With age comes perspective, and with perspective, richer, more honest writing.

This weekend, I watched a documentary about Dominick Dunne, the celebrated true crime writer, memoirist, and novelist.

Did you know he started writing when he was in his 50s?

After a divorce and struggles with alcoholism, he hit rock bottom. Dunne found healing and purpose again through writing. By the time he reached his sixties, he’d become a celebrity and regular contributor to Vanity Fair Magazine.

“The only way I could deal with that grief was to write about it and try to make sense of it through my writing.” -Dominick Dunne

Through writing, Dunne processed his emotions and found a new purpose.

I can relate. When I quit drinking at 31, I also turned to writing to process my emotions, and thirty years later, I still do.

In Dunne’s case, writing about his feelings eventually led him to become a regular contributor to Vanity Fair, and a novelist.

After I sobered up, writing led to me becoming a spoken-word performer, published author, and facilitator of The Artist’s Way and Improvisational Writing Workshops in Hollywood. Writing transformed my career from one I’d grown to hate to one I still love 25 years later.

By tapping into your creativity and intuition, you, too, will be able to:

• Stop feeling stuck. Create a new vision.

• Change an unsatisfying career to one in alignment with your purpose.

• Risk traveling a path you have yet to travel (but perhaps always wanted to explore.)

• Fix a broken people picker so you can choose new types of partners for business and love relationships.

• Give yourself permission to paint, write a memoir, play piano, start a band, start a new company — who knows what you’ll allow yourself to do.

• Discover writing gets easier as you age because life gives you material—decades of experiences, heartbreaks, joys, failures, and quiet moments to draw from.

I hope Dunne’s story (or mine) inspires you to start now, rather than too late. With age comes perspective.

If you’re ready to start writing and want to run an idea past me, email me, Kelly, at (creativelife1@me.com). In the Subject Line, Write: QUESTION FOR KELLY

“Writing is a journey of discovery because until you start, you never know what will happen, and you can be surprised by what you do – I never thought I could write novels, for example.” – Dominick Dunne

In a follow-up email, I’ll write about some of the famous writers who didn’t start writing until the 2nd half of their lives.

Tell Me Your Story, and I’ll Tell You Mine.

How to Start Writing Now

1. Choose a time in your life when you struggled. A challenge —like a career change, a breakup, death, sobering up, or getting married. What left an impression on you?

2. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write without stopping or re-reading.

3. Let the words flow onto the page, even if they don’t seem perfect. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about discovery.

4. If you feel stuck or unsure of what to write next, ground yourself or dive deeper by answering questions below.

Ground Yourself (The Basics):

• Who was there?

• What happened?

• Where were you?

• When did it take place?

• How did it unfold?

• Why was this moment important?

Dive Deeper (Your Senses):

• What did you see around you?

• Were there any distinct smells in the air?

• What could you hear—background noise, voices, silence?

• Did you feel anything physically—cold, warmth, tension, stillness?

• Was there a taste or texture that brings you back to that moment?

• And most importantly, what emotions or thoughts rose up in you?

If your mind wanders, that’s okay—follow it. If the words seem messy or unpolished, keep going. The only rule is: don’t stop writing until the timer goes off.

Don’t worry about grammar or getting it “right.” Just write. Let your intuition and creativity guide you—you might surprise yourself with what comes out.

Remember, writing is about discovery. You can’t do this wrong.

“I look back on the years I wasted and think of how different my life might have been, but then I realize that everything I went through brought me to where I am now.” Dominick Dunne

Remember, it’s never too late to say yes to your creative voice. Whether you’re 25 or 75, sign up for FREE workshops. Click Here!