On aging

[ksmith]

I have the Big 5-0 in my sights. I have also heard it said that a writer's production declines after age 60. Understand that I heard this second hand, one person repeating the observation of another. Given that this another was a literary agent, one could say that the observation was likely valid, albeit anecdotal. It also bothered me, because I'm not exactly setting world land speed records as it is, and to think that things might decline starting pretty soon now...

So, I found this interesting. The rest of the clip is here. I can't access the entire article because I don't sub to WSJ.

Let's hear it for vocabulary and verbal abilities!


The Upside of Aging
Wall Street Journal (02/16/07) P. W1

Researchers have been accumulating evidence that while the human brain deteriorates in many aspects as people age, certain core cognitive functions actually strengthen, including vocabulary, verbal abilities, and cognitive functions behind a person's primary skills and hobbies.

Author: Begley, Sharon
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117159082888010600-search.html

Comments

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, you have R.A. Lafferty, who didn't start writing until age 48 and wrote for decades afterwards.

Not to forget Jack Williamson, either. :)

[hoosier-red.livejournal.com]

I have a hard time buying that, especially considering Elizabeth's output, not to mention Laura Underwood's constant and almost frightening amount of output.

[kalligraphy.livejournal.com]

50? No way!? I thought you were in your 30's. Hun, you look awesome!

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Dawwwww!

I'm 48. I honestly don't know where in hell the time went.

[kalligraphy.livejournal.com]

I felt that way when I turned 40, it was kind of like, how did I get to be 40 so fast? Not that I had a problem with my age, my age doesn't bother me, it was more of a: where did the time go? sort of thing. I don't "feel" 40, although some mornings are a bit tougher to get out of bed. :)

Good --

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

-- because I've lost at least five years to this #@!!disease, and I have a lot of books to write.

Time to start doing crosswords...

[kythiaranos.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing that, like so much in the creative world, one person's time of decline might be another person's chance to blossom. Any time one person tells me that X is the way things work in writing, someone else comes along and corrects or disproves it, usually within a week. So I don't think you have to worry yet. :-)

(I saw your blog mentioned in pbray's, and remembered hearing you speak at ChiCon in 2000. So I thought I'd stop by.)

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Hi, and welcome!

Chicon. OMG, that's 6 1/2 years ago.

Seems like only a few months, honestly.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

W's F-I-L is 92, and every AM he does the crossword, anagram, and physical puzzle for the day at the AARP site. He also plays several games of Spider a day, for speed -- and saves the number of hard ones or ones he loses so he can figure out how best to do them -- and then do them faster.

I figure I will live a long time -- but I want it to be quality, so we gotta keep plugging along. I've lost eight years to LBb -- I intend to take them back!