The Overemphasis on Youthful Talent

Many thanks for “Sex, Lies and Age in Hollywood” (by Ann Marcus, Nov. 29). I wonder how many others have set aside their careers in order to raise children, only to find themselves locked out later because they are over 40. What a waste, especially now when the industry needs skilled craftsmen and mature storytellers who can create stories with depth of heart, because we have lived them.

C. K. Steinway

Los Angeles

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I’ve been waiting for someone who cannot be accused of sour grapes to point out how silly and self-defeating the current emphasis on youth for TV writers is.

What about returning to an emphasis on the ability to write and perhaps even a self-conscious effort to include good writers from a wide spectrum of ages so as to include different viewpoints? Heaven knows, TV writing needs a kick in the pants for the sake of quality.

Martha N. Walkup

Torrance

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From one aging writer to another: Go, girl! That was wonderful.

Attitude counts, no doubt about that. I am a successful novelist who occasionally writes screenplays, and while I have met my share of distressingly green young folks, 20-something wunderkinds, I try not to hold their age against them. And that’s difficult. After all, a good grasp of story, plot structure and characterization doesn’t come until after 35, at the earliest. The young people just don’t know that yet.

And by the way, Ms. Marcus, you look even more beautiful today.

Jennifer Horsman

Laguna Beach