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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46781
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46781
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

There are a lot of things you don't mention in your story. You don't mention how many times a day your MC uses the toilet. You don't mention how many beauty marks she has on her body. You probably don't mention the colour of her t-shirt.

**You only mention the things that are important**.

If a character is a child, their age is important - it affects the whole story. A child of six is not a child of ten - there's a significantly different level of maturity there. If your character is elderly, on the other hand, it is enough to imply: white hair and dragging footsteps convey a picture much stronger than a mere statement of "70 years old" or "90 years old". In that case, age would only be important if reference is made to a historic even the character has been affected by.

In your case, as @wetcitcuit states, "in her twenties" gives the reader enough of a picture. Unless the specific age is a plot point, it's unnecessary.

There is nothing at all that you "need to mention". Not the character's age, not their appearance - nothing. Any detail you give is because it is somehow important to the story. If it is in no way important, it doesn't set a mood, it doesn't do anything - throw it away.

(Note regarding setting a mood: stating a character is "in her twenties", "has just turned twenty-three", or "is twenty three years, four months and twelve days old" all create a slightly different image in your mind.)

Original score: 32