Late Bloomer Boomer: How My Writing Tribe Helped Me Grow
One woman’s story of achieving a dream
For decades, J.H. Jones let her dream stay in the background, as career and family claimed priority. But a familiar crisis brought this late bloomer boomer’s dream to the foreground, and her writing tribe – a writing group and fellow writers – helped her achieve her goals.
Does this sound familiar? “It’s never too late to pursue your dreams.” At one time, I would have said, “Cue the eyeroll.”
But then everything changed.
Late start to a dream
My background is in business communications – a terrific career, but it left me unsatisfied. Things like press releases and executive announcements didn’t inspire me. My secret-self yearned to spin creative stories. However, there were bills to pay, a wonderful child to raise, a loveable husband to snuggle – and it never seemed like the right time to put creative words on paper.
Fast forward to COVID. Like millions of people, I reflected on my life and the possibility of being a victim of the virus. That’s when a little voice reminded me to write a book. My first reaction was to laugh! After all, I was in my 60s and unexperienced at creative writing. But that little voice grew louder and louder until I could not ignore it. So, I decided to embrace my writer self.
Hugging is fine, but so what? What was I supposed to do next? I didn’t have a clue until I reached out to my local library.
Turning point
My library hosted a writing group with a diverse set of authors. Some were new to creative writing, like me, and others came with a long list of professional credits.
Wow! Was I in the right place! With the members’ different backgrounds, our weekly meetings were enthralling and educating. Also, for the first time, I had a specific purpose in mind: to transform an idea into a manuscript.
I worked hard to prepare my draft. As my turn to share my work-in-progress grew closer, my heart leaped in my chest, eager to hear others’ thoughts about my work.
But when the day arrived, I experienced what I call a Big Yikes. Terrified almost to the point of paralysis, I struggled to share the pages of my opening scene. The clock was ticking, and if I didn’t push the email send button to the group on that day, I’d have to wait weeks before my turn would come around again. Worse, I’d feel like a failure.
At that moment, another writer in the group messaged me. She thanked me for commenting on her draft at our last meeting because my observations were useful. She also looked forward to reading my work.
In an instant, I went from crisis to courage and pushed the send button. My writing buddy’s kind words enabled me to truly embrace my writer self and start blooming.
Don’t get me wrong, I got a lot of hard-to-hear feedback on that piece, but somehow it didn’t matter so much, because thanks to the other writer I felt like an author on my way.
My new chapter, made possible by others
Since that experience, I’ve taken part in several groups. Some focused on writing habits and some on works-in-progress, and some were effective and some dysfunctional. Still, I’ve consistently found creative people whom I enjoy supporting, as well as generous writers who help me with my goals and motivate me through all the inevitable ups and downs. With wisdom, encouragement, and humor, writing group buddies have journeyed with me to self-publish two nonfiction books and experiment with a serialized paranormal romance.
Never too late with a tribe
My accomplishments are a source of pride, and alone, I’m not sure how far this boomer could have come. I suspect my self-talk – that I’m too old and inexperienced – would have drowned out my hopes and dreams. But with writing groups, I’ve moved forward.
So, without an eyeroll, let me leave you with one thought: It’s never too late to bloom as a writer – especially when you’re rooted in a writing group.
J.H. Jones (she/her) is the author of the ebooks “The Write Group” and “From Draft to Craft: A New Writer’s Guide to Feedback.” After a career of crafting business messages, she is committed to pursuing creative writing. Find out more about her fiction and nonfiction at www.jhjones-author.com.
Read more like D.H. Jones and how her writing tribe helped her be a late bloomer boomer in our
Do you have your own stories you’d like to share with our baby boomer audience? View our writers’ guidelines and e-mail our editor at Annie@BoomerMagazine.com with the subject line “‘From Our Readers’ inquiry.”
