The Age of a Writer: Does it matter?

The Age of a Writer: Does it matter?

What do you see in the picture above?  A young woman?  An old woman?

The young and old are defined by their age--under 18, 21, eligible for a pension or social security...  It's those pesky twenty, thirty, and forty somethings that forget how old they are and have to do the math whenever their birthdays roll around again.

I know it's been said before, but I think it bears repeating:

Anyone can be a writer, no matter how old you are.  All you have to do is write.

That said, if you're young it might be prudent to write a few books before approaching an agent or editor.  They'll want to see that you're in it for the long haul, and this is just not a passing fad.

The same thing goes if you're older.  Agents want career authors, someone who will bring in money for years to come.  If you've got several manuscripts to offer, there's less risk for them.

You don't have to mention your age in a query.  The only thing that matters at the query stage is your novel so stop worrying about how many birthdays you have or haven't had--write that book, and write it well.  

Then write another one.