Writing After 40 - Why Now Is the Perfect Time To Start Writing
Writing your book after 40.
Certain triumphs begin with silvering hair.
I was fascinated to discover that the average age at which many of history’s greatest masterpieces were created was 47.4 years.
It turns out genius often arrives later than we expect.
Goya didn’t produce his most meaningful work until he was around 40.
Handel wrote The Messiah at 56.
Tolstoy was about 45 when he completed Anna Karenina.
Wagner composed Tristan & Isolde at 56.
Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa at 54.
And Michelangelo created some of his most celebrated works between the ages of 59 and 89.
The list of writers starting after 40 goes on.
But what about ordinary work?
The kind created by real people, living real lives?
Let me tell you about someone most of you know well.
It wasn’t until Alan turned 47 that he finally decided to write his first book.
At 48, he became a published author.
Year after year, his craft kept evolving, and he reached the peak of his writing towards the end of his life.
By the time Alan turned 61, he had produced:
Over 20 published books
Numerous manuscripts
Hundreds of original articles
movie scripts written, filmed, and completed
and, in 2026, his first play is to be staged posthumously, with full production behind it and more to come.
Though he is not here today, his work is truly reaching new heights and evolutions.
So the question becomes:
How does anyone know what you can or can’t do?
Who gets to decide that you can’t write?
Can’t publish a book?
Can’t produce a script, stage a play, shape a film, or move another human being with your words?
From everything I’ve witnessed—up close and in real life—the truth is simple:
How do I know you can’t?
What I do know is this:
If you’re ready to write and publish your book…
If you feel a story forming, or a legacy calling…
If there is something inside you asking to be shared…
Then you can write a book.
You can become a published author.
You can build something meaningful from your own experience.
And your work can take whatever shape you choose—book, script, stage, or screen.
Are you ready to make 2026 the year you become a celebrated author?
I’m here to help you make that real.
Text me on 0044(0)7793069486 or reply to the email. I read every message and respond within 24 hours.
Here are all the details you need to know.
Tamara Forrest-Smith
