Keeping the Edge

Writer: Mark Stevens

“I think writing is like anything else. We get to a point that that we lose a little bit of edge.”

That’s a quote from writer Martin Clark on a recent Charlotte Readers Podcast episode.

I don’t mean to come across as uppity or anything but my reply would go something like this:

“Say what, now?”

Clark, author of the recent The Plinko Bounce and five other novels, said on the Charlotte Readers podcast that his favorite writer is the late Tom Wolfe. Wolfe, said Clark was once “hip and funny.”

But Clark said that Wolfe’s last book I Am Charlotte Simmons is proof that Wolfe “wasn’t hitting his marks.” Wolfe was 74 when that novel was published.

As we approach 70, suggested Clark, “we lose a little bit of insight in the world around us … we become hidebound.”

I have to say Clark’s books sound fantastic, a great mix of thriller and character development. On the podcast, he came across as humble, self-effacing, funny, and dedicated. Clearly, he loves writing.

But, mere months from hitting that 70-year mark myself, isn’t one of the benefits of writing to fight that “hidebound” feeling? Isn’t remaining curious the key? Isn’t the sheer act of creating something a slap in the face against that ticking clock? (It was great to hear Charlotte Readers podcast host Landis Wade urge Clark to reconsider.)

What prevents us from staying, well, with it? Hip?

Sure, read young writers. Listen to new music and edgy podcasts. Attend events that skew toward younger generations—art shows, theatre, live music. Scour social media for columns and blogs that capture new perspectives, etcetera.

Or not.

Maybe put that experience—that long lens—to use. Does it matter if you’re deeply familiar with youthful trends? Did that matter to Richard Ford, Kent Haruf, or Alice Munro?

Or dozens and dozens of others who wrote with elegance and insight and passion well past hitting the 70-year mark? George R. R. Martin? Lawrence Block? Mary Higgins Clark? Toni Morrison? Walter Mosley? James Sallis?

I don’t know for sure. I know everyone is different.

But I recently gave my agent a draft of my latest novel, set in the world of rock and roll, and when we met recently at a conference I bounced three ideas off of him. He picked one of those ideas and, soon, I’ll begin to bear down.

What I know for sure is that I like the days better when I write. And that means that I write most days—the clock, and time, be damned.

About the Writer

The son of two librarians, Mark Stevens was raised in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and has worked as a reporter, as a national television news producer and in public relations. On January 1, he releases THE FIREBALLER, a poignant story about hopes, dreams, and how far one man’s talents takes him before he realizes it’s about what you do — and how you do it. Stevens has had short stories published by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, and in Denver Noir (Akashic Books, 2022). In September 2016, Stevens was named Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year. Stevens hosts a regular podcast for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and has served as president of the Rocky Mountain chapter for Mystery Writers of America. Stevens is also an avid reader and regularly shares his reviews. Stevens lives in Mancos, Colorado.

Website: WriterMarkStevens.com