Richard Smith, author of the novel Made for Walking: how I became an author at 70 and an accidental ‘internet sensation’ at 75.
It was a 24-hour flight to Australia, and I was determined to use the time to make progress on my first novel. I’d a handful of notes and a plan for the story, and having boarded the cabin with a laptop and notebook in my hand baggage, settled down as soon as the overhead lights went out and I could pull down the tray from the seat in front. I had a sense of urgency, My 50th birthday was fast approaching, and I’d set myself a target of having completed at least a first draft by then. I was aware I was never going to be ‘Young Writer of the Year’, but I was fearful that no one would want to read a debut novel from someone in his sixth decade.
This was 1999. And it didn’t go to plan. My chunky PowerBook lost its charge before we’d even passed Paris. For the rest of the journey, I was left to struggle with the wobbly, uneven tray, a malfunctioning biro and occasional turbulence. But with no other distractions, I managed to fill page after page after page with my opening chapters and beyond. As we began our descent, seat belt on, tray folded away and seat upright, I sat back in satisfaction, having successfully accomplished what I’d set out to do.
Leaving Work to Write my Novel
Some six months later, my notes remained untroubled by further attention. The project I had travelled to Australia for became all-embracing, as did the ones that followed. Work demanded every waking hour. Occasionally, I’d try to pick up from what I’d written at 30,000 feet, but not only were the pages no longer in the right order (I hadn’t numbered them), but also much of my writing was indecipherable. Characters that had seemed so vivid then were strangers now. I knew that if I really wanted to finish it, I’d need to focus, sweeping away all the obstacles and constraints and dedicate myself to writing in earnest.
Twenty years passed before I achieved my ambition. That’s when I gave up the business that had been my life for over three decades. People said I was retiring. I denied it, but what I couldn’t tell them why I was going; that I was leaving to write a novel.
The Freedom to Write
On the first morning of my new life, I set off with my briefcase containing laptop and notepad as usual, but to my new office, a nearby reference library. Every weekday – and some weekends – I’d do a full day, timed by the length of time my MacBook stayed charged – mercifully longer than the PowerBook two decades before. With no phone, no emails and no interruptions, I had a clear run, was able to concentrate, live my story.
The freedom to write without a brief from a commissioning editor or corporate client was invigorating. For the first time, it could be what I wanted. I forget how long it took – six months maybe. I had become less conscious of my advancing age. Instead, it was offering inspiration, my experience helping me create characters across ages and generations, each with different insights and perspectives, and with a recurrent theme of how times change but history repeats.
‘Get started on a second,’ was the advice my editor gave me while the first was going through the machinations of the publishing process. And I tried.
Commitments Build Up
But the clear run didn’t last. They say that as you grow older, commitments build up, retired or not. Children (even though they’re adult), grandchildren, pets, requests to do voluntary work, hospital visits, and for me, all topped off with Covid restrictions, put an end to my routine. Yet when I was able to extract myself, the joy of writing and creating was undiminished. Against the odds, in the intervening years, I have managed two more novels, the third hitting the bookshops this June.
But I’m acutely aware I’m still a largely undiscovered author. I recall hearing Lee Child say that it took him seven novels to get recognised, and that he thought his publicity was being handled by Witness Protection. No amount of good reviews and efforts of a publicist broke me through the plethora of other books being published. I did find my latest, Made For Walking, in a Waterstones, but it was tucked away on a distant shelf at the back, even though it was newly published. I must confess that I brought a copy to the front table, where there were stacks of books by recognised names, and placed mine on top.
My Age Counts in my Favour
But I was acutely aware I’d be facing this lack of recognition, and had prepared for it. I had created Instagram and TikTok pages where I hoped people would like my style and tone, and that might lead to widening the interest in my novel. In the first month, I was slightly disappointed that I had built up only half a dozen followers, and that views barely topped a dozen. Then I randomly made a video about my record collection, asking how I’d acquired so much. Within hours, it had gone viral. Followers swelled to 25,000 and views of subsequent videos headed towards a million, and still rising. I was being dubbed an internet sensation.
‘The David Attenborough of vinyl’ was quite a common compliment – at least I hoped it was, referring to my style of delivery, not that I looked like I was a hundred years old! But, in a way, my age may even have helped. Numerous interviews with BBC radio stations followed, talking about an old man in a young person’s medium. And I was invited to present a regular online radio programme, featuring vinyl from my collection, a stark contrast to the hip hop and trance that filled the rest of its airwaves. Trouble is, as hugely enjoyable as this all has been, the focus on social media has meant my novel almost became a sideshow, an afterthought. I’d wanted to be better known, but hadn’t anticipated it being as a blogger and influencer rather than an author!
The Future
Maybe though, that’s the real future, communicating in two-minute videos or 280 characters. But it’s not deterring me. I’m into my fourth novel. I’ve reached 10,000 words so far, and I’m excited by it. I think it will be my best. If I can get on with it. The only problem is that my social media is hungry for posts. I need to be working on new videos and blogs every few days. And preparing my radio show takes time and consideration. Then there are the children, the grandchildren, dog, voluntary work and hospital appointments demanding of my time.
Yet I remain determined. Just, there’s no escaping – I know if I’m going to finish it, I need to sweep away all the constraints and settle down to write in earnest. Which I think I may have said before. History repeats!
(c) Richard Smith
https://richardsmithwrites.com/
About Made for Walking:
When veteran actor Syd Price is dumped from a long-running TV soap, he needs to find a new way forward in a media landscape that he no longer recognises.
But when a rising star, model and Instagram sensation, Chloe Anderson, suggests filming a riverside ramble together, what starts as a mutually beneficial partnership turns into a vicious battle of the generations.
Infused with music, Made for Walking is a heartfelt cross-generational story of ageing, modern life, friendship and retribution.
Order your copy of the novel Made for Walking online here.
And read more Meet the Author articles on Writing.ie here.
