Why Midlife Is the Perfect Time to Write a Book
Today’s blog post comes to us from Author Accelerator certified book coach Michelle Cox.
Michelle Cox
Certified book coach
“Do you ever dream / Or reminisce / Wondering where to find / What you truly miss”
Midlife—middle age for those who are less sensitive about labels—often prompts a period of self-reflection. We reflect on how and with whom we’ve spent our time, what’s been fulfilling, what’s lost or been missing, and where to find it. Best-selling Author Anne Lamott hints at this in her book, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith.
“Age has given me what I was looking for my entire life - it has given me, me.... I fit into me now.... I have the life I longed for. I have become the woman I hardly dared imagine I would be.”
The ability to reflect on ourselves and our lives is a superb skill for a writer and one of the many reasons I believe midlife is the perfect time to write a book.
Here are four more reasons to finally pursue your dream to write a book in midlife.
You’ve arrived at a place where you embrace your likes and dislikes
When you have the confidence to state what you like and don’t like, you can more fully express your personal creativity. You’re less influenced by popular culture and the opinions of others, which frees you to explore the ideas and concepts that spark passion inside you. And passion is a good foundation for a book. You also know in what areas your knowledge reaches expert levels and where your expertise is lacking or shallow, making you better equipped to choose a book topic or genre.
You possess hard-won wisdom.
You’ve worked, played and traveled more, read more books and, obviously, lived more years than your younger counterparts. Imagination and research are valuable skills for any writer, but your life experiences provide richer, deeper content than imagination and research combined.
Mid-lifers are wise in other ways that are helpful in the book-writing process.
You know that a big, worthwhile effort like writing a book is best accomplished by following a process, and being patient and open to learning new things from other professionals. You’ve learned that creating something that can echo into the future like a book is invaluable.
Aging teaches you to let go of perfectionism (really just another word for fear) and it gives you a greater capacity to forgive yourself for mistakes. In the end, the belief that “done” is better than “perfect” is essential to anyone who wants to release their book into the world.
You want new skills, friends, and connections.
One thing that the elderly often bemoan is a feeling that their world is shrinking in terms of friends and connections, participation in culture and community, and a sense of contribution to society. Writing a book in midlife will not make you immune to these difficulties as you age, but it will expand your world in ways that you never would have imagined. You will learn new skills—both the writing kind and the technology kind. You will have a reason to attend writers’ conferences and writing retreats, subscribe to new magazines and e-newsletters, and follow social media accounts that offer tips and tricks for aspiring authors. You may develop an interest in blogging as you take part in marketing efforts for your book. And as one of the millions of people who are writing, you’re bound to make some new friends and form lasting connections among their ranks.
Also, writing is therapeutic. Things, situations, memories and people begin to lose their power over you and your emotions as they leave your head and heart and come to live on the page. So even if your friend roster is full and your tech skills on point, everyone can benefit from a little writer therapy.
You may have more resources of time and money.
Writing a book requires a time commitment, and we all know time is money. But also, you’re going to have to spend actual money if you want to hire someone to teach you the things you don’t know and coach you through the book-writing process. If you plan to self-publish, you will have to spend time or pay someone to do the things a publisher would have done for you. As children leave the nest, finish college and “go off the payroll,” you may have greater access to both time and money. Then again, you may not. However, you may find the timing is still right to finally go for it.
Back to the wisdom part of this equation: You already know that we never reach a magical place where time simply opens up for us. You will never find the time to write a book, and you may never discover excess money on your financial statement. You will always have to make time and commit financial resources to the things you choose as priorities. Writing a book is no different.
Ask yourself two questions:
If not now, then when?
And if you never do it, how will that feel?
Will it feel like regret—like something is missing? Let’s return to the wisest of all babysitters:
“Time to close your eyes / So sleep can come around / For when you dream you’ll find / All that’s lost is found / Maybe on the moon / Or maybe somewhere new / Maybe all you’re missing lives inside of you.”
Michelle Melton Cox is an Author Accelerator certified book coach in both fiction and nonfiction. She is the creator of the Fearless Midlife Writers: How to Start, Write and Finish Your Book monthly book-coaching program. She works with women in midlife who feel called to write, helping them develop a sense of joy and accomplishment and improve their relationship with the passage of time by writing that book they’ve always dreamed of writing. Michelle also created the Addicts to Authors book-coaching program, and she works with people in recovery who want to share their truths through fiction and nonfiction. You can learn about Michelle’s book-coaching programs here.
