I want to be a writer, even after I am 60

@Aja103654 (5646)

Philippines

January 3, 2013 6:35pm CST

Hello friends! I have been thinking about being a writer for a long time. I figured it would be an interesting and fun hobby and means of living(if I am lucky) someday or even when I am over 60 years old. I am still young but already I am thinking about retirement hobbies.

I think the older you are, the better you are suited for a writer, because basically writers need to be knowledgeable and being old and experienced in this world will surely make you more knowledgeable about certain things than other people, right? Back in college I suddenly got the interest of writing fanfiction stories! My writing hobby started there and I joined forums that helped me improve writing skills. I can't say I am talented in this art, but to me, it is fun to simply share my imagination in a creative and acceptable way to people. Definitely beats just staring into space fantasizing about things during classes! Haha, that would be weird, so writing is my hobby, my escape and an indulgence of mine! Then 2 years ago, I discovered mylot! I didn't know that I could actually earn from my writing hobby so I gathered as much information as I can to learn about writing articles. It is very different from fiction. In fiction you can freely do anything you want with a story but articles are based on reality and sites out there are strict when it comes to article content! So, here I am now, trying to learn how to write articles. However, I also can't completely abandon my love for writing fiction. -sigh-

If you are a writer and want to share your experience as a writer, feel free to share!

5 people like this

16 responses

@carmelanirel (20942)

• United States

4 Jan 13

It's never too late to write, that is my first advice to you. I am not 60, but I am older and I am actually working on my synopsis for my first book. I don't want to self-publish and don't have the money for an editor, so I am taking college classes to help my writing and I am editing and writing my manuscript,query, and synopsis with some help from some writing groups, hoping to find an agent to get my book on the way to the market. It is hard and time consuming, but worth it... If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I will do my best to answer. :)

1 person likes this

wanting to be a writer

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@carmelanirel (20942)

• United States

6 Jan 13

The genre is Love/Inspired/Suspense, but since I can only submit it under one genre, I am calling it Romance..

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

Being a writer is not easy. It takes hard work first before we get the rewards. As long as a writer has passion for writing, I don't think this person will worry about his or her book not getting famous. Thank you for sharing your experience. What kind of book are you writing?

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

7 Jan 13

I like romance and suspense together! Reminds me of detective stuff plus romance. Romance sells, I believe!

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@girl_thinking (1959)

• Philippines

7 Jan 13

Hi Aja! Same here, I can never give up on writing. Though I haven't written fiction for a very long time. The last time I wrote a short story was when I was in college. It was about a girl who went to her province for vacation where she found things and people from her childhood. One certain man took her by surprise. (It is not a love story as what you might think it is).. I tried to write a story in 2005 but the lack of muse got me staggering. In the end, it is still an unfinished story. Maybe one day, I will dig my box of writings and revive it. Do you share your stories or are you reserved on these things? When I was in high school, my classmates accidentally saw a very short story that I wrote about a girl who was bored over the summer vacation and her adventures on finding love and finding herself. My classmates said they loved it and you cannot imagine how thrilled I was when I hear how they said they loved it! Haha, how I wish I could still write the way I did before.. Sometimes I feel like the magic is gone.. Oh well, I hope that one day, we could exchange short stories and share

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@girl_thinking (1959)

• Philippines

8 Jan 13

Hey aja, that would be nice! I'd like to read your stories. Uhmm.. however, I am not a fan of sci-fi, so I might not enjoy it if that's what you wrote about..

I love reading and writing about friendship, young love (crushes, infatuation, dream guy/girl.. so on), lost love, self realization and such. I also find it easier to write in a first person. Somehow I always incorporate my own experiences and feelings to my stories.. What genres or type of stories do you love to read and write?

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

16 Jan 13

Thanks, girl. but I don't want to disappoint. I'm not that good a writer. I don't write sci-fi. Believe me. Science is my worst subject!! No surprise. it's understandable that writers would write from their own feelings and experience, because that is their expertise! I like shoujo themed stories too but only if the characters are interesting. If they are the same boring recycled characters, I don't read further. My genre is romance, comedy and adventure. I love comedy. If I write something it should be fun and light hearted. I never understood angst. To me, angst is unpleasant so I don't write it. Plus, my angst is only up to ranting level... nothing deeper than that.

