Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46782
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46782
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Yes, it is fine to leave a character's age vague. If your story includes tales from the past, historical events readers would know, or scenes of interactions with other characters from years ago (like her parents or siblings or friends), then you _should_ keep track of a timeline for each character, how old they were and where they were, so you don't make the mistake of having a fifteen year old renting her first apartment or buying a used car without anybody thinking this unusual. But that is just keeping your story straight.

I often leave character's ages indeterminate, some could be pretty much anywhere between 50 and near retirement; they are just "older".

And the age of my MC can be vague too, especially if she is an adult and done with school. Exact age becomes more important for pre-schoolers and non-adults when they are (mostly) segregated by age into classes, and how old they are is a significant part of their psyche. To a lesser extent for the ages of consent, driving, tobacco and alcohol use, entering into contracts and voting. Once those "milestones" are behind them, their exact age is increasingly irrelevant, and categories work. College age, young, middle-aged, etc.

Original score: 9