On Becoming a Writer: Lee Child Interview

Lee Child is a minimalist on the page.  His Jack Reacher stories are some of my favorite books to take along when traveling. They are page turners and Reacher is a hero with few faults. I like reading more about Lee Child, and have included an interview with the author below on his late start in writing:

From the interview:
You came to writing fairly late in life. How important is it to have lived some life before getting the words to come out right?
I think it's vital. I know that's true in my own case, and by looking at my colleagues. All of us did something else first. I think writing is truly a "second-phase" career. I know there are occasional successful books by 20-somethings ... but how many of them do successful second books? I was 40 when I started, like Raymond Chandler, Robert Ludlum and all kinds of other people. I don't personally know any successful writers who haven't worked half a lifetime doing something else first.


From: http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/leechild.html