Looking for some activity other than golf or bingo? Something not so expensive? There's a new book out that suggests writing in retirement. Writing, whether it's poetry, fiction or non-fiction, is both therapeutic and an exercise for the mind. You can earn money doing it, too. As a fiction writer, you can shade the truth and become anyone you want to be. The poet, Philip Levine, once suggested, “Why be yourself, when you can be someone interesting?”

In Writing in Retirement the author, a retiree himself, calls on a cadre of retired writers to explain why they write, what they have written, and how they became successful writers.

A Pittsburgh mother, Janet Bailey-McQuaid, spent nine years writing her first book, the story of her son's murder, the trial of his killers, and how she has battled the system to keep them locked up for life. J. Glenn Evans, a Seattle stockbroker, retired in his fifties to pursue his passion as a novelist. Then, there's Ellen Rose Kuhfeld, a Minneapolis mystery writer, who spent her first fifty years as a man. Now, she wonders if her writing style will change, influenced by estrogen instead of testosterone? Helen Paquin, author of Bits of Life, a book of poetry, bounced from orphanage to orphanage as a child never getting an education beyond the seventh grade. These are just a few of the fifteen personal stories of writers in retirement.

The author tells about his eye-opening discovery that all the arts are related. A dancer writes. A writer paints. A flower judge is a poet. Or is the poet a flower judge? Are we born with certain talents or is talent something we develop? The author juggles this question, the answer to which he's not sure of himself. Can you learn to write? The author says you can, citing how writers like Raymond Chandler, author of the Philip Marlowe detective novels, copied entire pages of Ernest Hemingway's novels to cultivate Hemingway's style.

Advocating the practice of poetry to improve writing skills, the author suggests creative writing classes and emphasizes the value of writers' groups. You'll learn the difference between self-publishing and print-on-demand publishers, sources and contacts. There's a chapter about writing income and expenses and the type of business entity best suited for you. Whether you're the occasional poet, short story writer or a full time freelance writer, Writing in Retirement has tips and suggestions that will save you time and money.

Your chances of living several decades beyond retirement age are good. Now is the time to reposition your life with interests and activities that make those years creative and enjoyable.

As an anonymous bard once wrote:

The short story by John Campbell, Breaking into Print, was published in the Timber Creek Review, Vol. 13, #1 (ISSN:1524-5071). The story has been nominated for inclusion in the "Pushcart Prize" series of books. "The Pushcart Prize - Best of the Small Presses" series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America. Hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in the pages of their annual collections.

A new publication for author John Campbell, "The Quest Of Anvil O'Malley", is now available for purchase.