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

7 Jan 13

I see, so you write original fiction! That's great! Haha, I only have one original fiction though but it's only one chapter. That was years back when I wanted to try Nanowrimo. I didn't succeed because I got lazy. haha, I admire writers who can finish their stories! It's not a love story then? Hmm, that's alright. Friendship themed stories are also fun! You must be very busy so you lost your muse. My muses have been on vacation for years, it looks as if they are not returning any time soon. Such lazy muses but then again they must have learned that through me.

I share my stories on fanfiction and in some forums. I have a journal also that only I seem to read. I write there for fun and most of them stories are jokes I wrote for myself. Is that weird? Don't worry, girl. You will regain your magic somehow. You just need a trigger and some inspiration. Mine seems to be a voice of a certain actor whose voice I have fallen in love with.

Wow, they saw it and they loved it! You've got potential! Don't waste your talent! I'm willing to share my stories to you if you want.

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@dpk262006 (58676)

• Delhi, India

4 Jan 13

Hi aja!

It is nice to hear that you want to be a writer. For us you are already a writer because you carve out detailed and interesting discussions which prompts us to respond and comment on those discussions. I've observed that you write beautifully and you have the capability of become a good writer. You express yourself splendidly. You could share your articles on various online sites and could earn in the process. I have posted some articles/poems on some sites and earned also. However, now a days I do not get much time to write, though I would love to write. All the best.

1 person likes this

@dpk262006 (58676)

• Delhi, India

4 Jan 13

There are various sites such as yahooassociated.com, Helium.com and expertcolumn.com and bubblews.com where you could submit your articles. If found OK, these will be published and you will get to earn few Dollars. All the best.

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@dpk262006 (58676)

• Delhi, India

5 Jan 13

Am happy to hear that I could motivate you and provided the information which could be useful to you. All the best. :-)

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

Thank you deepak! You have really raised my spirits as a writer! Needed that a lot!

And thank you so much for your information on those websites! I am already a member of bubblews and I have looked at expertscolumn too. These websites will be helpful in me practicing my writing skills and earn money as well! What more could I ask for???

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@ElicBxn (63594)

• United States

4 Jan 13

I've written fan fic. I've also written original fic. I don't really have the desire to write articles, just not that interested in the "real world." However, I've known people as young as 16 who have written stories that have gotten published, and I don't mean by any small press, but in major anthologies edited by famous writers. I don't think you have to wait to write, you should just start writing.

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@ElicBxn (63594)

• United States

5 Jan 13

I've got some fanfic some place... I know I have some on Teaspoon - a Doctor Who fan site. and a Fan Fiction Writers site http://www.fanfictionwriters.com/ I write Man From UNCLE besides Who. I had a couple of others but some how they got lost so I deleted them. Good luck finding them...

(you can PM and ask for my name)

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

I have seen very talented writers in fanfiction dot net! I have learned so much from that site. I never expected to be a writer there some day. To me, reading was a fun hobby. But then Twilight left me scarred and bored, so I decided to top that silly twilight book I have read and come up with my own story which ought to be better! Haha, amazing! I can understand how you feel. Writing fiction gives us more freedom. Articles are locked in with reality so it's more serious. I'm terrible at being serious. When things get serious, I get bored and lose my desire to write. But I am willing to learn to write articles as well. Wow, there are so many young writers. Kinda bruises the ego of people like I, who are older and don't have as much prowess in writing as those youngsters. Thank you ElicBxn!

1 person likes this

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

7 Jan 13

Thanks for the link. I needed people to motivate me to write. I don't know about Doctor Who but I often notice him mentioned a lot my other fanfic writers.

