The core of Ed Swartley's message in When Did I Become the Oldest Person in the Room? is that writing is hard and not for the faint of heart. But if you really want to be a writer, then you need to practice your craft, read voraciously, and "love the chase for the perfect word." Swartley says, "If you don't love to write, give it up. It's much too hard, much too taxing, the rewards much too elusive and fleeting."

The book came about when Swartley discovered he was More...