Living Well - Jan - Feb 2017

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Age Allows
Writing for Senior Adults
Age Allows is a column dedicated to the development
of a creative lifestyle for older adults. It is designed
to provide new ways of thinking about retirement, to
develop creative alternatives to living during advanced
age and to enrich the life experience for those living in
independent living, assisted living and nursing homes. It
seeks to help older adults reexamine and enhance their
lifestyles and increase their contributions to society.
by Donald Hoffman, Staff Writer
Question: I love to read, and
now feel I’d like to write. What do
I need to know about writing?
Answer: The ability to create
as a writer – in fact, through any
venue – depends on your perspective
of what you see; an emotional
connection to the subject that will
motivate you; and your imagination.
If you’ve ever had “writer’s
block,” a period of time where
words and thoughts do not seem
to flow, you will know what I
mean. The creative process will
literally “stand still” until all components
coalesce into a cohesive,
rational reason to deeply explore
an idea.
That all of these areas of experience
must connect before creativity
is born is not a new concept. It
was advanced by Jerome Brunner,
an eminent psychologist, as he
explored the complexities of the
human mind. This concept is
most important as we delve into
suitable ways to expand creative
experiences for older adults. Here
is an example:
I met William as we waited
in line at McDonald’s. We sat at
adjoining tables, continued talking
about family and life in general
and stumbled across writing as a
joint interest. William, it turns out,
has been writing for quite a while.
He is unpublished; he writes for
his own gratification. My wife and
I listened raptly as he recited one
of his “sayings,” as he called them,
and we immediately recognized
it as pure poetry. How does an
ordinary guy – someone who has
worked all of his life and is still
working while retired – find the
time and motivation to produce
exceptional creative poetry?
I know little about William
except that he is hard working –
retired but still working part time.
He has strong family and church
connections and strong ties to his
religious heritage. William values
education and proudly talks about
his daughter and her quest for a
Ph.D. He possesses an unbelievable
vocabulary and a way of putting
words and phrases together
in thoughtful sequences of great
spirituality and meaning. Since
William writes basically for himself
and reads what he writes only
within a small circle of church and
personal friends, he does not yet
recognize how important or advanced
his creative thinking skills
are nor the impact his “sayings”
might have on a larger audience.
The motivation to write comes
from many sources. In this instance,
I believe William’s motivation
grows from a strong spiritual
connection to God. Spiritual
beliefs are often enabling motivators
for individuals at all ages and
levels of society. Such connections
are highly personal in nature,
involving powerful emotional
connections and imagination,
and thus they meet the Brunner
criteria for developing the creative
thought process. William could
have communicated his thoughts
in other ways: through the visual
arts, musical experience, dance,
crafts, theater or any other form
of expression he chose. William’s
choice was to use language to
transmit his thoughts and beliefs.
He felt comfortable with words.
You indicate your love of reading,
so if you are widely read you
already know that writers write
about fictional and non-fiction
subjects. You can create a novel
or poetry or write for magazines.
That is every author’s choice to
make. The possibilities are enormous
and the process changes for
each genre and subject. Hone your
research skills and learn to make
detailed outlines focusing on the
idea and sequence of events or the
storyline and decide on the audience
you will write for. You must
decide if you want to tell a story,
relate or solve a problem, write
about yourself, create a biography,
a children’s morality tale or investigate
some other subject area.
Sometimes putting words
to paper or on a computer is
intimidating, especially to those
new to writing. This intimidation
can serve as a block to
progress. Some beginners find
it easier to use an oral approach.
There are programs designed for
the computer that automatically
take spoken words and transfer
them to the screen. You can also
record your words on tape and
later transcribe the story into
written form. Both techniques
can help a new writer transition
more easily to putting ideas on
paper.
Inventive approaches to writing
frequently appear, some well
suited for exploration by senior
adults, such as a zine. Zines
(short for magazines) offer opportunities
for beginning and
advanced writers and artists to
informally publish their work.
You simply write, draw, paint
and design your published work,
copy it, then cut it to size and
either sew, glue, or staple the
pages together. Collections of
poetry, essays on any subject,
illustrated stories, sayings or
other creative experiences suited
to reproduction on paper, once
printed and bound, are shared
within a chosen group. They are
easily critiqued and re-written at
will in a non-threatening learning
experience for older adults.
If you believe you might need
help with your writing, check
with the Carnegie Center in
Lexington, the OLLI program
at the University of Kentucky,
your local senior center or an
adult education program. All
have writing programs for older
adults and some are free. Many
independent and assisted living
residences also have structured
writing programs for residents.
Postscript: If I had not begun
talking to William, truly listened
and been open to his ideas, I never
would have discovered an answer
to this question. The importance
of openness to new ideas and the
lessening of the fear of meeting
new people is an important key to
developing creativity. My conversation
with William provided me
with motivation, an emotional
connection to my subject and an
imaginative approach to say what
I believe to be important. I am
grateful and deeply indebted to
William for his openness and his
thoughts and hope to meet him
once again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Don Hoffman is the former
director of the Donovan Scholars/
Council on Aging at the University
of Kentucky and author of
Arts for Older Adults: An Enhancement
of Life.