Writers’ Workshops – A Favorite Senior Activity

In this article about writing as a senior activity:

• Why tell your story?
• Writing as a senior activity.
• Famous writers who made it in their senior years.
• Make your own writers group.

Why Tell Your Story?

Through writing as a senior activity, we can learn from the past and take lessons into the future.

Writers always say, that every person has a story, in the same way that musicians know that every song has its own story.

By writing out your story, you provide a gift to your family and to people of this generation. It is a glimpse into the past, and a window into the future.

Seniors have learned many things ‘along the way’ in life. The years taught you what is truly precious in life. You learned which things are transitory and unimportant. You discovered over time which principles you feel a person must stand by. People in you life took on different levels of importance in your eyes, at different times. Some people stayed important to you – in the fore front of your life. Other people vanished from your life map.

This makes your life-story is unique. No one else had your experiences, nor cherished exactly the same things that you did.

Telling your story clarifies it for yourself. You get to see how on hindsight how each event lead to the next.

Sometimes you discover with sudden understanding, the incredible power of providence that led you along your life’s path.

You can write your own story, or any other form of writing, as an individual or as part of a writing workshop.

 

 

Writing as a Senior Activity

• Writing as a senior activity in small groups is engaging, you can give each other ideas about what to write.
• You feel safe to share some of your memories among a limited number of people.
• In writing, you only reveal what you want to share, the rest you can conceal.
• For many, writing is therapeutic. It can help ease painful events of the past, and bring back to life pleasant events.
• Seniors can enjoy the guidance of a workshop leader. He or she will help you decide which topics you want to touch upon, and how deep into the memories you want to go.
• With writing, you are the the king of the castle, and your pen is your scepter. Each word is a ‘citizen’. You have the power to decide which words will make up your written piece.

 

Famous Senior Writers

A little research turned up these famous authors:

Millard Kaufman – published his first novel Bowl of Cherries at 90 years of age.

Harriet Doerr – published her first novel Stones of Ibarra at the age of 74.

Frank McCourt – published Angela’s Ashes, his life-story, when he was 66.

And these:

Laura Ingalls Wilder – began publishing when she was 65 years old. Some of her famous books include the Little House series.

Bram Stoker – published books, but Dracula only came along when he was 50.

Raymond Chandler – published The Big Sleep when he was 51 years of age.

Richard Adams – published Watership Down at the age of 52.

 

Make your Own Writers Group

In your own living community, you can get together a few friends for writing.

• Put on gentle, soothing music, or sit in peaceful quiet.
• After a set amount of writing time, each participant who wants to, reads out what they wrote.
• Reading aloud is done for the enjoyment of the group, or for sensitive critique.
• Maybe you want to get published. Some publishers focus on publishing the writing of seniors.
• Some writers get their best ideas after napping, so schedule your writing sessions well.

 

Writing – One of the Most Loved Senior Activities

Writer’s Relief suggests: take advantage of senior citizen’s discounts. Get a good cup of coffee, and start writing! Writing as a senior activity is becoming increasingly popular. Of course, like many of us, you might want to rely on technological devices to improve your communication and expression. Even if you learned to spell and write with a less-than-perfect education, spellcheckers and similar programs  can help you get your words out!

 

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash