This week: Late Bloomers! Edited by: Fyn-dragon  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
It is never too late to be what you might have been. ~~George Eliot
Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~~Nathaniel Hawthorne
The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter — it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. ~~Mark Twain
A writer is a world trapped in a person. ~~Victor Hugo
Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. ~~Rudyard Kipling
Triumph is just UMPH! added to try. ~~Me (!) over fifty years ago in high school.
|
In our back yard, at the edge of our patio, is a flower growing. We had no idea exactly what it was, but it was looking like it would be something other than a weed, so we let it do its thing. It started blooming this week! Deep yellow and scarlet. Turns out it is a canna lily, and probably should have already been blooming. It is really beautiful!
My husband and I were talking about my writing this newsletter and I didn't have an idea I was excited about. "Write it about the lily," he said. "Aren't there 'late-blooming authors at WDC?"
Smart man! And we do! It got me thinking. Of late, especially, I've chatted with quite a few writers of a certain age. One used to write and then didn't for years, until recently. The others are just starting their writing journeys.
All of them were a little leery, weren't sure if they were or would/could be 'any good.' Worried if people would like what they wrote or if, indeed, they had anything to say.
Honestly, these comments just about broke my heart. Triumph! is just umph! added to try. Just because someone is new to writing or beginning to explore writing poetry or short stories or memoirs or whatever, doesn't mean they will be terrible. Just because someone is (gasp!) old certainly doesn't mean they have nothing to say!!
Leaving the grocery store tonight, I stopped to smile at a young man who was riding the penny pony. "I'm seven and my big brother says I'm too old to ride it, but it's fun!"
I told him that no one is EVER too big to ride the penny pony or a merry-go-round! I said, "I'm old. I'm a great-grandmother. One thing I've learned is to never let the part of you that grows up, ever grow up too much to play!" The 'big' brother who might have been eight said to his brother, "Maybe I could ride it too, then." They were both giggling as I walked away.
The thing is, just by living and learning, we have a lot to say. We have a lot that needs to be and should be said. We've been there, done that, and survived to tell the tales.
There are lots of lists and memes about existing pre-seatbelts and pre-helmets. Yes, we fell out of trees and broke arms. We did our chores and then ran off to play til it got dark outside. A different world to be sure. A world where we sat spell-bound watching a man walk on the moon, and where we had to switch from analog thoughts to digital ones. We had tons of adventures, made some poor life decisions and learned from them, or, in some cases, had to experience the epic fails again before we learned. The point is, we are a treasure trove of knowledge even if we do have to call a kid or grandkid to ask how to do something on our phone!
This is something to celebrate, not something to be ashamed of!
|
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
LaVillegas  says: I appreciate the list of quirks that writers have. It gives me hope for what I have yet to experience. While new and old to this at the same time (if you know what I mean), the journey is what counts. I look forward to these experiences.
Aiva Raine  writes: So true. I have done many of the things you listed including- should I google that, but deciding to anyways because it was important for my character to know such and such, and most especially- the figuring out important fixes for the book in the middle of trying to sleep and being sure I'd remember it in the morning and then discovering to my chagrin that no, I did not remember.
Been there a few times! Notebook/pen. Next to bed!
Mara ♣ McBain  comments:  Thank you for the giggles! I so needed them today and SO many of these scenarios triggered memories. 
S🤦♂️  adds: I don't find blurb writing a challange. Now, synopsis writing! That sucks!
Something else a writer does is suddenly whip out a notebook and write something down in the middle of... well, anything. A meal, a conversation, walking down the street, whatever. And there will be notebooks everywhere! Kitchen, bedroom, living room, you name it.
Truth!
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
For Authors: September 10, 2025 Issue [#13343]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
