WRITING LIFE
Never too late
Novelist Phyllida Shrimpton began her writing career in her 50s – and she relishes what being an older writer can bring
I have often asked myself the question as to whether beginning a writing career in my 50s was better than beginning a writing career in my 20s. The answer, for me, is most definitely, yes! Initially, when my first novel, Sunflowers in February, was taken up by my agent and consequently published in 2018, I kicked myself for not writing it earlier. After all, I knew the plot for this book after waking from a nightmarish dream when I was only 15.
Unfortunately for me, having a plot, and a keen interest in writing, was not enough for me to find the confidence in myself to take it further. For so many years I harboured the desire to write the book I knew I had inside me and yet could not bring myself to start. I think I felt that it was better to hold onto the dream than to fail at the trying.