Mark Twain
Mark Twain tried his hand at many professions before turning to fiction. The acclaimed author worked as a journalist and travel writer, but often got in trouble with local authorities for his fondness for criticism. He was constantly beset with financial difficulties, in large part because he was very bad at picking smart investments. In 1865, at age 30, he began writing his first short story, which won him some acclaim, but it wasn’t until age 38 that he published his first novel, and he was 40 when “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” turned him into a household name.