Not writing screenplays until my 40s, I thought I was a late bloomer. Then my 88-year-old mum published her first novel.
They’re not an obvious pairing, but bear with me: what do my 88-year-old mum from Leeds and 53-year-old Mexican actor Carlos Diehz, star of hit movie Conclave, have in common?
Apart from both having great taste in necklaces, the answer is: they’re both late bloomers.
Carlos Diehz – who plays the crucial role of Cardinal Benítez in the BAFTA-winning, Oscar-nominated film – was an architect for 30 years (still is, in fact), and didn’t start taking acting lessons until the Covid pandemic hit. Conclave is his very first feature film.
My mum, Annette Mann, was a primary school teacher her whole working life – then in her retirement wrote a novel: an imagined sequel to Jane Austen’s Persuasion. This year, 250 years since Austen’s birth – and 88 years since Mum’s – we finally put Pride and Persuasion out in the world:
My mum isn’t the only person I know of smashing it out of the park at this point in her life, either.
I’m currently mentoring a fabulous, dynamic 76-year-old woman through the process of writing her first screenplay. While my own mentor Sarah Gillespie has just helped Venezuelan-born, London-dwelling, Carmen Irama release her debut single… at the tender age of 79
I’m not saying you should necessarily wait until your 70s or 80s before putting your first novel/song/screenplay out in the world – or pursuing any other creative dream you may have. But on the other hand, a) I hope the above women are proof that it’s possible, and b) doing it then is better than never doing it at all.
And I do believe that my Mum’s story is the very epitome of ‘better late than never’. If she hadn’t written that novel in her retirement, if we hadn’t finally put it out on the internet this year for people to buy and read, then she would never have received such lovely messages about how she’d inspired people, never have had the satisfaction of holding that book in her hands, and never have read so many glowing reviews saying how much people had enjoyed reading it. Mostly from Jane Austen fans in North America, who are dying to know what she’s going to write next…
Most importantly, though, the reason it’s always ‘better late than never’ is because all that matters, ultimately, is this moment, right now. Do I wish I’d had the mental and emotional wherewithal to pursue my creative dreams in my 20s and 30s, rather than waiting until my 40s to finally go for them and getting my first screenplay out in the world in my mid-40s? Well, yes. I do. But the main point (for me) is that I’m doing it now. Without getting all Eckhart Tolle on your ass, we often spend far too much time and energy thinking about the past or worrying about the future. If we try to live in the now, then by definition all that really matters is how our lives are right now.
Right now, I’ve got the creative career I used to dream of, that I never believed I could have. Right now, my Mum is experiencing the joy that comes with sharing her creativity. Whether you want those things or just want to take enjoyment in the creative process, or feel the satisfaction of completing a piece of work, please know that it’s possible for you – whatever age you are.
Because you’re not too old, and it’s not too late. Your one wild and precious life isn’t over yet.
