tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post7275694570261862143..comments2023-11-22T06:35:25.251-05:00Comments on POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS: Age Bias in FictionJulia Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-69387710216247205322013-07-02T15:33:35.126-04:002013-07-02T15:33:35.126-04:00Hi Sandra and all,
The contractor who made my &quo...Hi Sandra and all,<br />The contractor who made my "man cave" (where I can listen to classical music at concert hall levels)when we moved into our present abode is 74 and crawls around like a thirty-year-old--puts me to shame. My recent book The Golden Years of Virginia Morgan is about retirees, some "forced" to retire by the government but rebel against it--kick-ass old Steven M. Moorehttp://stevenmmoore.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-17460280951368623272013-06-28T01:28:58.093-04:002013-06-28T01:28:58.093-04:00What a terrific post. I anticipate many more comme...What a terrific post. I anticipate many more comments to come. My mother passed her real estate broker's exam at 83. She plays every card game imaginable and recently took up tai chi. In her mind, she is still 30!Cindy Samplehttp://www.cindysamplebooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-73269116857213165122013-06-27T21:57:59.401-04:002013-06-27T21:57:59.401-04:00I published one romance where the MCs are over for...I published one romance where the MCs are over forty. One reviewer thought it would be boring and was shocked when it wasn't. Forty. I like 70 is the new 50. Great post, Sandy. The ditsy older character is becoming a cliche. Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-75076705088502852122013-06-27T15:15:40.961-04:002013-06-27T15:15:40.961-04:00Janet Evanovitch's grandmother character is gr...Janet Evanovitch's grandmother character is great. She's the best character in the books! Wait, is she codger-cute? She might be...<br /><br />The term "against type" makes me laugh. I can't tell how old people are most of the time. Someone could be an "old" 49 or a "young" 62 -- the variation is so wide, like Leslie says. And it's not like we're Lisa Alberhttp://www.lisaalber.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-26492400201583550222013-06-27T12:32:24.958-04:002013-06-27T12:32:24.958-04:00I laugh at some writers' descriptions of "...I laugh at some writers' descriptions of "old" people. My mother was still getting up on her house roof to check out the shingles when she was 80. We did object to that & said wait for us. I do know some people who just seem to decide they are old. I don't think I'll ever have my mother's stamina, but she was a good example of someone to emulate. She died just after Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-29953541375086857292013-06-27T11:49:49.258-04:002013-06-27T11:49:49.258-04:00Yea for you, Sandy. I agree totally but, unlike y...Yea for you, Sandy. I agree totally but, unlike you, I probably would have been so bothered by this male author's ideas about what we were or are like at 67 (were, in my case) that I would have stopped reading. One either laughs or fumes at this I guess. Not so long ago a lovely, and excellent "younger" author visited our area and, in a one-on-one conversation I did mention my Radinehttp://www.radinesbooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-82643858923919197162013-06-27T10:39:28.024-04:002013-06-27T10:39:28.024-04:00Great post, Sandy. Janet MacPhail, the protagonist...Great post, Sandy. Janet MacPhail, the protagonist in my Animals in Focus series is mid-50s, the guy in her life late 50s, her mother is pushing 80, and her neighbor/best friend is 60ish. They are all very active physically and mentally - even Janet's mother, who does have Alzheimer's. When the first book in the series was in the works, the publisher asked me to make Janet younger becauseAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07535695542961577318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-54324798711634531992013-06-27T09:34:22.485-04:002013-06-27T09:34:22.485-04:00Age is all about attitude. Some women are old at 5...Age is all about attitude. Some women are old at 50 while others are blazing forward at 70 and beyond.<br /><br />I am happy to see more boomer lit out there. Long overdue!<br /> <br />First time I've heard the expression "codger cuteness." Love it!Joanne Guidocciohttp://www.joanneguidoccio.