Advice for Older Writers

Can you pick up the pen again after a few decades off?

One of the reasons we require papers at Grimké Seminary is that we believe the craft of writing is an essential skill for pastors called to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our students might never write another paper after they graduate. They might not ever write a book or be published. But they will and do write—emails, newsletters, blogs, position papers, condolence cards, thank you notes, and many other types of writing that comprise a good portion of the pastoral calling. Pastors must know how to write with skill.

One of the things I love about Grimké Seminary is our diversity. And I’m not just talking about ethnicity. We’re also diverse by age. I teach a writing seminar at all of our intensives. At almost every seminar I’ve taught, I’ve received the question, “How can I learn to be a competent writer if I’m older and haven’t written anything since highschool?”

Older Writers Can Be Great Writers

If you’re considering writing and it’s been a few years, be encouraged. For example, consider this list:

1. Frank McCourt won the Pulitzer Prize and spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list.

2. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote some of the most beloved classics of children's literature.

3. Harriet Doerr won the National Book Award for First Fiction.

4. Raymond Chandler became one of the most influential writers of detective fiction.

All of these writers share one thing in common: they all began writing after their fiftieth birthday (some after their sixtieth birthday).

Photo by Dim Hou on Unsplash

So what keeps writers picking the pen up after a long hiatus? There is a lie they believe and a truth they neglect.

The Lie They Believe

Older writers reflect on their teenage years and think, “I was an awful writer then. So much time has passed since then without me writing. I’ve forgotten most of the grammar rules I learned. I must be far worse writer now.” The false assumption is that good writing lies in developing grammatical precision and vocabulary memorization skills. These writers falsely believe they were at their writing zenith when they could pass English Comp exams in tenth grade.

It isn’t true.

The Truth They Neglect

The main reason that writers aren’t great in high school isn’t that they are struggling to grasp the rules of English grammar and usage. It is because they are developing as thinkers and haven’t lived long enough to have something to say. Wrestling with thoughts and concepts over a few decades is a crucial resource that skilled writers have to draw on. It is a key resource that most older writers possess, even if they haven’t written in a very long time.

So I encourage older writers that they are likely to be much better writers than they expect because they’re more mature human beings with significant life experience. It’s easy to teach grammar and usage. You can’t teach thoughtfulness and maturity.

So, if you’re older and are thinking about writing, take the advice I give to the older men attending Grimké Seminary. Don’t psych yourself out because you’ve forgotten the definitions that go with grammatical conventions. Draw on your honed skills of thoughtful consideration and the wisdom you’ve learned over many years of life on this planet. Do what you couldn’t have done when you were eighteen. Write like someone who has the wisdom that only comes through lived experience.

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What You May Have Missed

We’re are now two months into 2023. My last editor’s update reviewed everything we published in 2022. We’ve continued to publish weekly into this year. Here are a few articles you may have missed:

• Is a Sermon More Than a Lecture (Key)

• Church History Isn’t Boring (You’re Just Doing it Wrong) (Ponder)

• Should You Celebrate Valentine’s Day (Holland)

• Seminary Papers and War Memoirs (Holland)

• Reading While Not Black (Ponder)

• What to Do Before You Read the Bible (Key)

• The Best Elective at Grimké Seminary: A Student Perspective (Lovette)

• The Secret of Good Theological Writing (Key)

• Instead of Resolving, Pray (Holland)

• Annual Planning with the Ten Commandments (Holland)

Parting Quote

"How utterly mean, trivial, insignificant are all the treasures of earth in comparison with the conscious presence and power of God within the soul. Truly to have God as our portion is more than all else." —Francis J. Grimké