing. I didn’t and don’t know everything, but I knew I knew everyone who did, plus the skills I brought to the table from my early and on-going Indie route for a few friends and myself.
If these women didn’t know where the url bar was on their computer…or even where their homepage was, they didn’t need judgments, they needed a soft shove with a great big dose of humor. empathy and easy-to-grasp basics. I assured them that this formatting thing wasn’t anything they couldn’t learn to do themselves—and most of them, not realizing MY age, patted me on the virtual head and said, “Yes, dearie, but you do that part, and I’ll just write.”
However, in my quiet moments, I ask myself: what happened two years ago that you uncoupled from the passion? Now, I know.
I knew then, too, but like most people, I thought it was “just me,” and “just my own issues.”
I was right AND wrong.
For starters, my middle sister, Mary, went into the hospital for open-heart surgery, which was deemed a success, but her lungs were weak. After 32 days in ICU, she didn’t come out. For much of that time, she was on a ventilator, and what got her in the end was that she got first, pneumonia, then ARDS (a term I knew well by the time COVID came around). Her kidneys failed, and she had one final massive heart attack. It was a fully traumatic event for my other sister, me and our entire family and friends, but we didn’t know, from experience, what real trauma was. So we tried to “carry on.”
And as a society in general, we had all gone through many years of social disruption on every topic from what is to what isn’t, tempers were flaring, epithets were flying, friends were fleeing, and then, all of sudden: people were dying—the COVID pandemic was upon us. We withdrew indoors, we stopped going, being, doing and even for an introvert like myself…gees, I’d at least like to drive over to Fatburger for a vanilla malt and onion rings!
So, without then knowing what was “wrong” with me, I only knew to keep moving, in some way or form. It wasn’t easy. I’m a professional napper, but I became a world-class napper. Translation: I was REALLY depressed. I still wrote emails and texted, but it was hard to get me on the phone unless you were a client. There were days I’d have rather dropped into one of my own plot holes than show another person how to do track changes in Word, but: no plot holes ‘cuz no plot and no book with MY name on it. I travelled nowhere, until finally, last month I flew to Las Vegas to see my youngest sister and niece after not seeing them for two years.
I’m vaxxed, boostered, masked and still keep my social distance…but damn it, I’m back! You must try to believe that no matter how dark it seems or gets, this too shall pass, and the Passion will return.
Thank you, Juliet, and all others, for indulging this far too-long response. Today, November 13, 2021 was Mary’s birthday. She would have been 73. She didn’t get the chance to celebrate it, so, with this response, I am. Thanks…..tarra thomas writing as t .t. thomas
Joyce, I’ve been so heartened by all the wonderful women who have posted wise comments here – clearly we are a great tribe. Your book sounds fantastic and highly original, and Justine is clearly a formidable protagonist!
My first book was published when I was 67. My 14th book is coming out March of 2022. I will keep writing until I can’t anymore.
I’m 66 and feel mortality breathing down my neck most days. After 35 years as an academic, I’m finally writing the kind of stories and books that I want. Lately, I’ve been looking at fantasy and romance and wondering where the older characters are. So I especially appreciate your post. I shall look forward to reading your next book and have already ordered the ones you recommended. (Except for Circe, which I loved!) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
I started writing at 57 years old and at 65 am still learning the craft. Will I publish 50 books before my last hurrah? Probably not, but just reading this gives me hope of at least getting one published in my lifetime. Thank you for being an older writer…it is a small group.
I embrace all of you lovely ladies. I, too, am blooming later than I’d like as a fiction historical writer and loving my writing more now than ever. Onward. Please do keep in touch with me at joan@joansbookshelf.com. You’re my inspiration. Joan
As a woman just one year younger, I do like reading about older characters. I loved the Thursday Murder Club which inspired me to write my own murder mystery. First book is off to an Indie editor. The second book is more than halfway through the first draft (started during NaNoWriMo), both featuring senior detectives.
Bravo us!