Showing your character's age in writing

As writers, we know all the intricate details of our characters, from their life aspirations all the way down to how much milk and sugar they like in their morning coffee. In fact, I’m sure we know so much about our characters that we could fill an entire book with these details alone! Yet in most cases, a book full of random facts about our characters wouldn’t be a thrilling read, and that’s why it’s our job as writers to decide how much of this detail our reader needs to know. 

The small details can be easy to skim over but they can also provide insight into who our characters are. We could say our character adds one carefully measured teaspoon of sugar and a quarter cup of milk to their coffee each morning, while another writer would skim on the details and say that their character added a dash of milk and sugar.

But what about the core components of who we are, such as age? For many people, age defines our various stages of life, so you may ask yourself while writing or editing your book, “Is it important to show my character’s age?”

When to imply your character’s age

Whether you’re writing fantasy, romance or another genre, your character’s exact age is not always integral to your story because we can often tell how old a character is through their life circumstances and the events that occur around them. 

This is when the small details come into play: what we wear, the things we buy, what we notice around us, the places we go, how we speak, how we think, and our outlook on life can all be influenced by our age.

For example, if our character is packing their bag with history and science textbooks and then gets on the school bus, our reader will know they’re a student. A character who goes over old case files from the 70s every morning while drinking her morning coffee and complains to her partner that she never solved this case implies they are probably a retired detective. 

On the other hand, a veteran pilot being handed a pamphlet about retirement by their manager would imply they're in their 60s and are likely approaching their final years as a commercial pilot.

When to show your character’s exact age 

Yet there are times when showing an exact age is important. Perhaps our character is 29 and a fortune teller told her she’ll never be happy if she doesn’t find her true love by the time she turns 30, or our fantasy protagonist is only a week away from turning 20, when they’ll have to choose what profession they'll pursue for the rest of their life. 

In both of these examples, their exact age will influence how they act. The 29-year-old may spend hours scrolling through dating apps and go on dates with anyone who is willing, even with people she considers a bad fit, in the hopes they are her true love, while our fantasy protagonist might anxiously lock themselves in their room while they panic about their career choices until the morning of their 20th birthday.

Have your character think about their age

If it’s important to show your character’s age, you can have your character think about their age. Instead of saying it outright, consider ways you can weave this thought into a situation where it's natural for someone to think about how old they are.

Our retired detective pursuing a runaway criminal might think that after 73 laps around the sun, there was no way she could chase the criminal on foot. Instead, she'd have to hail a taxi and get them to follow the criminal. It would be expensive, but what choice does she have? She is 73, not a spring chicken.

Have someone else say their age

Another way to show your character’s exact age is to have them or someone else say their age in conversation. Like the example above, it's important this information is weaved naturally into the conversation.

If our retired detective was telling her daughter about her latest case, the daughter could say, "You’re only weeks away from turning 74. Not to mention your bad knee! You’re in no state to be playing detective anymore."

Alternatively, our retired detective might tell her friend, "At the ripe age of 73, I still have my wits about me."

Conclusion

Sometimes it's important to a character's exact age, but there are other times when it's more appropriate to simply imply their age. There are no rules here so you can definitely show a character’s exact age even if it doesn’t strictly matter to your plot. Which option works best for you and your unique writing circumstances is a decision only you can make.