No More Excuses: On Writing a Novel at 70 and Why Story Matters More Than Speed
I’ve wanted to write a novel for as long as I can remember.
Growing up, I devoured science fiction — Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, Harlan Ellison. I was fascinated by the idea that someone could imagine a future so vividly that it felt real. I thought maybe someday, I’d do that too.
At ten or twelve, I wanted to be a cartoonist and even enrolled in a mail-order cartooning course. That dream crashed pretty fast — I could barely draw a smile, let alone a storyline. But I think what I really wanted was to tell stories, not just draw them. Comics, science fiction, daydreams — all of it was storytelling.
In my 30s, I had an idea for a science fiction novel, and sat down at my trusty Smith-Corona portable typewriter and banged out page after page of a wild tale of time travel, madness, and greed. I don’t think I even named it, but I still have it in a manila folder. I glanced at it recently and it’s full of interesting dialogue, time-travel situations, chase scenes, philosophical conversations about trying to warn your younger self about the future and what that means for humanity….and so on.
Eventually, I stopped working on the story because I didn’t have a good sense of where it was supposed to go, or even how to write a novel. I didn’t know how to structure it, I didn’t understand so much about what it took. I could have tossed the thing in the trash heap, but couldn’t bear to do that, so it sits in my file cabinet where I run across it now and then. Maybe as a reminder.
The truth is, I always wanted to write fiction. Other than that failed attempt, I simply didn’t do it.
Why? Work, life, lack of time. Lack of confidence. Lack of knowledge. The usual suspects. Mostly, though, I couldn’t come up with a story that held water — something that kept calling me back. So I waited. For decades.
The Click
What changed?
One night, I had a dream. Strange and vivid. It sparked a character idea — someone I couldn’t stop thinking about. That character became Jia Peach, a 16-year-old Irish-Korean girl with a bit of a rebellious streak and a hell of a destiny. I had the bare frame of a plot. A seed. And I decided I needed to do it.
What was the worst that could happen? I’d write something bad? So what? I started writing. I didn’t stop.
That’s when I realized I’d finally run out of excuses.
Since then, I’ve written five full novels — Forged in Ancient Fire is the one I’ve chosen to revise, polish, and share publicly. I’ve rewritten it more than a couple of times to nail down the story. Hired a coach to help plot it properly. Got feedback from beta readers. And slowly, word by word, chapter by chapter, the thing took shape.
Age Isn’t the Obstacle
I was 64 when I started this novel-writing experiment. Now I’m 70. And I’ve never felt more creatively alive.
I’m not trying to keep up with younger or faster writers. I’m not worried about algorithms, trends, or the “right” time to publish. The only pressure I’ve ever really felt is the kind I put on myself — and over time, I’ve learned how to quiet it.
Because here’s the thing: when you’ve lived a while, you’ve seen things. You’ve heard how people talk, watched how they fall apart and get back up again. You’ve grieved, loved, messed up, and forgiven — sometimes yourself, sometimes others. All of that goes into the story, whether you plan it or not.
I’ve been asked, “How can you write from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl?” My answer: I’ve known a lot of young women. Friends’ daughters, nieces, students, TV characters, and real-life people whose lives and struggles stayed with me. And don’t forget I was a teenager once, and while the elements of society have changed, teenagers are teenagers. Jia Peach is American through and through — but when she travels to Korea to confront the truth about her family, she steps into a cultural world as foreign to her as it was to me when I researched and wrote it.
It’s that contrast, that process of learning and adapting, that gives the story its core tension — and its emotional heart.
Taking Time Makes a Better Story
Did taking my time help the book? Absolutely.
Some plot shifts and emotional arcs only became clear after months of sitting with the material. One early version of the book had Jia arriving in Korea halfway through. My writing coach said, “Nope — she needs to be there right away.” He was right. That one change gave the entire book momentum.
Emotion is still the hardest thing for me to write. But now I know that — and I work at it. I study how other writers do it. I revise. I stretch those moments. The more I write, the more I see.
It helps that I’m not writing for a market. I’m writing because I have something to say. If 200 people read and enjoy Forged in Ancient Fire, I’ll be thrilled. But even if no one did, I’d still write. Because I’m finally doing what I’ve wanted to do for fifty years.
For the Late Bloomers
If you’re over 50 — or 60, or even 70 — and you’ve got a story in your head or heart, here’s what I want to tell you: you’re not too late.
If you’re physically and mentally able to create, then create. Forget the finish line. Make the thing that only you can make. Not for an agent. Not for TikTok. Not even for readers, at least not at first. Do it for you.
There are countless artists making music, writing books, painting canvases well into their 70s and beyond. I may not know many who started late, but I know a good handful who never stopped. And I intend to be one of them.
Still Creating
My life has never followed a straight line. I’ve made music. I’ve been a radio DJ for years. I take photographs. I run a small business. And now I’ve added novels to the mix. There’s always more I want to do — another album, another book, another idea pulling at me. But that’s okay.
Creativity isn’t about checking boxes or finding a “perfect” time. It’s about listening when that small voice inside you finally says, “It’s time.” And then answering back: “Okay. Let’s go.”
Bonus: Hear the Full Story
If you’d like to hear more about my creative journey — from early writing dreams to publishing Forged in Ancient Fire — I recently sat down for a 45-minute conversation with Liz Cruz on KMUZ’s Word Up. We talk about writing, story structure, and what it means to start late but stay inspired.
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(Originally aired on KMUZ 100.7/88.5 FM, Salem, Oregon)
P.S. If you're curious about Jia Peach and the journey she takes in Forged in Ancient Fire, you can read the first chapters here: forgedinancientfire.substack.com