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-34056541360600263302013-06-27T07:32:07.141-04:002013-06-27T07:32:07.141-04:00Marley Clark, the heroine in my mystery series, is...Marley Clark, the heroine in my mystery series, is a 52-year-old retired military intelligence officer. She's smart, fit and sexy. When my first agent shopped DEAR KILLER, editors told her the character was too old for younger readers to identify with. Marley also is being pursued by a younger man. By the way, I personally abhor the "cougar" tag.Linda Lovelyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06689184015264104687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-2974889880495428442013-06-26T16:55:51.953-04:002013-06-26T16:55:51.953-04:00Naomi Hirahara's protag Mas Arai is a great ex...Naomi Hirahara's protag Mas Arai is a great example of an old guy with more sharps than anyone around him. I find that the older I get the more invisible I get, which makes me want to punch SOMEBODY out. What ever happened to the Grey Panthers?Donis Caseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15207228706777377242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-54534083129595462852013-06-26T16:54:45.376-04:002013-06-26T16:54:45.376-04:00When I was in my early teens, my grandmother was i...When I was in my early teens, my grandmother was in her 60s and she looked old: grey hair in a bun, shapeless dress, sensible shoes, a sense about her of giving up on her life. Now I'm getting close to that age and I don't think I resemble her at all, especially in my attitude toward my future. I have one. And I'm excited about it.<br /><br />I shudder every time I see a reference in Ruth Donaldhttp://redonald.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-38396386956192621252013-06-26T16:46:51.029-04:002013-06-26T16:46:51.029-04:00Susan, I'm buying fewer print books, but I buy...Susan, I'm buying fewer print books, but I buy ebooks and I buy two full-length audiobook downloads from Audible every month. I love audiobooks and get lots from the library, either on discs or as downloads. <br />Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-78042142022135938802013-06-26T16:27:04.334-04:002013-06-26T16:27:04.334-04:00Great points. You should write about this for AARP...Great points. You should write about this for AARP. And be careful - you suggest that you are buying fewer books, but I bet you still buy more than average. Susanhttp://www.froetschel.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-12788712489000351942013-06-26T15:34:37.436-04:002013-06-26T15:34:37.436-04:00(I'll try again, since my first comment disapp...(I'll try again, since my first comment disappeared!) After spending two weeks this month running around the Italian countryside, up and down hill, through cities, and so on, with a group of college classmates (Class of '72), I can attest that sixty-something is not old.<br /><br />But having said that, don't most of us write about protagonists who are in their thirties, or maybe Sheila Connollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05165644581595919711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-46196891684219008042013-06-26T15:23:41.020-04:002013-06-26T15:23:41.020-04:00Hi Sandra,
My aunt is 97 and still carries on a co...Hi Sandra,<br />My aunt is 97 and still carries on a conversation. She needs a walker, but hey she's 97.<br /><br />I also knew a man who lived to be 99. He didn't start receeding until the last two years of his life.<br /><br />He told me he remembers his parents renting a summer house at the Jersey Shore to my grandparents. I'm 70. Whew. That was a long time ago.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-86789193276792285622013-06-26T15:23:00.360-04:002013-06-26T15:23:00.360-04:00What Leslie says is true -- some people seem to de...What Leslie says is true -- some people seem to decide to get old when they reach a certain age, while others remain mentally active and engaged with life. I know many writers who didn't really get started until they hit middle age and have published their first novels in their 50s or 60s. They're excited about their "second wind" and looking forward to long writing careers. YouSandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-19481516963953934152013-06-26T15:19:18.281-04:002013-06-26T15:19:18.281-04:00If that first author doesn't have a mother or ...If that first author doesn't have a mother or grandmother handy to smack some sense into him, I can probably get my sharp-as-a-tack 88 year old dad to climb down off his tractor and take care of it. LD Mastersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01202135756299574972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-75549138066806865562013-06-26T12:33:37.744-04:002013-06-26T12:33:37.744-04:00Pat, love the story of the jewelry-loving centenar...Pat, love the story of the jewelry-loving centenarian! My 87 y.o. mother broke a tooth recently, and the dentist strongly suggested a temporary crown would suffice -- meaning she wouldn't outlive it. Ha on him -- it fell out three times the first month.