I remember as a young writer observing a change in the expression of a senior writer sometimes. This happened when a discussion was going on, some younger writer, occasionally myself, the focus of attention. I noticed a change from attentive interest to something else, something I couldn't put my finger on. Now, an old writer myself, I think I know what it was. It was, "Been there, done that."
When a young writer discovers something in the literary world, or makes certain headway in one's work, s/he typically feels as if this discovery and accomplishment are "original" beyond original to oneself. You have a new insight, it doesn't immediately occur to you that others have had the same insight before. We become our own best fan club, as we should. When a public buys into the enthusiasm of the moment, an older writer who has already been there may well feel forgotten, dismissed, even cheated, even jealous.
Aging, among other things, certainly broadens one's perspective.
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