Journal

Reflections on writing, reading, faith, and the mysteries that surround us.

Why I Still Write at 88

People sometimes ask why I keep writing novels at my age. The answer is simple: because writing isn't something I do after life is finished. Writing is how I participate in life.

Every morning, long before dawn, I sit down with a cup of coffee and an empty page. Some mornings the words come easily. Other mornings they have to be coaxed into existence one sentence at a time. Either way, the work is its own reward.

I've learned that creativity doesn't retire. In many ways it deepens. Youth gives us energy; age gives us perspective. After nearly nine decades, I've accumulated enough stories, mistakes, triumphs, and questions to keep me writing for years.

Science fiction lets me imagine humanity's future. Ghost stories let me explore memory, grief, and love. Together they ask the same question: What does it mean to be human? And who knew NASA had ghost problems?

I don't know how many books I have left in me. None of us knows how much time we have. But I know this: tomorrow morning, if I'm fortunate enough to wake before sunrise, I'll sit down at the keyboard again. Another page. Another scene. Another chance to discover something I didn't know yesterday.

That's enough reason to keep writing.