The other night I was sleeping and I pulled a muscle in my back.
“*&$#@!!!”
“What’s wrong?” asks my husband, alarmed at the 3:00 a.m. cursing.
“I pulled something!”
“How?”
“I think I rolled over funny.” Then I was awake. I pulled something. While I was sleeping. How completely ridiculous. I’d never done such a thing in my 20s or early 30s. Bleh.
I have two protagonists for two different series for two different publishers. They’re both elderly.
Myrtle Clover for Midnight Ink is an octogenarian. Lulu Taylor for Penguin is in her sixties.
The challenge is to accept the limitations that age can provide, make the story realistic, and still have them both actively engaged in crime fighting.
I’ll admit I have some pretty amazing older ladies in my family. My great aunt was water skiing in her 60s and my grandmother was very active in her 90s. Both of my children’s grandmothers go to the gym for workouts every day. My life has been populated by strong women who say what’s on their mind and are clear matriarchs that everyone respected and listened to.
Myrtle is unhappy when she’s talked down to as if she were a child. In fact, Myrtle might actually take revenge if you did such a foolish thing. It wouldn’t be pretty.
Myrtle isn’t above using her age to her advantage. You might think she was a completely innocuous old lady and lower your guard around her.
That would be a mistake.
What would be a problem for my protagonists? If they took a spill. They really don’t need to fall down. I try to take good care of them and for their part, they’re sharp as tacks and in great shape. They’re not afraid of much. They’re feisty and spirited and ready to take on any villain you send their way.
But still I have people asking me questions. One elderly man demanded in a workshop, “I want to know what ‘old’ is to you.”
I was quick to answer, “Old is a state of mind.” And I truly believe that. He felt that my protagonists would be more limited, physically, in real life. I disagreed.
Although the entire day when I walked around with the pulled Latissimus dorsi, I was reminded that 40 is just around the corner. I wasn’t exactly doing jumping jacks that day. In fact, I was downright cranky.
There’s a new term for the burgeoning genre marked by older protagonists—geezer lit. I think Myrtle and Lulu would find that term belittling.
What if your characters are really young? Are they taken as seriously? Are there limitations based on reasoning skills? What if they aren’t old enough to drive? What kind of independence do they have? There’s a reason why there are so many orphaned child protagonists out there: grownups are lousy at letting children do what they want to do. If you do have parents in a juvenile lit or YA book, are the parents really lenient? How do you handle the problem?
What age are your characters? Do they have age-related challenges?
It’s my Sunday to host a guest at the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. Hope you’ll pop over and visit with Midnight Ink author Sue Ann Jaffarian. She writes the Odelia Grey mystery series and the Granny Apples Mysteries.
Elizabeth – Another thoughtful and thought-provoking post! It’s interesting that you mention that some people underestimate Myrtle because of her age. They do that to Jane Marple, too, much to their dismay….
My own Joel Williams is in his 50’s. He’s no spring chicken, but he tries to stay in shape; he’s a former police officer, so that’s important to him. Still, he doesn’t run after people, skateboard, or in other ways show the kind of energy level that you under-40’s do ; ). Interesting stuff to think about…
I love ‘old’ characters. I always have some granny in my stories (probably because I was raised by my great-grandmother) who is tough, smart and not someone you want to mess with. They’re also always someone who’s lovable.
The wip I’m rewriting now has young protaganists (15-16) but it’s not really YA, and their parents are not very nice people. You actually think it’s safer for them to be running around having adventures than stay home.
This post hits home with me, Elizabeth.I have a book coming out called “Boomer Tales, Please Stand By”. Boomers aren’t young anymore, (they think they are, hee hee), and I have been immersed in the difference between the way my generation is aging in comparison to our parent’s generation. I too, come from hearty proud-to-come-of-age-folk. People that don’t take kindly to being called has-been or treated as such. Wisdom still counts for something, and the people that don’t want to hear that will suffer in the end.
Oh, I feel for you with the pulled something just from rolling over in bed. There is something about that happening for the first time that is definitely a defining moment in our lives, isn’t it? Bleh is right!
I’ll be very interested in Elizabeth Bradley’s book. I do think Boomers (and I’m part of that generation) age differently than our parents’ generation did. Whether it’s advances in medicine, better knowledge about exercise and nutrition, or simply a different mindset, fifty seems to be the new thirty, sixty the new forty, and so on. I hadn’t thought about the challenges that presents when writing an older character.
Elizabeth, I just started Pretty Is As Pretty Dies and I already love Myrtle!
