Comments on: The Write Stuff, The Wrong Age http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/ A struggling novelist faces middle age. At least 65 percent not depressing. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:37:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: kallioppe http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-6177 kallioppe Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:56:48 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-6177 Two things to do about age 1. Revel in the mystery and take a page out of the femme fatale guide. Only silly yewts can get away with bragging rights on a bio. After 35 you really shouldn't have to say. 2. Do what all writers do and get yourself a jacket photo 15 years younger than your biological age. I attended a reading this weekend and the artist in question had a huge Chairman Mao foto of himself projected on the wall, even though it could have been a before/after Rogaine ad. His interviewer quipped about how he had more hair back then, but writer wasn't even fazed. That kind of confidence requires more than a couple of decades, me thinks. Two things to do about age

1. Revel in the mystery and take a page out of the femme fatale guide. Only silly yewts can get away with bragging rights on a bio. After 35 you really shouldn’t have to say.
2. Do what all writers do and get yourself a jacket photo 15 years younger than your biological age. I attended a reading this weekend and the artist in question had a huge Chairman Mao foto of himself projected on the wall, even though it could have been a before/after Rogaine ad. His interviewer quipped about how he had more hair back then, but writer wasn’t even fazed. That kind of confidence requires more than a couple of decades, me thinks.

]]> By: Collin Kelley http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5791 Collin Kelley Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:08:10 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5791 Charles McGrath can suck my 38-year-old wiener. You forgot Donna Tartt in your list. Brilliant debut, a decade for the sucky second, not sure I'll care 10 years later when the third comes out. Charles McGrath can suck my 38-year-old wiener.

You forgot Donna Tartt in your list. Brilliant debut, a decade for the sucky second, not sure I’ll care 10 years later when the third comes out.

]]> By: Kofi http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5773 Kofi Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:11:54 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5773 Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at 65. Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at 65.

]]> By: bookfraud http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5772 bookfraud Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:08:58 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5772 <b>gloria</b>: i really don't care how much money i make from my work, just as long as it gets published and, like, 5 people read it. then again, wasn't most of kafka's work unpublished in his lifetime? but he was kind of a nut. <b>bakannal</b>: you better get on it, or else you'll end up a bitter old man like me. <b>rellis</b>: so true, so true. when in despair, one tends not to look at things with an eye towards history. it's kind of inspiring, reading about such writers (raymond chandler was 51 when first published! i had no idea). thanks for slapping me, i could use more of it. gloria: i really don’t care how much money i make from my work, just as long as it gets published and, like, 5 people read it. then again, wasn’t most of kafka’s work unpublished in his lifetime? but he was kind of a nut.

bakannal: you better get on it, or else you’ll end up a bitter old man like me.

rellis: so true, so true. when in despair, one tends not to look at things with an eye towards history. it’s kind of inspiring, reading about such writers (raymond chandler was 51 when first published! i had no idea). thanks for slapping me, i could use more of it.

]]> By: Citizen of the Month » My Name is Ozymandias http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5769 Citizen of the Month » My Name is Ozymandias Mon, 31 Mar 2008 09:37:11 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5769 [...] Bookfraud was down on himself last week because so many novelists publish their first novel before they are 30:  Jonathan Safran Foer, Zadie Smith and Gary Shteyngart.   And he felt that the deadline had passed. [...] [...] Bookfraud was down on himself last week because so many novelists publish their first novel before they are 30:  Jonathan Safran Foer, Zadie Smith and Gary Shteyngart.   And he felt that the deadline had passed. [...]

]]> By: rellis http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5765 rellis Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:40:48 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5765 Yeah, well, there's lots of other ways to do it. Penelope Fitzgerald, first published at 58, first novel two years later, first booker nominee next year, and winning the Booker the next. Harriet Doerr, first novel at 75. Charles Bukowski, first novel at 49. Raymond Chandler, first novel at 51. Ruth Stone, first book of poems at 45, nothing for eleven years, another book, then the National Book award at 87. Millard Kauffman, first novel at 90! (Yes, I collect these things) Yeah, well, there’s lots of other ways to do it. Penelope Fitzgerald, first published at 58, first novel two years later, first booker nominee next year, and winning the Booker the next.

Harriet Doerr, first novel at 75.

Charles Bukowski, first novel at 49.

Raymond Chandler, first novel at 51.

Ruth Stone, first book of poems at 45, nothing for eleven years, another book, then the National Book award at 87.

Millard Kauffman, first novel at 90!

(Yes, I collect these things)

]]> By: bakannal http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5764 bakannal Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:32:15 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5764 I got a couple months to 30. Guess i better start beating the shit outta the muse. I got a couple months to 30. Guess i better start beating the shit outta the muse.

]]> By: Gloria, Writer Reading http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5760 Gloria, Writer Reading Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:47:24 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5760 Well, there is a whole European history of great literary and artistic figures barely making a pittance if anything off their writing while alive, even mocked, and then becoming recognized posthumously as geniuses. Perhaps your children or grandchildren will benefit from a windfall. I always try to comfort myself with that thought. Well, there is a whole European history of great literary and artistic figures barely making a pittance if anything off their writing while alive, even mocked, and then becoming recognized posthumously as geniuses. Perhaps your children or grandchildren will benefit from a windfall. I always try to comfort myself with that thought.

]]> By: bookfraud http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5757 bookfraud Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:44:48 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5757 <b>bernita</b>: they don't really give a sweetdamn about the writer's age, but they do give somewhat of a damn. all in the marketing. but you are correct: the age of the manuscript trumps all. <b>myfanwy</b>: i wasn't trying to be funny. well, not <i>consciously</i> trying to be funny. now ice that back. or should you apply heat? <b>anti-wife</b>: if you take away my whining, you might as well just kill me. whining is annoying, however, and i need to set a good example for baby, who whines a bit as well. <b>bloglily</b>: soup, would you like some soup? yeah, why bother publishing a hot young writer when nobody under the age of 40 is reading? just why are we doing this fiction-writing thing, anyway? <b>neil</b>: america, you told us who you wanted up on this stage. and it isn't tony bennett. bernita: they don’t really give a sweetdamn about the writer’s age, but they do give somewhat of a damn. all in the marketing. but you are correct: the age of the manuscript trumps all.

myfanwy: i wasn’t trying to be funny. well, not consciously trying to be funny. now ice that back. or should you apply heat?

anti-wife: if you take away my whining, you might as well just kill me. whining is annoying, however, and i need to set a good example for baby, who whines a bit as well.

bloglily: soup, would you like some soup?

yeah, why bother publishing a hot young writer when nobody under the age of 40 is reading? just why are we doing this fiction-writing thing, anyway?

neil: america, you told us who you wanted up on this stage. and it isn’t tony bennett.

]]> By: Neil http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/comment-page-1/#comment-5754 Neil Sat, 29 Mar 2008 03:46:30 +0000 http://bookfraud.com/2008/03/28/the-write-stuff-the-wrong-age/#comment-5754 Foer, Jonathan Saffron; Smith, Zadie; Shteyngart, Gary; Mitchell, David. Are these the contestants on American Idol? Now that's real ageism. You can't even sing on that show if you were born before 1985! Foer, Jonathan Saffron; Smith, Zadie; Shteyngart, Gary; Mitchell, David.

Are these the contestants on American Idol? Now that’s real ageism. You can’t even sing on that show if you were born before 1985!

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