EVERYONE is under 30 D: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160 Chillibean Okay, I have this problem... every single one of my characters (except a minor one) is under thirty years of age. My MC is 16, the other one is 20, and then I have 19, 25, 17, 15, etc. And I'm writing medieval fantasy... is this too unrealistic? (Especially since the twin 19-year-olds are commanders of an army...) But I don't want to make them too much older than my MC, or else it would be very weird... Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:36:41 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_935551 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_935551 zoed Nobody has parents? Mon, 05 Dec 2011 01:27:05 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_935782 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_935782 Chillibean Unfortunately, they all died in the rebellion. (That's unrealistic as well, isn't it? Okay... need some parents...) Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:46:32 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_935982 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_935982 beanza3 In Fire by Kristian Cashore, the characters range. It's still considered YA. I'd say the commanders have to be older. Unless they killed a dragon, it seems really unlikely. Of course, in Medival times, I'm pretty sure people died young, so... Maybe ~15 would be considered an adult... So 25ish might work... :D Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:34:51 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_936162 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_936162 jefflion The whole "people died young in medieval times" is a myth. the average life was shorter, but not because people magically got older and died in their late 20s, but because many people died at birth and in early infancy. So if you have a village of 100 people and 50 of them die in infancy while the rest die at the age of 60, you have an average life span of 30 years for that group. It doesn't mean there weren't old people. Many famous commanders in antiquity and middle ages were old or at least middle aged by our standards (in their 40s, 50s, maybe even 60s). Alexander the Great was seen as a huge exception to that rule because he's done it in his 20s, but that was unusual. Leonidas was in his 50s or even 60s (and older than Gerard Butler) at the battle of Thermopylae. And that's antiquity and significantly earlier than the middle ages! So, in short, it's a bit unrealistic that there aren't any older people. You need to have an explanation for this. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:40:55 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_938060 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_938060 Dennis Dunjinman You, my friend, are age-myopic. Plenty of cool people are old. How do you think they managed to survive to be so old if it's so nasty out there? By not dying of anything, including wars and plague and injury and hunger and strife. Plus, old people have had more time to learn things. You can put more old people in who are known to be wise, and yet you can also graft on an air of "I know much better, so you better listen, young whippersnapper!" This year I nearly had the reverse problem by introducing two main characters as old ladies alongside my relatively youthful protagonist, and probably add a few more old people in the mix as bit parts. Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:14:21 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_938249 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_938249 theplotbunny Hmmm, I think for me, if a character, and I have 5 MCs, ranging from ages 16 to 28, I don't have any problem with these not bein one older than the other, my story has a Goddess in human form, she is 16 when we meet her, her human form is Raven, her two friends, Jacy and Lulu are a little younger than she is, then Raven meets a guy and at 17 she falls in love and they get involved and he is 26 when they meet and the story progresses from there, but I do have older characters, supporting, in the background more, like parental figures, villains etc. In your story, if there is a lot of younger people playing a more central role, have you explained why there are so many young people in important positions? I am guessing that in those days, there would be a shortage of manpower, as battles were frequent and lives cut short pretty quick. I feel it is up to you, but if you back up your narrative with a plotline that makes it hold together and you feel okay with it, go for it in the revision and editing stages you can go over these factors with an editor if you're going that path, and or others in a writing critique community - all the best with your novel! Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:53:19 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_941098 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_941098 whitedove Honestly, since being a commander was often an inherited position, I find the fact that both twins survived less believable than the fact that they are 19. (Today having twins is so dangerous most hospitals will just do a c-section as a matter of course a few days before the baby is supposed to be due to avoid letting the mother even risk natural birth) Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:29:11 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1125091 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1125091 pianogirl101 whitedove - Even in the middle ages there are multiple cases where both twins survived as well as the mother. It would be unbelievable if every character had a twin, but a single set of twins that survived really isn't that unbelievable. Chillibean - I think, as has been stated several times already, that you would do well to have some older characters as well. They don't really have to be a major part of your story. Most of my main characters are teenagers simply due to the nature of the story. However, I also have several older characters who while not center-stage in the novel, do have important roles to carry. As has been mentioned, having some parents would be good, older commanders, etc. Take a look at your story and decide what would fit best for you. Good luck! :) Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:52:38 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131879 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1131879 Kaserl I think you do need some older people around, but they don't have to be crucial to the plot. There are probably other leaders in this story, right? Make all of them older, and the ones that are main characters can stay the ages that they are and it will still be realistic enough.That might work. Also, I just wanted to add that I love twins, especially twins in their late teens. (Is that entirely because of Fred and George Weasley, you ask? Yes. Yes it is.) Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:46:08 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133364 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1133364 Vacillator Medieval society was, on average, much younger than modern society. Taking 14th century England as an example, half the population was aged under 21 (the median age today is 38). Because of the excessive numbers of young people, and relative scarcity of elders, this would result in young people doing jobs and having responsibilities and even authority that would be unthinkable today. There are plenty of examples of teenagers leading armies in battle (and not just having nominal command). Edward the Black Prince was 16 when he led the English vanguard at the Battle of Crecy. Henry V was a similar age at the battle of Shrewsbury. Edward IV was a respected military commander and seized the throne at the age of 19. These are just from a relatively narrow period of English history - I'm sure in the history of the world there have been more extreme examples. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:56:27 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1136649 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1136649 whitedove I am fully aware of that. What I was trying to say was that it was less LIKELY that twins would both survive than that 19 year olds would be commanders in an army. Like I said, it was often an inherited position, so if your father died when you were 19, you became commander when you were 19. Unless, you were too young to serve, and I believe the starting age was close to 15 for most regions through most of the period. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:40:47 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1138850 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1138850 beanza3 This is what I meant in my post. ^^^ Just saying... :D And Alexander the Great (18, either when he recieved power or whe he started conquering), Augustus was pretty young too, King Tut, and so on. Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:09:10 -0600 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1152980 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/young-adult-children-s-lit/threads/47160?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1152980