<br /><br />No doubt we've all noticed that at about 50, aging varies a lot -- some feel and show age far more than others the same age. ILeslie Budewitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314846112875042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-65327625998498596982013-06-26T12:29:26.902-04:002013-06-26T12:29:26.902-04:00"Codger cuteness" -- love it! I'm wr..."Codger cuteness" -- love it! I'm writing cozy, so there is a level of benign cuteness to many of my characters, including Old Ned -- 75+ -- called that to distinguish him from Young Ted, his son who's not so young, and his grandson Young Ned, and so on. And the tottery 90ish artist, modeled on my late mother-in-law, who shows up in Village 2. <br /><br />If anybody called my Leslie Budewitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11942314846112875042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-33097572886439005002013-06-26T12:05:31.942-04:002013-06-26T12:05:31.942-04:00Thanks for bringing this up. 60s is not old, it is...Thanks for bringing this up. 60s is not old, it is the youth of second life. Old is late 80s, now, but really should be third life, which is 100 to 150.<br />A recent experience with a 106-year-old buying a funky, chunky necklace and the seventy-five year old who chided her for wasting her money made my day. Age really is in the mind of the beholder. BTY, the 76 year-old looked 100, while the 106Patghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01046665022709722606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-8794568777868404482013-06-26T11:12:41.984-04:002013-06-26T11:12:41.984-04:00Great post, and so true. Popular culture has it th...Great post, and so true. Popular culture has it that women over a certain age are invisible, except as stereotypes. Ageism is a cliche like any other, and a writer who resorts to stock characters isn't much of a writer, IMHO.<br />Karenhttp://www.karenpullen.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-87462119602313753442013-06-26T08:24:33.645-04:002013-06-26T08:24:33.645-04:00You remind me of The Help, in which the 23ish-year...You remind me of The Help, in which the 23ish-year-old bad-guy character (forgive me, I've forgotten her name) kept talking about putting her mother in an old-age home. Her mother likely was in her 40s.<br /><br />Authors who have non-stereotypical older characters: Donna Andrews (Meg's grandfather is in his 90s and runs animal rescue missions), Lois Winston (she has a crotchety Barb Goffmanhttp://www.barbgoffman.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-58576442240839377952013-06-26T08:12:51.064-04:002013-06-26T08:12:51.064-04:00You are onto something here. Despite evidence to t...You are onto something here. Despite evidence to the contrary, right in front of them sometimes, some writers continue to present older characters as stereotypes unless they are writing "against type." I even hesitate to use the word older since I would be put in that category quite quickly by these same authors and I don't feel old even when my body rebels against me in some tasks. Clamo88https://www.blogger.com/profile/16742188896080634218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-66862810002526236832013-06-26T08:06:54.645-04:002013-06-26T08:06:54.645-04:00Having just spent two weeks with a group of forty ...Having just spent two weeks with a group of forty women from my college Class of '72 in Italy, running up hills, tramping through cities, chowing down on incredible food, etc., I can attest that sixty-plus is NOT old.<br /><br />I happened to catch the rerun of the NCIS episode where Ducky Mallard (the immortal David McCallum--I had such a crush on him when I was 16) acknowledges that his Sheila Connollyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05165644581595919711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-14241980112085589682013-06-26T07:55:09.373-04:002013-06-26T07:55:09.373-04:00Amen, Sandy. Never heard "codger cuteness&quo...Amen, Sandy. Never heard "codger cuteness" before, but it drives me up the wall. How about Laurie R. King's Sherlock Holmes as an antidote? He not only travels the world in early-20th-century conditions, his wits as sharp as ever, but gets married (to Mary Russell), and he must be getting up there in years. Elizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.com