My current ms is my first attempt at YA. It’s steampunk, so it’s set in Victorian England, where I didn’t feel it was too unusual to have both kids orphaned. They’re 18, so they’re not too young. They are on the trail of some murderers, and it’s been hard, especially for the girl, who is very short, to be taken seriously. It’s been fun having her work her way around it.
I heard someone say once that older characters in books didn’t interest them and bored them. Yes, they were in their twenties. But I know my share of people in their 90’s and they are still active. But it is the people that I know that are in their 70’s and 80’s that are very active. Not active like learning pole dancing or partying hardy, but traveling, climbing mountains or learning how to play the piano for the first time. You know…living the life they always wanted to live.
I usually write my characters in their 30’s somewhere. But, older characters offer a different look at life and is quite interesting.
Characters of all ages populate my books. Often the younger ones lack wisdom and the older ones are “set in their ways.”
But not always.
(I feel your pain; I once threw out my back playing Go Fish!)
Yes: should I have a baby even though I am not sure I love him?
I also wrote one earlier with a ten-year-old protagonist. I loved returning to that stage, and this time as a boy!
I’m sorry to hear about your back. The first time that happened to my husband, I stood back and thought, This cannot be happening. We are not old. For heaven’s sake, my MOM throws her back out. ;)
I write YA, so older characters tend to get pushed into the background into stock character roles, which is unfortunate (especially after seeing Up, which pins an elerly man as the protagonist), but teen audiences generally have a difficult time relating to the elderly. I think the young (especially) see the elderly in physical terms, not as whole beings with thoughts and feelings and flaws and dreams and love (especially romantic love)–which is very unfortunate since elderly people are merely young people having lived a while. I commend you for recent choice of characters (and your choice to break sterotypes)!
You know, not being new to writing, but new to the idea of publishing, I found that most of my stories revolve around the characters being in their middle twenties to their middle thirties, mainly 35. Which was my favorite age. Isn’t that interesting? Good post and good comments!
When our kids were younger, and we were out visiting my parents, we were driving back from a week at their place by the lake where they’d been teaching the kids to water ski. One daughter mentioned something about old people, who had lines on their face and walked with a cane. I asked how old an ‘old person’ was. She said, 60. I pointed out that her grandparents were both in their sixties.
They did the eye-pop thing, then got thoughtful and upped ‘old’ to 80. Of course, their now 80+ year old grandparents, although not water skiing anymore (they sold the boat when they turned 70 and took up golf), are still very active.
Nothing irks me more than having an author write about some ‘elderly woman, probably in her mid-fifties’ in a scene.
As for me. My protagonists are usually mid-30’s, but major characters in my last book and my current WIP are in their 60’s and 70’s. They’re great fun to write. Especially when their children (or grandchildren) notice that they’re still displaying affection for one another.
One of the nice things about Johan Theorin’s books*, both of which have won prizes [Swedish academy, CWA and Nordic Glass Key] is that one of the main characters is the still inquisitive octogenarian Gerloff Davidsson. I can feel young reading about him!
*Echoes From the Dead and The Darkest Room.
Elizabeth, welcome to getting older!
My characters are younger – teens and twenties – so activity is not a problem for them. I do have accidents and sports-related injuries. And I also place limitations on a couple petite characters.
When I first started reading your post, it was with a chuckle. I am 66 and I spent the morning driving my small tractor down the road to get my driveway that had washed away last month. Filled in all the potholes and crevices in my driveway. I don’t consider myself old or limited by my age.
But… when I really thought about it, there are some limitations that should be kept in mind when writing about older characters. We are a little slower than when we were in our 40’s. Bones do break easier as we age, so I am less likely to ride my horse when he is acting up. Used to love to rodeo, but not anymore.
Perhaps even more than physical issues, older people tend to be a bit more introspective and can get downright cynical. I’ve turned into a curmudgeon.
Characters in my WIP range from one in his early 20s to a woman in her 70s. My detective is in his late 40s. I’m not writing long distance treks across snowy hinterlands or leaps from tall buildings, I’m writing about people caught up in a rather tragic situation. Their actions and reactions are due to their personalities; not their chronological age.
Elspeth
Margot–People did underestimate Jane Marple, didn’t they? To their detriment! I think 50s is a great age for a protagonist–fewer physical limitations, experience…sounds like a winning combination!
Elizabeth–Your book is definitely one I’ll be checking out. I’m so excited about the way that we’re living longer, healthier, smarter, and more actively these days. Great subject!
