Never Too Old! by Mervyn Love
27th May 2007
Don't be put off by age. People may sneer. People may joke. But the fact remains that old folk are just as good at writing humdingers as the young upstarts. Some would say better. Why? Because us wrinklies have more experience, more insight into life and more memories to draw from than the younger element. And not as much angst.
Also, older folk have more empathy with people going through both the highs and the lows of living in todays hectic world because, more likely than not, they've been there, done that and know precisely where to buy the T-shirt. They understand what makes things tick on a deeper level, and have probably arrived at a philosophical appraisal of where life is coming from and where it's going which can add depth and breadth to their writing.
I was heartened to read in May's issue of Writers' Forum about Mary Cavanagh who has published her first book at the age of 60! Brilliant! Go girl! You've got plenty of time for another 10 at least!
Mary took a writing course which she says made her much more thoughtful and focussed, and knuckled down to writing "The Crowded Bed" which was subsequently published by Transita. Yes, it can be done.
If you feel that you're knocking on a bit and are loosing hope for your writing career, think again. Snap out of it and get to work. Draw on that fighting-against-all-odds British spirit which we over-60s appear to be the sole custodians of these days.
Someone reading this is the next Ian Fleming, or even the next J K Rowling. Is it YOU?
Mervyn Love is the webmaster of http://www,writersreign.co.uk a web site providing the writer with help, encouragement, resources, links, competitions and more. Sign up for the excellent free WritersReign Article Writing Course here: http://here-is-more.info/?i=117920/
Occupation: Bookkeeper
Mervyn Love was born a century and a half ago (well, it feels like it sometimes) in the village of Reepham, Lincolnshire, UK and has never looked back.
Mervyn failed his ‘O’ Level Maths at the age of 30, having been something of a slow learner, and ironically has earned his living by crunching numbers in the finance departments of several companies, including Enron and WorldCom. Which just goes to show that all the sweat and tears gaining ‘A’ Levels in Quantum Physics, Civil Engineering, and Cross-stitch in the 13th Century were a complete waste of time.
Recreations include ropeless abseiling, desert pot-holing, lounging in front of the TV and tiddly-winks. The latter being a left-over from the time he captained the Frodingham Flyers to victory in the Lincolnshire and South Humberside Tiddly-winks Championships in 1954 against reigning champions the Appleby Aces. The Flyers won by two whizzers and a scrimp in a nail biting final at the Grimsby Fish Gutters Centennial Hall.
His award-winning site for aspiring writers, WritersReign.co.uk (voted Best Cloned Site 2002 in the ‘Web Sites Thrown Together With Little Or No Thought’ category) recently won the "Site Most Likely To Be Ignored In The 21st Century" award, and has received several similar accolades.
His ambition is to one day get out of bed before 11.00am, and beat his wife at Scrabble, but not both on the same day.
