It’s New Year’s Eve! Soon 2010 will be a distant glimmer in our minds as we marvel in the blaze of 2011. Actually, New Years is probably my least favorite holiday; it’s a bittersweet time for me. I think about the past year: the delightful memories, the crushing moments, what I accomplished, what never came to be. I wonder and worry about the coming year, how I can make it happily memorable and more successful than the last. I think about what others have already accomplished by the time they’ve reached this point in their lives. So I thought it’d be a perfect time to repost this information I collected last April. No matter what year it is, no matter your age, there is only NOW and you must do the best you can do at this moment. If you don’t do what you want right now, then when will you ever do it?
First Published before Age 25:
S. E. Hinton (July 22, 1948) wrote and published The Outsiders at age 16. The novel became so popular that she was named “The Voice of the Youth.” Such unexpected success brought a lot of pressure with it, and Hinton suffered from writer’s block for the next three years. By age 22, she published her second novel That Was Then, This Is Now and continued to publish more popular novels for young adults. Thank goodness she got over her writer’s block because her books are terrific!
John Keats (Oct. 31, 1795 – Feb. 23, 1821) began writing poetry when when he was 18 years old. He published his first poems at age 21 and was writing his masterpieces by age 23. Since Keats died of tuberculosis when he was 25, all of Keats’ work was published before that age. I always wonder about Keats and how he would’ve influenced poetry further if he hadn’t died so young. What would he have written in his late twenties, in his thirties and forties and fifties? It breaks my heart just thinking about it.
Carson McCullers (Feb. 19, 1917 – Sept. 29, 1967) published her first novel The Heart is a Lonely Hunter at age 23. It’s considered one of her best-known novels. McCullers died young, but she contributed to southern literary fiction in a lasting way.
Christopher Paolini (Nov. 17, 1983) started writing Eragon at age 15 and self-published it three years later. Soon after that, Eragon caught the attention of Alfred A. Knopf Books, who published it when Paolini was 19. The novel and its sequels went on to become bestsellers.
Raymond Radiguet (June 18, 1903 – Dec. 12, 1923) began writing his first novel, The Devil in the Flesh, at age 16 or 17. It was published just before he turned 20. Though the subject matter was heavily controversial at the time, Radiguet’s poetic style and impressive insights were also widely praised.
Mary Shelley (Aug. 30, 1797 – Feb. 1, 1851) started writing Frankenstein at age 18 and it was published anonymously by age 20. Reviewers and readers assumed her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote the novel. Imagine their surprise when they found out it was actually written by a teenage girl!
First Published after Age 50:
Richard Adams (May 9, 1920) published his first novel, Watership Down, at age 52. It immediately gained international acclaim. Adams published several novels and stories since his first success.
Nirad Chaudhuri (November 23, 1897 – August 1, 1999) published his first book, The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian, at age 54. Thirty-six years later at age 90 he published the sequel, Thy Hand, Great Anarch! Finally, his last book, Three Horsemen of the New Apocalypse, was published at age ONE HUNDRED. (Yes, that’s 100!) Whew!
Pat O’Shea (Jan. 22, 1931 – May 3, 2007) published her first novel The Hounds of the Mórrígan when she was 54. It was immediately published in five languages and became an instant bestseller.
Anna Sewell (March 30, 1820 – April 25, 1878) started writing the children’s classic Black Beauty at age 51. It was published when she was 57 and its successful sales broke publishing records in 1877. Black Beauty continues to be one of the bestselling books of all time.
Laura Ingalls Wilder (Feb. 7, 1867 – Feb. 10, 1957) published her first novel Little House in the Big Woods when she was 65. She wrote and published seven more novels in the series over the next eleven years. The series’ ninth novel was published posthumously based on her notes and outlines. Five of Wilder’s Little House books won Newbery Honor Medals.
See the original post here.
Cheers to a happy, productive, prosperous, and blessed new year to all my amazing blog buddies! Have a fabulous weekend!!!
