Think of the process like dressing a doll: start at the beginning and up build the layers. Use fashion and clothing history archives if necessary. Adding them with intention can help increase tension, make twists hit that much harder, and keep your reader engaged., How to Describe Clothing in Writing Without Boring Everybody, Tertiary Characters: Giving Your Background Players Life, Sidekicks: The Loyal Companion Your Hero Needs. Understanding how to describe clothing in a story well will help you create fuller, richer character portraits. Details about fit, cut, and material go a long way when describing the clothing of a character who longs to attract. Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. Lets talk about how to use clothing description as a storytelling tool, how to dress your character for their personality and setting, and how to make clothes interesting to anyone. Theyre the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better. Not to mention the social status of a person. Its a bit OCD of me. Similarly, show how different characters personalities are through apt clothing description. You dont need it to sign up. Hello, I am attempting to write my first fantasy novel (and my first novel), and I'm having difficulty visualizing what kind of clothes my characters should be wearing. Follow edited Jun 17, 2020 at 9:43. Lets take a look at how clothing description indicates your characters identity, goals, and culture. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. I thought if I did that at the beginning of a chapter it would be better but I worry it will turn readers off. In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. These detail could suggest that your character is miserly or down-to-earth despite their wealth. One major element that makes creating more futuristic clothing easier is to make sure it doesn't look familiar, to make sure it doesn't look like something you'd come across today. Now this won't work for every piece of clothing of course, not everything has buttons or edges that allow for simple changes we don't already use today, so here are a few ways that are commonly used to make things look more futuristic: How do they change, and how does their clothing reflect that change? If there is one thing I hope you take from all of this, its that none of this is about describing what a character looks like. Mail was one of the first types of metal armor developed, arguably by the Celts, though other sources say its origins came from Eastern Europe. Dragon scales, fiery furs and feathers and other elements can quickly turn a standard item into a fantasy one. Character description may change over the course of a story to emphasize a characters arc. In one single piece of clothing description (a pink-eyed bundle of shawls), Dickens conveys how timid and ailing Mrs. Gradgrind is in contrast to her bullish, overbearing husband. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. If Im wearing lipstick with no plans of going out, one of two things is happening: Im in a great mood or Im feeling like I have zero control over my life and failure is inevitable. For example, the corset wasn't popular until the 16th century and while earlier versions can be found incredibly early they weren't common place. Blend in? Wearing a suit of armor was like being in your own private world. But the biggest challenge can sometimes be simply making something look futuristic or historic fantasy-ish, which is the main focus of this guide. The details create an authentic sense of a prominentcardinals dressin the 1500s. Good for the mobile knight. William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. Using the work of Alexander McQueen, this unit guides students through the analysis of a fashion collection, introducing them to the critical language and methodologies needed to evaluate fashion design and runway presentation. This is great! In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. Reddit - Dive into anything I never thought of there being a uniform for Midwestern ladyness. Instead of a nobleman being described as wearing red silk slippers, parachute pants, a bejeweled cloth belt, a flowing blouse and an ascot; you can simply describe him as wear very fancy and extravagant clothing befitting his high status in society. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. His pants are simple and narrow and reach down to his hard leather shoes. But even regular elements can help with this. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? Not a Dabble user? Thanks, Sana. Ill add it to my to do list . Clothing tells your reader a lot about your characters goals and motivations within a given scenario. Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show., Secrets. These small but mighty players can add depth, complexity, and a fresh perspective to your plot. But the definition of sneaky depends on your characters situation. They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. Elsewhere, Mantels novel is full of descriptions of garments for specific, era-appropriate purposes: Riding cloaks, town coats, and other clothing people of means would have worn at this time. It illustrates brilliantly the differences between fantasy armor and the boring armor of reality, in this case, Gothic armor. They should be doing that. One does not refer to "a garb". The changes and improvements made by technology will often create new trends or alter old ones to the point you may as well consider them a new one, so depending on the technology available in your fictional universe you may wish to create a completely new trend. Only in certain situations is a description even needed. Helmets were arguably the most distinctive feature of an armored knight. Ha-ha! Similar to how pixelated designs tend to look more futuristic so do designs full of geometrical shapes. True, it all depends on your purpose. its obviously black with a centered zipper is easy but then the various pieces, the shapes, the colors, like two rows of this then a row of that, you get what I mean? Troubles with Clothing in Fantasy + Some Ideas - Brielle Andela Thats a good example of using clothing to reinforce the narrative of a characters arc. A four-layer, bubble-gum pink taffeta skirt. (Huh.). Does your character need to hide? A pair of starched Wranglers. In a fantasy setting, you may be trying to conjure up a certain feel right off the bat based on how you describe a character's clothing (and the words you use to describe them). Very informative. I don't mean make your characters walk around naked, but exposing (or covering) body parts in ways we don't today helps make ordinary clothing look different, which in turn helps sell the idea of it being futuristic. "He was wearing a spandex tank top" is an improvement from just mentioning that your character's wearing a shirt; but consider adding the element of color: "He was wearing a black-and-yellow-striped spandex tank top.". Is your character trying to attract positive attention? Obviously clothing is extremely varied, especially dresses. You find that its about more than throwing out fashion terms and listing articles of clothing. On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. A vintage polka dot dress with a sweetheart neckline. Only when youre keeping secrets in fiction, you can make them even darker and deeper than any you might ever have in real life. Through fashion terms you can understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. That also will help readers really experience things through their eyes. I love to wear baggy trousers in summer. Your trust fund character might be completely confident showing up to a party in board shorts and flip-flops. