Are You Too Old To Be A Writer?

By Susan Wallace

What a question! You expected a simple "yes" or "no" answer, right? You are wrong. To help you answer this question, I will walk you through what it takes to be a good writer. In the end, you will definitely like the idea of being a writer, and pursue your goals to make that achievement - the realization of your writing dream.

From the basics, we understand that nobody is ever perfect at something. There is the learning curve we all follow to reach our goals. Even the novice can make it to the expert level, only if they are willing to dedicate their time and be ready to learn. Lest you forget, there is no single writer born writing. They started somewhere and kept improving.

How to Become a Writer:

Creating a storyline, finding the right words, putting them together, and publishing a novel is not an overnight task. During the early stages, you must do practice and more practice. Accept your mistakes and be ready to correct yourself. It pays to be a consistent writer. Let us now look at the things you need to do to become a good writer.

1. Read, Read, Read, and Read More:
   Not making any sense right there? In short, a good writer loves reading. Whether it is a newspaper, a novel, a blog, a journal, just get something to read. Reading helps you understand the language flow and communication power of written words. Make it a habit of reading a few articles a day.

   Instead of watching the newscast on TV, try and get a newspaper or magazine and read the news. Also, instead of movies, get a novel and read. When reading books, you are able to capture the storyline as you progress, and this gives you the ideas you can start working on. On the other hand, a movie is always in a suspense mode where you are just curious about what is going to happen next, and you lose the plot-line.

2. Know Your Objectives and Work Toward Fulfilling Them:
   What is your main agenda for being a writer? Once you know what you want to achieve, you now have to start working on those goals and do not stop until you meet them. To become a novelist, you must be in the position to come up with stories that people will love to read, either fiction or nonfiction.

   Getting ideas from people is good, but only those people who will support you in becoming a writer later in life. Listening to negative criticism and discouraging people will ruin your ambitions. It means you must choose your acquaintances wisely. And, to add on that, learn from previous writers. There are many stories you can read about personal experiences.

3. Practice Day in Day Out:
   Overwhelming? Not really! Do you remember that no single person was born a perfect writer? They all started writing crap and improved over time. Practice is a necessity to grow your writing career. Start by writing short articles and stories. Let your ideas flow and choose the right words to convey the message to your readers.

   To become a good writer, set aside time for writing on a daily basis. You can publish your short stories online and let people comment on them. You will learn a lot from your readers, and you will know what your audience loves in your stories. For instance, having a blog will be a useful way to start as a writer, and write every day. Engage your audience on social media as well.

   You may want to reach out to novel publishers and other writers. Especially, if you can meet writers with a record of published work, they may help you to improve your writing.

4. Master Different Types of Writing:
   Well, here is the real hurdle for upcoming writers. Since you are learning how to be a great writer, this should be part of your task. Before you start writing, note that there are different writing types that people do. For instance, there is a narrative essay that tells a real-life story.

   The writers on samedaypapers.com handle different types of essays on a daily basis. You will have to learn writing different story types before becoming a writer later in life. This means that even if you are a career person, you can actually start your writing even after retirement. However, when looking at how to start a novel, you must choose your story well to avoid trailing off the theme.

Benefits of Writing at Old Age:

So they have lied to you that it is too late to become a writer. Actually, regardless of your age, whether you are 40, 70, or even 100, writing at old age has more benefits than you imagined. But I did not tell you to wait until you are 100 to start your writing career. I am just saying that if you happen to have grown up and you are wondering if you should start writing, then definitely you should.

Here are some of the advantages of becoming a writer at old age:

1. Writing Improves Your Health:
   Do you remember we talked about creativity? Well, that is one way of jogging the mind and making your brain alert and functional. Writers usually grow a sense of humor, and they stay happier and healthy always.

   Research indicates that writing eases the symptoms associated with asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. People who are growing older are much susceptible to some of these medical complications, and, thus, writing can be a non-medical relief to some of them.

2. You Have the Time to Write:
   Many older people have almost or already accomplished many things that consume most of their time. For instance, mothers have stopped nursing babies at 50. Starting a writing career at this age is beneficial with all the time you have to do research and create your stories.