“Today, just three days before I turn 41, I received a $75 check from the Fresno Bee for an article I wrote about meeting my favorite writer, William Saroyan, who died three months ago. Saroyan was also my mentor. He taught me to trust myself as a writer. Here’s what he wrote in a short story called “The Genius”: “Don’t worry about style. Just put it down on paper the way it comes to you and you’ll find it’ll be full of style. Don’t even worry about grammar. That’ll be part of your style, part of your originality.””
– Joseph Sutton, Father and Son
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“Where you end up is important; when you end up there, not so much. Here’s a list of folks who made it, but made it late: Toni Morrison was 39 when her first book, The Bluest Eyes, was published. She went on to win a Nobel Prize in literature when she was 62. Stan Lee was 39 and had no real career prospects when he wrote Fantastic Four after his wife suggested he experiment with stories he actually liked. Vera Wang was 38 when she left her cushy job as a Vogue editor to work for Ralph Lauren. At the age of 40 she set out to be an independent clothing designer. Martha Stewart was 41 when her first lifestyle-plus-cooking book was published. Steve Carell was 42 when he joined The Office. Samuel L. Jackson was 40 before he got real attention as an actor. He was 43 when he starred in Pulp Fiction. Rodney Dangerfield got his break on the Ed Sullivan Show at the tender age of 46. Jane Lynch was 40 when she acted in Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. And she was 49 before she landed her Emmy-Award-winning role in Glee. Morgan Freeman was acting the whole time but it wasn’t until he was 50 that he found overnight success. Ray Kroc was a milkshake salesman and was 52 when he bought McDonald’s and franchised it. Christoph Waltz was 53 when international success was thrust upon him after years of solid performances on stage and television in Germany. Miguel de Cervantes was 56 when he published the first part of Don Quixote. He had a whole lot of living to do before he settled down to write full time. Harland Sanders, AKA Colonel Sanders, was 62 when he franchised Kentucky Fried Chicken after twenty years of running a restaurant and hotel. I love that list – that list takes a lot of pressure off. It’s never too late.”
– Jimmy Carr, Before & Laughter
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It’s three days before I turn 41. Still no cheque in the post.
But I have started, begun the great work of my life. I’m not sure what it is yet, though since I started I haven’t stopped. I think not stopping is fundamental in figuring out what I’m supposed to be doing.
Writing is a conversation with myself. It’s important to keep open those channels.
It’s heartening to reflect on the success of those who started later in life. It’s too late for me to get excited for those precocious folk who hit their stride early in adulthood. I have passed that waypoint.
It’s never too late. I remind myself now. It’s never too late.
Keep writing.
You’ll figure it out.
If not, this is never wasted time.
Conversations With Quotations 