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. The clothing itself can be just standard medieval gear, but with these elements they immediately look (wood) elvish. The landladys dress highlights, by contrast, the downward spiral of Katerinas fortunes, and she responds to the landladys prideful clothing with her own wounded pride: Look at her, shes making round eyes, she feels that we are talking about her and cant understand. Stylish. Clothing in fantasy novel | Absolute Write Water Cooler In both of these it was mostly the rich who had the extravagant clothing, which brings back the earlier point of how culture influences what a character might wear. Describing armor and clothing. : r/writing - reddit Or else that she feels shamed by her Aunt and thus decides to be good. Clothing description also presents an opportunity to play with different points of view. Its hard to really appreciate just how sickeningly awful medieval warfare would have been. Technology goes beyond simply what kind of clothes could be made though, it also relates to how technology is incorporated into style in general. Nov 28, 2022 - Explore Anung V's board "Character description" on Pinterest. If it fits your universe it usually works, so don't be afraid of doing something different. We have all sorts of headphone designs to reflect our clothing styles and just wearing or not wearing a headphone will completely change how a character is often perceived. 160 Best Character description ideas | character description, fantasy Do they strive to be humble before their god or do they want to spend this one and only life as their bold, ostentatious selves? If all else fails use Google images and find some visual aids and inspiration sources, they can work wonders. First and foremost we need to know who we're designing for. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. But put me in a job interview wearing the same outfit, and youd probably start making new guesses about my intentions. The Victorian author Charles Dickens is widely regarded as a master of characterization, for good reason. [Find more articles on character description in our complete guide to character creation.]. Is this purely for cinematic effect or would some leaders remove their helmets to show their faces to their soldiers? The tragedy of Azincourt, for example, occurred because of a poorly-chosen battleground that had flooded. They also wear talismans, jewelry, and other objects. Also bear in mind that not all clothing descriptions have to be presented as She put on x or He was wearing y. You can draw your readers attention to an item of clothing by having your character draw on their jeans or fiddle with their collar. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. What exactly are you trying to communicate about the character, setting, or situation? Scarves as we know them today weren't really a thing in the middle ages (they were way different) and hoods pretty much came in the form of chaperons and liripipes (Google for reference if needed), not as part of a piece of clothing. For example, a meticulously dressed character who is discovered in a disheveled and poorly dressed state. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. You walk down the usual street and suddenly some old memory hits you. Or is it really important for a reader to know the specific pattern? It would have been extremely warm too. - Another way to use color is to make things seem like they're glowing even if they're not and to use gradients. Clothing is one of the easiest and most immediate ways to establish an historical setting. Get free books, an invite to my exclusive writing group, writing tools and guides and much more when you join my community. How to design clothes with a sci-fi feel | Creative Bloq It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. ^.^ From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. Clothing creation guide - Roll for Fantasy Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. The rope belt is solely decorative and a status symbol. Or theyll be living off soda crackers and peanut butter for the next week because they drained their checking account for a suit to impress at their job interview. Maybe a bracelet represents a character's relationship to her mother. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. Not quite. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to weaponry Richie Billing. An owl in new ribbons, ha-ha-ha! Ready to sketch vivid characters for your novel? The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. Also, don't feel like you have to include every point I've made. Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. Discover an extensive list of terms you may want to know here. From time to time we may use affiliate links to help with the costs of running the site. Similarly, find out (or, if youre creating a fantasy world, create) the garments your characters would wear in a particular time and place. Clothing description is something I have to actively choose to create, too. Never hose for men and probably never puffy breeches. Blunt weapons were effective, causing haemorrhaging and concussion, so padded garments known as a doublet or gambeson were worn underneath to provide added protection. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? Every time we got separated in a public space, I discovered myself in a sea of mature women with the same haircut and pastel tops. What would high stakes clothing look like in your story? A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. Our characters are always (mostly!) for any particular parts of an outfit. Allrightsreserved, create an authentic sense of time and place, Use fashion and clothing history archives, https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg, 1: Use clothing to show status and position, 2: Build (or thwart) expectations using clothing descriptions, 3: Describe clothing to contrastcharacters personalities, 4: Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling, 5: Change characters clothing to highlight character development, 6: Use clothing details to recreate authentic setting, Build (or thwart) expectations using clothing descriptions, Describe clothing to contrast character personalities, Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling, Change clothing to highlight character development, Use clothing details to create authentic setting. A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. Would the fashion designers in your fantasy novel make use of dragon scales? Have fun with it. One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. Its a good time. It was my understanding that they quenched in oil, not water. Are the characters of your dystopian novel forced to make do with burlap and mud? The clothes a person wears tellsus many things: their status in life, for example, or their cultural affiliation or identity. Youre still not off the hook. Youre working essential details into the narrative at the moment when they are most relevant. Pingback: The Life of the Medieval Lord - Richie Billing, Pingback: How To Create Your Very Own Living Breathing Fantasy World - Richie Billing, Pingback: Fantasy Races - The Ultimate Guide To Elves, Orcs and Dwarves | Richie Billing, Pingback: Killer Diseases of the Middle Ages | Richie Billing, Pingback: Medieval Cannons: The Essential Guide | Richie Billing, Pingback: On Writing: Fantasy Without Magic Of Metal and Magic Publishing, Pingback: The Lives Of Medieval Peasants - Richie Billing. And above all, people share their writing, get feedback, build friendships and develop greater confidence not just in their writing, but in themselves too.

Crawford County Now Most Wanted, All Inclusive Resorts Massachusetts, Articles H