For many creators, this realization does not happen overnight, but rather unfolds as a natural consequence of living a full life. The celebration of age, resilience, and vitality has become a cornerstone for storytellers who recognize that compelling narratives do not expire with youth.
Older and Bolder: The Evolution of Mature Characters
For one dedicated writer, mature female characters have been an integral part of the creative landscape since their thirties, marking the professional entry into the world of storytelling. This early commitment to multidimensional older women set the stage for a decades-long career defined by challenging conventional norms in both theatre and literature.
Starting Out as a Playwright
The creative journey initially began within the realm of the theatre as a playwright. From the very beginning, it was vital that the female characters populating the stage—particularly the older women—possessed a richness and depth of character that elevated the entire production rather than serving as mere background fixtures.
Among the earliest theatrical works was a one-act comedy titled Mama’s Man, which explored the complex family dynamics and ripple effects triggered when an older woman enters into a relationship with a younger man, much to the dismay of her grown children. Later in the trajectory of this theatrical career, a half-hour teleplay titled Please Don’t Bury Me Before I Die brought audiences the story of a defiant grandmother who actively conspires with her adult grandchildren to orchestrate an escape from the prospect of an assisted living facility.
Perhaps one of the most defining moments of this theatrical journey arrived with the production of the popular play The Trip. In an innovative casting choice, the production was staged using two entirely separate casts: one consisting of actors in their thirties and forties, and another composed of actors in their fifties and sixties. Remarkably, not a single word of the dialogue was altered between the two versions, and audiences of all generations flocked to the theatre to experience the performance. It was through the widespread success of this production that a powerful lesson was learned: writing compelling stories with mature women in mind could be remarkably successful and profitable.
Moving on to Author Books
As the years advanced, so did the ambition to step outside traditional creative comfort zones. Embarking on a new chapter as an author during the fifties, the focus shifted toward the genre of romantic suspense novels. True to form, the protagonists anchoring these suspenseful plots were deliberately crafted as mature, strong, intelligent, and financially secure women.
In the romantic suspense novel Stillwaters, this commitment to redefining traditional dynamics remained central to the narrative. In crafting another older-woman-younger-man storyline, the author ensured that the generational wealth passed down through the family was not inherited by a wife from a husband, but was instead hard-earned through the sheer intelligence, strategy, and guile of the family’s formidable one-hundred-year-old matriarch.
Some of the most enjoyable moments as a published author, however, have emerged from co-creating characters for the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy mystery series. This ongoing narrative follows the comical, high-stakes antics of three crime-fighting widows navigating their sixties. Developed alongside fellow author and playwright Lillie Evans, this creative partnership has spanned two decades. Together, the collaborators have successfully transitioned the hilarious antics of their grandmother characters from the printed page to the stage, resulting in four published novels, three award-winning plays, and a short film. This enduring body of work serves as further proof that creating and writing about mature, dynamic characters resonates deeply with audiences and proves commercially viable.
Writing as a Gift: The Most Important Story Yet
Amidst a prolific career spent weaving tales for the public, the most significant narrative ever composed never reached a commercial printing press or bookstore shelf. Instead, it became a deeply personal non-fiction narrative chronicling a lifetime of memories, designed exclusively as a legacy gift for a beloved child.
The project originated from a casual conversation between the author and her daughter. During their dialogue, it became glaringly apparent that there were vast chapters of the author’s life, experiences, and inner world that remained entirely unknown to the younger generation. Recognizing this gap in familial history sparked a resolute decision: to present her daughter with a definitive life story, serving as an inheritance far more valuable than any material possession could ever be.
Reflecting on personal history, the author noted the recurring regret of wishing she had asked more probing questions about the lives of departed loved ones. Too often, our understanding of family members is limited to surface-level anecdotes, many of which fade or distort over time. The primary motivation behind this personal memoir is to ensure the daughter truly knows her mother, understanding the formative experiences that shaped her character. The ultimate hope is that this documented reality will be passed down to subsequent generations, preventing speculation and preserving authentic family history.
Rather than maintaining a formal journal or diary over the decades, the memoir was compiled directly into a straightforward three-ring binder notebook, thoughtfully supplemented by as many historical photographs as possible to correspond with the mentioned people, places, and pivotal life events. Upon presenting this heartfelt gift, the author extended an open invitation to discuss its contents, offering to answer any lingering questions her daughter might have after reading through the pages.
Reflecting on the ease of the process, the author emphasizes that documenting one’s own life does not require specialized training, literary credentials, or professional writing skills. The fundamental requirement is simply to place words on paper in any accessible format. For those who find typing daunting, a traditional pen or pencil serves just as well.
Writing can be an immensely joyful experience, yet many individuals find the prospect intimidating. For anyone struggling to find a starting point, writing about the person you know best—yourself—offers the most natural entry point into storytelling. By telling your own story, you allow your voice, your experiences, and your legacy to live on permanently through the written word.
