Raphael Martinez wrote to ask — and he isn't the first person to ask some version of this…
As one of those writers who can't not write and seems to have no trouble getting assignments, is there anything that would make you retire?
A complete drying up of work or not being able to write at a level of quality you're satisfied with would be the only things I can think of, but neither seems to have been an issue throughout your career. And of course health issues, but that could cause any given person to retire.
Folks who ask this question usually conflate the act of writing with the pleasant experience of being paid for writing. It's great when the first thing leads to the other but with some of us, the latter is not mandatory. A sense of what will yield payment (or an actual, binding deal that will pay for sure) does often give direction to what we write. As long as I've been doing this, a high percentage of what I've written has had a lot to do with what I knew or thought would result in a check. The only thing that has changed since 1969 when I began is that nowadays, it sometimes leads to a direct deposit.
I suppose I might consider retiring from writing if there was anything (spelled a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g) else I wanted to do in its place but there never has been. I like writing and if I someday can't write for you or someone else, I'll just write for me. In fact, my increased "@home" presence during The Pandemic has given me keyboard time to write some things that may turn out to be just for me. I have no idea where, if anywhere, I can send them when they're completed to my satisfaction…assuming they'll ever be finished on that basis.
So no, I can't conceive of ever retiring. But then a lot of things about my life have surprised me so who knows?