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@airasheila (5454)

• Philippines

4 Jan 13

Good day Aja103654, Being a writer does not goes with age though. Sometimes, more knowledge and wisdom are gain when a person adds up an age. And same thing that happened to me, I just remember that during my high school life, my journalism teacher always raised up her voice for me to fully understand how to do a write-up. How to come-up with a good story. But that was before. As now, writing a story for me is just a normal thing. That even my journalism teacher will get amazed that I can write and finished a story in a span of an hour. So with your target, for sure, you can be a writer even you are not yet on your 60's.

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gain when a person adds up an age

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@girl_thinking (1959)

• Philippines

7 Jan 13

Hey there girls! It is nice to know people who share the same interest here in mylot!

I was also a part of the school newspaper when I was in College and we even joined the National Writing competition but sadly, our school did not win. Still so much to learn at that time!

So I guess you guys also love reading because those who are passionate about books are the ones who have passion in writing. Am I right?

1 person likes this

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

7 Jan 13

That's awesome, girl! My team only got to regionals. Haha, you guys must be really good to make it to nationals. Thanks to that competition I was able to travel to another city. It was a memorable experience, I didn't feel upset after we lost. The experience is much more gratifying for me. Ah, I couldn't forget the pain of having to sleep on tables and chairs at a local school there. Hurt my back! I love reading books! I began to like reading after my grandmother sent us some books from the US. I gave it a try and now I am still an avid reader. I also read mangas and comics!

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

That's awesome aira! I was a member of the journalist club back in high school. I even joined some editorial contest and participated in editorial cartooning. I was also the comic artist for our school paper. hehe. I loved drawing even before I knew how to write and read. Too bad I only got the desire to write in college. Didn't bother to join the school paper though. Too busy with school tasks! Thank you for those encouraging words!

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@41CombedaleRoad (5952)

• Greece

7 Jan 13

You are blessed with imagination so the sky is your limit. Writing non fiction is a discipline and not quite so much fun as writing fiction and creating your own world but you can learn a great deal while doing so. It would be a pity to let your love of fantasy drop out of your life meantime. Article writing requires facts and a certain concise kind of writing which could cramp your natural free flowing style of writing fiction. So don't stick to one genre, make time for variety in your writing.

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

7 Jan 13

Thank you combe! That is so true. I think I will have more difficulty in article writing than in fiction. I am quite imaginative and don't like serious stuff. Article writing will indeed help me learn more about the world and many things generally, so this is a good way to expand my horizon. I refuse to limit myself to one genre and writing style. thank you for this thoughtful response.

@jaiho2009 (39141)

• Philippines

4 Jan 13

I also wish to become a great writer. I am writing and posting columns on different writing sites and earn some extra aside from mylot. Most of my writings are about personal thoughts, personal experiences and from other people's lives. It's nice to write, share and express our feelings through writing :)

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

Thank you jaiho! I base my writing on things like personal experiences and thoughts too. Mylot was able to provide me an opportunity to apply my writing that way and earn too! Yeay! Good luck in your writer career! Same for me!

@acrossnation (773)

• Malaysia

4 Jan 13

Hi Aja, to me the internet is one of the greatest give the universe have given. I love reading and writing. With the internet my love for writing even grow stronger and infos. to enhance creativity are just at the fingertips. With such security it gives to begin writing at any age are absolute

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

4 Jan 13

haha, i think the same way. The internet really made it easier for us to learn to write and learn diverse things from reading(all for free, yey!) Thank you for responding.

@ARIES1973 (11426)

• Legaspi, Philippines

4 Jan 13

Hi aja! Why would you have to wait til 60 if you can do it now? You can start writing and you everyday experiences can be a good topic to start with. Yes MyLot is one site where you can earn from that hobby. But there are also other sites who could offer equally or even more. Have a nice day!

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

hehe, no that's not it. I meant that since I am young now, I will improve my writing skills first, I will turn it into a fun hobby. Since I still have to find work and have more responsibilities to attend to, I can't focus on writing yet. That is when I retire and no longer have a job to worry about I will have more time to write and I can be serious and focused on a writing career by then.

@mariaperalta (19073)

• Mexico

4 Jan 13

you can do it.. we have a great writer here in mexico. he started at 57, now sells best sellers.

