What’s a “Late Bloomer?”

My daughter Hayley calls me a “Late Bloomer,” a term coined by Malcom Gladwell in his 2008 article for The New Yorker. We laughed about it when she first mentioned it, but she recently sent me the article again. This time I took the time to read it, and I can see where she’s coming from.

I like Gladwell’s question, “Why do we equate genius with precocity?” Translation: Why are exceptionally young people with strong, early skills considered “genius?”

I subscribe to Gladwell’s comment, “Prodigies are easy. They advertise their genius from the get-go. Late bloomers are hard. They require forbearance and blind faith.” I can see why Hayley puts me into that group.

If you’re reading about me here, it’s noted that it took eight years for me to finish my first novel—I was working full time and, of course, dealing with life. But it did take forbearance, and the conviction to push through. I take some comfort noting that Mark Twain took about the same time to complete Huckleberry Finn (not that I am comparing my writing to his, haha.)

Cheers!

Tom