Decades

Have you noticed that each decade in life creates new challenges, new adventures, new wisdom? You probably know your characters' ages, but have you thought about their decades? Not the historical decade but the decade of their life.

For example,a female in her forties sees life differently than a female in her early thirties or twenties. Personally, I remember on each birthday thinking about how I had changed in the previous ten years and I wondered what I would be feeling in the next one. The older I get, the more I've realized how my perspective had grown in particular areas each time. Often, it was a surprise. With more decade experiences, I now sense the change coming the night before my birthday and then a month later, I know how and where I'm shifting and what my choices might involve.

A character can be deepened if something about that particular decade in their life is interjected. Readers can relate if they are or have been in the same decade or know someone who is. Characters become more real with a universal familiarity.

Try it.