1 person likes this

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

4 Jan 13

Wow! that's great! Don't worry I won't lose hope! Besides, I'm not in a hurry. I write for fun not for work. I actually don't want to mix the two that is why I will prefer being a freelance writer since I can choose to write any time I want. Hmm, older people who are retired have more free time. It is natural they want to share what they have learned to people, so the best way to probably do that is write it in a book, sell it and maybe be lucky enough for that book to become a best seller!

@Angelpink (4034)

• Philippines

4 Jan 13

Being a writer doesn't require a particular age . As long as one having the passion , nothing can stop you from writing. Writing is a gift to some few , that is why it can't be forced but it can be learnt . Nothing you need in writing but a heart . When you write with it , the output would be so perfect.

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

Those are very encouraging and inspiring words angel!!! Thank you! I really am not confident in my writing skills. I'm not a natural talent. But I learned and improved a little after practicing and reading for some time.

@edvc77 (2140)

• Philippines

4 Jan 13

I do have passion in writing. I started when I was a kid then I used to have a journal and I write what I wanted. I started to write online at writing.com. I learned many things there. I do creative writing and article writing now. There are lots of writing website online. I won first prize in poem writing at writing.com. I was so happy then. I can see you have passion in writing too. I know you can make it. Happy Writing!

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

4 Jan 13

I can't say I am as passionate as other writers, but I do find writing fun and liberating! Wow, it's great you got to start writing at such an early age! I envy people who get to start that early. I learned when I was 18 years old so I didn't that have much experience in writing. Kudos!

@krisha242 (75)

• Malaysia

4 Jan 13

Oh!! glad to here about that .Of course, you can be a good writer as soon as possible.I think you have some ideal ideas .If you want a good writer you have to improve your grammar and spellings.If you starting to write some book you should think about the title.Use some different Title ,you will get some good response from the readers.

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@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

Thank you for those tips krisha! I will remember them!

@sunshinesophie (794)

• China

4 Jan 13

Mylot is a good place for us to improve our writings. I love writing as well,but I am trying to make progress little by little everyday.Writing is a long-term process of accumulation.When we keep practising and sum it up from time to time,we can see our improvement obviously.Best wishes to you and I hope you can achieve your success in the near future.

1 person likes this

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

5 Jan 13

Thank you sunshine! I have noticed that mylot helped me express myself better and I learned how to make people be more inclined to participate in my discussions. Not very easy, but I'm glad I learned many things here as well as earn! You are right, writing takes practice, experience, passion and support from people! Thank you!

@Iriene88 (5343)

• Malaysia

21 Jan 13

At times this thought do comes into my mind. However, I am not sure whether I have the 'x factor' to be a writer. I love reading, especially motivation books. So, how do I know if I have it? I was thinking of writing to earn some extra income as I am the only bread winner in my family now. Writing can be my hobby too and it sharpen our mind and thoughts. I like your idea and forward thinking, all the best! Hopefully be able to read your book one day!

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

21 Jan 13

Thanks Iriene! Sure, go for it. Make it a hobby and have fun with it. It's not like you are going to lose anything by writing. It's a good way to kill time. Good luck to us!

@tassantos7 (70)

• Philippines

15 Jan 13

Hi! I'm not even close to being a seasoned writer, but I hope I could give you some of what I have learned over the time. Article or non-fiction writing, as fiction writing, requires the same amount of honesty, passion and determination- a LOT. The difference I have observed during the time I've spent writing, is in the approach. Fiction writing, depending on the class, needs to be descriptive as possible almost up to the point that you use a lot of figurative words. Article writing, which would usually involve factual stuff often is measured how clear it can be for every ready to understand, and if it's an editorial (opinionated) one, how much it can drive to make a stand. Try to widen your readings by reading articles on subjects or topics you are attracted to, so that you would be aware of their styles (how they present their facts).

@Aja103654 (5646)

• Philippines

16 Jan 13

Thank you very much. I didn't quite view them like that. since I am used to fiction, shifting to another writing style is quite challenging. These tips are helpful. I will do my best and take my time learning. Articles are straight to the point. I don't have enough knowledge to come up with a good article yet. I'll follow your advice and read more.