| Every writer has had the experience of talking | | | | who like to read, who are interested in life and its |
| with friends or strangers who upon learning that | | | | stories, and who will tell you frankly whether you |
| he has written a book, respond, "You know, I | | | | are on the right track. I'm not talking about |
| have a book in me." | | | | professionals-agents, editors, publishers. That |
| If you have a book in you, then get it out. The | | | | comes later. What you need first is feedback that |
| writer is the one who writes, who lets his or her | | | | says you have written something that actual |
| work do the talking. The maxim, "Don't talk about | | | | readers want to read. |
| writing your book, just write it" applies to writers | | | | Finally, as an older writer can you get your book |
| of all ages but especially to us older writers. We | | | | published? There's no reason to sugar coat this: |
| have less time left. | | | | getting fiction published is tremendously difficult, |
| Older writers have less time in terms of years | | | | and for older writers even more so. Publishers |
| left, but they have a precious advantage: life | | | | want to bet on writers who can create a stable |
| experience. | | | | of work, and that gives them an understandable |
| I have tremendous admiration for younger | | | | bias toward youth. So you'll have to work extra |
| writers like Jhumpa Lahiri and Nathan Englander | | | | hard, you'll have to knock on every door you can |
| and Jonathan Foer who seem to know so much | | | | think of (starting with literary agents, most of |
| about life in their 20s and 30s, but many of us | | | | whom won't even answer you) to get publishers |
| don't have that gift. For us it takes the birth of | | | | to look at your book. But that's another job. The |
| children and their growing up and marrying, the | | | | first job is to find the story, write your book, and |
| illnesses and deaths of parents and relatives and | | | | make it as good as you possibly can-before you |
| friends, the experience of the people we meet in | | | | begin to look for a publisher. I do think that in the |
| work and play, at home and in travels, in | | | | end, quality will find an audience. That doesn't |
| volunteering, in church or synagogue, to be able | | | | mean it will find it quickly. |
| to describe life in all its variations. | | | | But can older writers get published? Obviously my |
| These are experiences that older writers have in | | | | new book proves that they can--but with a |
| abundance. Use them to create stories and to fill | | | | caveat. Getting fiction published at any age is |
| them with real people, people who have struggled | | | | incredibly difficult; I can't begin to calculate the |
| and are struggling with desires and weaknesses, | | | | number of unpublished novels (many of which |
| with successes and failures. | | | | deserve that fate) sitting in desk drawers or on |
| When I say "create stories" I mean that literally. | | | | hard drives, having been rejected countless times. |
| Too often would-be writers, both young and old, | | | | But it's even more difficult for older writers. There |
| say they want to write "about" something-about | | | | are lots of reasons why publishers should want |
| their time in the army or the Peace Corps or in | | | | youth. Young writers have energy, young writers |
| jail or in business or in the classroom or | | | | are in touch with all that is fresh and exciting in |
| backpacking through Asia. But writing about | | | | the world, young writers are photogenic--and |
| something is not the same as telling a story. For a | | | | most of all, young writers have the potential to |
| book of fiction to succeed it needs a story, and | | | | write lots of books. A novelist who succeeds |
| the sooner you find the story, the better your | | | | brilliantly at age 30 (translation: sells many, many |
| writing will go. A story entails conflict, it involves | | | | copies) and has a dozen other books in his head is |
| real people struggling to overcome an obstacle, | | | | a publisher's dream. |
| and it ends with either the happiness of a quest | | | | In my own case, all I can pray for is that I can |
| fulfilled, or the tragedy of failure. Once you find a | | | | do another three. Or four. Or five. |
| setting that you're comfortable with and the | | | | No way will I compare myself to him, but in |
| story you want to tell, it will be that much easier | | | | terms of output, I take my inspiration from Philip |
| to fill it with characters that readers want to | | | | Roth, 75 years old and actually getting better and |
| know about. | | | | better, so good, in fact, that it's scary. |
| How do you know that your book is any good? | | | | Two things are certain: I'll get older (I'd rather not |
| For this you need readers who are brutally honest | | | | consider the alternative right now) and I'll keep at |
| with you. They might be other writers, friends or | | | | it. What is uncertain is what is uncertain for any |
| relatives, friends of friends, but they are people | | | | writer: Will it be any good? Will any publisher care? |