Lorel–That’s a great way of minimizing the parents in a YA book–make it clear that they’re NOT going to be offering constructive oversight.
Ingrid–You’re right! A defining moment for sure. Thanks so much for picking up “Pretty is as Pretty Dies!” :) I hope you’ll enjoy it.
I think you’re right–we are aging more gracefully and staying more active. It’s a completely different mindset.
Jemi–That sounds like a great concept! And it’s interesting that you’re bringing in a physical limitation or perception of limitation–the size of the protagonist.
Diane–There’s not as much that age group *can’t* do, is there? Except maybe they have over-confidence which results in the sports injuries you mentioned.
Journaling Woman–And that’s the thing…the personal growth and the interest in new activities, new people, etc. that I’m seeing with older people now. Writing characters in their 30s is also interesting…so many different things going on with that age group–babies, work, etc.
Alan–I would ask how on *earth* it’s possible to throw out your back playing ‘Go Fish,’ but after throwing mine out by rolling in the bed wrong, I’ll just keep my mouth shut! :)
Dorte–It makes it fun being able to explore our childhood again, doesn’t it? And put a different slant on it!
Carolina–Thanks for your comment! Yes, that’s JUST what went through my head. Old folks throw their backs out! :)
I think you’re absolutely right–teenagers frequently don’t look any deeper at the elderly. It such a shame because there’s such great perspective offered by folks who’ve been around a little longer than the rest of us.
Judy–It gives us a chance to relive a time we enjoyed living through, too! Good point.
Terry–Ouch. Mid-50s is definitely *not* elderly. I think kids are revising their definition of ‘old,’ too, as we continue being active and involved.
You might use this incident in a book. Have one of your active seniors pull something. See how it affects them while they’re hurt and afterward.
Helen
Straight From Hel
So sorry to hear about your back! Pain is never pretty.
My characters don’t suffer too many physical ailments. I do have a few secondary characters that are in their fifties, which I don’t think is old.
Uriah–That really is inspiring, isn’t it? And thanks for the tip to pick up Johan Theorin’s books.
Helen–Good idea! I may have to tinker around with that.
Good subject, and some excellent points made here. The age of a character, of course, while not ALWAYS indicative of their abilities physically – there are exceptions in any age class – must be taken into account in order to exhibit realism. One of my favorite mystery/thriller authors, Jeffery Deaver, in his Lincoln Rhyme series (most notable “The Bone Collector” – that was made into a best selling movie with Denzel Washington), has a sidekick protagonist woman detective who is in her prime, early 30’s, but is afflicted with serious arthritis in her knees. I thought that was a pretty unique attribute to throw in. I like “exceptions” like that.
Marvin D Wilson
Marvin–I’d forgotten about the “Bone Collector,” but I really enjoyed it. I’d forgotten that she had that disability, but you’re right–it made her a more interesting character that, despite her young age, had physical limitations.
Maryann–Your activity level is exactly what I’m talking about! And you’re a lot more active than I am, I think. I’ll use you as an example when someone complains to me that my protagonists aren’t age-realistic.
I haven’t really explored the mood or personality changes that can go along with aging. Thanks for giving me something to think about.
Elspeth–I play up the cerebral aspect of the puzzle solving, too–but have them confronting the killer at different points, or put in a dangerous situation. But a protagonist in their 40s should be able to handle just about anything (at least…I’d like to think so! I guess I’ll find out soon.) :)
a recent character in my wip is young – 9 years young – when I thought about her spirit though – she’s darn close to a character I had in my last one – only that one was 92 years young. They are both serious and wonderful individuals and they both suffer from ageism but not from me! I like having old and young characters in my books and I like to see what they suffer from and what they are free from. I know that when I turned around 50 that I became invisible to many men. It was weird. Was it awful? No not really – just as the Mitford girls would say ‘inter..esting’.
Jan–You know, I think there are a lot of similarities between the very young and the elderly, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. I think they both frequently appreciate each day as it comes, and live life with joy. A good lesson for the rest of us!
Tamika–As I get older, my definition of old definitely changes! :) Thanks for coming by!
It is interesting to think about the pre-conceptions readers may have about a protagonist because of his or her age.
I write for kids-young adult. As a general rule this age group prefers the protagonist to be in the same approximate age range – easier to identify with. However, in my books there are a number of older characters as well – I try to “think outside the box” and avoid the typical stereo-types to keep these characters interesting to my readers.
Nancy, from Realms of Thought