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I’m stubborn, so I kept writing and reading and writing some more. My writing was constantly rejected, and I took the rejection personally, as one does. Throughout my 20s and most of my 30s, I was convinced I was never going to make it as a writer. I know I have a lot to say, but will anyone want to pay me to say it if I’m closer to 50 than I am to 35? I’ve written some essays and some blog pieces, but I haven’t been paid for them.
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My job recently reclassified me (demoted me), and I’ve taken it as a sign to get out of my profession and get my writing life started. I have three children, a partner and a full-time job. I’m a 47-year-old writer who lives in North Carolina. Am I too old to have a career in writing? Does age play a part in artistic success?
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I’m working on another book despite feelings of failure and despair. I’ve written two as yet unpublished books. (If you have something you want to ask, send an email to As we look to the new year, and all the hope that brings, I answer two letters - edited slightly, below - from writers of a certain age wanting to know if they still have a chance to make their dreams come true. Not long ago, I put out a call for questions and heard from a range of people. Giving advice is nearly as satisfying: the simple pleasure of offering counsel and hoping that you are helping in some small way. Growing up, I read “Dear Abby” and “Ask Ann Landers.” I enjoyed the voyeurism - glimpses into the lives and troubles of others - and I appreciated the steady, practical advice as if truly, for any problem, there was a solution.