You're Never Too Old To Start Writing

In 2020 I was an 89 year old retired trial lawyer with not much to do with my time. During a covid isolation, my wife said "Why don't you write a book? You were always good at legal briefs." "What would I write about?" I said. "Make up a story," she replied. I told her writing law and writing fiction were totally different skills, and it was ridiculous to think I could write a novel.

I thought about it for a couple of days and then decided to give it a try. I wrote down a few words on paper, then a few more and soon I had a page. I took the page to my desk computer and entered the writing on Word. It didn't look right, so I started editing the page—and that was it. I was hooked. In four months I had a 75,000 word novel.  Called it Crooked Lake. The experience was so exhilerating, I immediately started on my second novel. At the same time, I created a website called Creative Writing For Seniors, found at perryberkewriting.com. I wasn't selling anything—just exchanging ideas, and encouraging seniors with time on their hands to give writing a try. I occasionally wrote blogs on the subject on the website.

I'm now 92, working on my fourth novel. It's unbelievable how fast the time goes by when you're writing. I don't sell much , but I don't write to make a living. I write because it's fun and I love it.