January marked a quieter but more concentrated phase of work for me.
After a sustained period focused on ThriveSpan, I was able to step back from the book itself and turn my attention to the academic article that underpins it. That work matters to me. My writing on later life is not simply opinion or commentary, but grounded in theory, research, and more than forty years of practice. Returning to that foundation has led me into further reading, reflection, and new lines of enquiry that will, in time, feed back into the book.
Much of January has therefore been shaped around writing. My days are now more clearly organised around thinking, drafting, revising, and allowing ideas to deepen rather than rushing them into form.
Writing in the Press
Alongside this, I’ve continued to write commissioned pieces for the iPaper. These articles sit at the intersection of lived experience, social change, and the realities of ageing in Britain today.
Since November, that work has included reflections on:
- what it means to be a boomer in a generation where many are surviving on little more than the state pension
- working into later life, not as a lifestyle choice but as a financial necessity for many
- the everyday realities of ageing, from keeping warm to navigating systems not designed with older people in mind
- generational fears about ageing, and how different it can feel when you are actually living it
- common misunderstandings and mistakes people make when approaching retirement
I have more pieces in the pipeline, including writing on friendship in later life, which remains an underexplored and deeply important subject.
You can find links to my published iPaper articles here:
https://denisetaylor.co.uk/media/magazines-journals/
Ongoing Writing on Substack
I write regularly on Substack, where my thinking unfolds more gradually.
- Mondays
General articles related to later life, though often relevant to people of all ages.
For example:
https://ageingreimagined.substack.com/p/later-life-as-an-editing-process - Thursdays
Deeper pieces on Olderhood, usually grounded in substantial research.
For example:
https://ageingreimagined.substack.com/p/from-gentle-to-depth - Saturdays
Lighter pieces, often film reviews. I’ve begun doing these to help my writing move beneath the words, into felt experience rather than analysis alone.
Creative and Embodied Work
Beyond writing, I’ve also made space this month for creative and embodied work. I took part in three creative workshops, including two sessions exploring performance and presence, and attended a Culture Club event at the Guildhall focused on engaging people over 50 through movement and shared activity.
These experiences matter to me. They keep me connected to how later life is lived and expressed, not just analysed.
The Wood and Practical Grounding
There has also been practical work at the wood, including organising a contractor to build additional log storage and improving aspects of my woodland life. These quieter, infrastructural tasks are part of tending a place over time, and they sit alongside the intellectual work rather than competing with it.
Closing Reflections
January has been a month of consolidation rather than expansion. Less outward noise, more depth. Writing has been central, but not rushed, and the threads running through my work, ageing, meaning, realism, and possibility, are continuing to gather strength.
February will build from here.
