Writing Fiction for Mature Readers
Writing Fiction for Mature Readers
I’ve always believed fiction is where universal truths are best revealed, and diverse characters enhance curiosity and empathy. However, as a mature woman, I often long to be immersed in a story dealing with what my peers are dealing with: the challenges of aging and the realization that many of the great passions of life – romance, career, children – are past-tense. What matters more than what came before is what’s next.
I’ve been gratified of late for terrific novels featuring elder characters, notably Fellowship Point, by Alice Elliott Dark [protagonists over 80!] and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge and Lucy series, among others. These stories align with the experience of the 77 million Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964, and appeal especially to female Boomers, who, by the way, are the force behind book groups. We buy books and we talk about books, and we cherish good storytelling.
The great Toni Morrison exhorted writers to write the book we want to read. Heeding her words, I wrote first about mixed-race relationships and blended families. I wrote a novel about the effect of traumatic loss on a longstanding friendship. More recently, I wrote a series of stories about mid-life women struggling to make decisions in their best interests.
Now, I’ve written a novel about mature characters who love, or have lost love, and face unexpected obstacles on their paths ahead. Like so many of us, they contemplate the intricacies of relationships and find themselves pondering what it means to be devoted, to loved ones or to personal passions.
Older characters deal with aging bodies. Some struggle with lost hope. Many still want to achieve youthful aspirations or check off a bucket list. [The pandemic sadly stopped us in our tracks, for a time.] Others discover new passion in new relationships or in the pursuit of interests deferred earlier in life. Many, hopefully, forego regret over youthful indiscretions or poor choices, and embrace destiny. Writing about people of an age is not all about the challenges of age – it can, and should be, about the rewards of age.
Off Season is that time of the year the landscape, and humanity, takes a breather. The season leading to the season of rebirth, after our roots settle in and regain strength. Most Boomers are in this stage of life now – neither spring renewal nor the bloom of summer, and moving beyond the autumn harvest. However, we are not dormant. Oh no. We are priming ourselves to extend or reinvent what time we have left. Perhaps the best season of our lives.
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Randy Kraft is a former journalist and communications strategist, and the author of two previous novels and a story collection. She holds a master’s in writing and occasionally coaches aspiring novelists. She is also a book reviewer: randykraft.substack.com. Born and raised in New York City, she resides in southern California. Off Season, published in March 2023, is her third novel. www.randykraftwriter.com
OFF SEASON
Long past the end of their marriage, when Sharon’s ex-husband, Red, invites her to join him for a winter retreat, she agrees. After all, they care about each other, she will be on sabbatical fine-tuning a PhD dissertation, and he needs a respite from an illness.
Why not enjoy the charms of a southern California beach town off season?
On the other hand, what else might he have in mind and what will she face if she lets her guard down?
Soothed by sea breezes and ocean views, and as they make every effort to keep their peace, they become fascinated with their mysterious landlord and her late partner, a Fauvist painter. Red is befriended by a flirty neighbor and her surfer husband, while Sharon catches the eye of a retiree who shares her literary passions.
Turns out, off season is more than a breather – off season is a promise of renewal.
And then, the winds of pandemic blow in.
In prose reminiscent of Meg Wolitzer, Sue Miller and Mary Gordon, OFF SEASON contemplates intimate relationships and the passing of time, and ponders the question: what does it mean to be devoted?
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Category: On Writing
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Thank you for writing a book about “our generation” that isn’t condescending or mawkish. I look forward to reading it. I too write with characters in their mature years, as you can see if you scroll down the side of the Women Writers covers. We are vibrant, we may not be jumping over buildings or having car chases, but we’re readers!