"Don't put numbers into your stories." Jeezus.
Guide: Keeping Numbers & Number-Related Details Straight in Your Story
I was midway through my answer when I realized this would be a good opportunity for a quick guide.
Honestly, I think the OP was probably a bit of a tongue-in-cheek, hyperbolic rant from a writer who had a frustrating review or critique. The problem is, a lot of people seem to be taking it as genuine/good advice, and that really concerns me.
Obviously, it's fine to be vague about dates, ages, distances, or anything else if that's what you want to do. But don't leave numbers out because you're not willing to do the work to keep your story's details straight. Doing the work to figure that stuff out and keep it straight is part of your job as a serious writer.
Hey, Buddy! Let's Do Some Research!
Look, I get it... when you're excited about a story idea, you just want to go wild and start writing. But if your story uses real world people, events, locations, items, or other elements--or heavily relies on them as inspiration--you need to sit down and do some research.
This doesn't mean you have to choose exact dates for your story if you don't want to. But if your story is loosely set in the 1880s (or inspired by an 1880s setting,) you'd better have a good idea of what did and did not exist in the 1880s so you can be sure you're not using a 1914 fashion trend or 1700s slang.
And, doing research doesn't mean you have to research every single element of your story before you start writing. You can stop and research as you go. In the middle of my writing session tonight, I spent 15 minutes researching what kind of pine tree would grow near the coast in my WIP's inspiration setting. And even though that location will never be named in my story, I care about my writing enough to take the time to make sure my details are accurate.
WQA’s Guide to Internet Research
Researching an Historical Topic
Writing About Difficult to Research Topics
Timelines: A Writer's Best Friend
Whether or not you choose to be specific about dates in your story, I strongly advocate the use of a story timeline, even if you're not usually a "planner." Having a detailed story timeline (that includes important back story events) helps ensure that you don't mix up dates, lose track of how much time has passed between events, or create overlapping events.
There are loads of different ways you can create a timeline, and no way is better than any other. You can jot important dates and events down on post-its, use an app, draw out a timeline on a piece of paper, create something in Word... whatever you want to do is great! Here are some different timeline styles I've used. Some of these are timelines from actual WIPs.
Calendar Timeline (You can print these out at Time and Date...)
Basic Scene List & Timeline
Complex Scene List & Timeline (This one is based on Save the Cat!)
And, if you're like me and you have trouble keeping character ages straight throughout important back story events, I give you...
The Color-Coded Character Age Chart
And, honestly, that's how you keep numbers and number-related details straight in your story. Research and timelines. It's just that simple!
So, don't be afraid to include numbers or number-related details in your story if you want them there. :)
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!
See my Master List of Top Posts
Go to ko-fi.com/wqa to buy me coffee or see my commissions!