An Age-Old Question: How Do You Show a Character's Age?

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Some details are difficult to slip seamlessly into the narrative of a story, such as their age. Here's a look back at 2014 that offers tips on how to show a character's age without it feeling awkward. 

In some novels, age doesn't matter. The characters are adults and if they're thirty or fifty the book unfolds pretty much the same way. Readers can assume the characters are about the same age as they are (if they're adults of course) and it still tracks.

Other novels read differently depending on the age of the character. Imagine a young adult (or worse--a middle grade) novel if you suddenly said the the protagonist was thirty. Nothing would feel normal and readers would likely assume that author couldn't write.
Continue ReadingWritten by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com