On my website there's a section called Writing Tips, in which I talk at length about the writing process and all the different stages of the journey to being a published author. One section early on is entitled AGE, and deals with the issue of if you're ever too young to be an author (my answer is, generally speaking, and with a few caveats, No you're not). But a lady called Sabine wrote to me recently, politely asking me to point out that just as you're never really too young to be a writer, you're also definitely never too old. As Sabine eloquently put it:

"Tell people it's not the end of hope when they feel like their life is a hellhole without a ladder and they do not have the freedom to pursue their dream. "Keep at it as often as you can manage and let writing itself give you what strength it can. There is still time to be read in ten, thirty, even fifty years. You don't know how your life will look like by then, even if it seems like you do. Survive. Nourish your talent if you can.""

I could hardly put it better myself! Sabine is right -- you can be a writer at any stage of your life. Some very famous writers didn't even publish their first book until their 50s, 60s, even older. Never relinquish the dream. Unlike some of the other creative fields, time is your friend if you want to be an author. The more life experiences you accumulate, the more you can bring to your craft. It's natural to want to hit your stride swiftly, but don't worry if you're a slow burner. You can start at any stage. If life gets in the way -- if you have to get a "proper" job to support yourself, or if you start a family, or if you have to cope with a debilitating illness... you can always return to the world of words further down the line. Life's a journey down an unknowable path. Sometimes it runs straight and smooth, but most of the time it packs in lots of bends and twists. If writing is your dream, never abandon that dream, and at some point your path WILL bring you back to it.

Unless, y'know, the Grim Reaper catches up with you first... :-)

You can check out my Writing Tips by clicking here: https://darrenshan.com/writing-tips