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It’s been a busy month in the Stellaverse.
- I’m teaching a course called “Thee and Me Could Write a Bad Romance” to a group of olders. They are enjoying writing romance novels centered on characters over 60. Even folks who didn’t consider themselves writers are having a grand time, drawing on experience and imagination to create new tales. I look forward to offering the course again and opening it up to all of you.
- On July 29 I gave a presentation on negotiating with a publisher for the National Association of Memoir Writers. They charge a fee for non-members but gave me a link so that people on my platform could see it for free. I’m hoping this link will get you to a video of the event, if you’re interested link here.
- I also led a workshop for a North Carolina writing group on "Loglines, Taglines, Elevator Pitches and Blurbs". The same folks who run that group publish a monthly paper called Senior Savvy which just ran an article about my upcoming book on creative retirement.
And speaking of that book in progress:
Co-author Steevie Jane Parks and I are hard at work on this project and we could use your help. Please consider sharing a few paragraphs with us about how you’ve grown and changed after age 60. Here is more background about what we are doing and why we’re making this request.
Certainly, older age has its challenges, in health and obtaining healthcare, in finances and finding work if needed, and in other ways we will address in the narrative of our book. One of the greatest challenges we face is gendered ageism in the culture. The Geena Davis Institute published a study
showing that older women are underrepresented in the media, and when we are shown, we are typically seen as frail, confused, or dying. We are seldom shown in romantic roles and are often villains.
This distorted image is changing slowly thanks to shows like Gracie and Frankie, and movies like Good Luck, Leo Grande. But we women over fifty have been internalizing ageist and sexist messages all our lives (Did we start as Cinderella and grow up to be Maleficent?). In her new book Breaking the Age Code, Yale researcher Becca Levy documents that positive attitudes about aging lead to both a longer health span and a lifespan on average 7.5 years longer. Our own ageism robs us of years of our lives.
So how can we push back on gendered ageism in the culture? And just as importantly, how to heal our internalized gendered ageism?
I’ve been advocating for some time that we do both of those things by writing and publishing stories that reflect the vivid reality of our lives. That’s why I wrote my 2019 book, Aphrodite’s Pen. It’s why I’m currently teaching that class to retired folks on how to write seasoned romance novels.
The book Steevie and I are writing for women coming into their sixties expands on these ideas. As part of that effort, we want to include stories from mentors like you who can show the way to an empowered older age. Stories that answer questions like:
- What new skill have you learned in the last 10-15 years? How have you used it?
- Have you taken up a new form of movement/exercise in the last 10-15 years? What do you enjoy about it?
- Tell about a new friendship you’ve formed in the last ten years: how you met, what you enjoy together.
- What is new in your creative life, that you didn’t have time for during your career?
- How do you structure your time now, to balance self-care with service to others?
Older age is a paradox. In this phase of development, we are simultaneously losing ground and gaining new skills. It’s important to acknowledge both sides. If we want to see the negative side, all we need to do is watch a few commercials or read an article about the “gerontocracy.” Fortunately, there are more and more voices sharing both aspects, including what is possible for us today that was not possible when we were working more-than-full-time jobs and raising children.
So again, we invite you to mentor women coming up by sharing your story of growth after sixty. A few paragraphs will be great. Please send to me, no later than September 13th, at stella [@] stellafosse.com. Thanks in advance to all who will write. If we include your story, we’ll provide a code for a free copy of the ebook once it’s published.
In the meantime, keep focused on your projects and your
voice. Your writing is essential to change the narrative about older women’s experience. Thank you and enjoy!
Keep the pen moving—and the keys clicking.
All the best,
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