What is a good way to do Show not tell in a first person POV state? These are usually a little trickier to do well as they can look familiar quickly, but it's a usually a good element to have at your disposal. I once wrote about imbuing everyday objects with meaning because talisman create great opportunities for symbolism! But you may run into difficulties when it comes to the practicalities. The Victorian author Charles Dickens is widely regarded as a master of characterization, for good reason. One does not refer to "a garb". Trendy: Modern, fashionable, and up-to-date outfits. Yet Dr. Urbinos status as a respected doctor is earned he has nothing to prove by dressing smarter. Do all your characters embrace it? Heres a video showing the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of leather armor against arrows. You can try all Dabbles premium features for free for fourteen days. Character description may change over the course of a story to emphasize a characters arc. By using fur for decoration you quickly create fictional pieces in no time. Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. Amalias dress thus comes across as insensitive to her; malicious even. Here are a few different types: We mentioned gambesons above. Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. Not to mention the social status of a person. Or is it really important for a reader to know the specific pattern? Theyre the lifeblood of any relationship. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. So its unsurprising to see soldiers wielding swords and axes and shooting bows. Its okay if Todds checks his designer watch three pages after you mention his silk tie. Odds are, youve got a character who dresses to stay alive. To create a more futuristic looking style an easy way of doing it is to incorporate technology into the clothing itself. Your article is really great. Smart: Neat and tidy clothes but not necessarily formal. Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. 2023 NOW NOVEL CC. Using a squared, pixelated look or circuitry patterns usually works great too, which can even be combined with layered clothing to create the circuitry feel. Stealthy clothes bring to mind burglars clad in black outfits and soft-soled sneakers. How long do they need their clothes to last? However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. What backstory or character motivations could combinations of appearance and reality suggest? Adorable. 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. This is often enough to make something look more futuristic, especially if used on something that looks glossy, shiny and/or smooth. One reason clothing descriptions can start to feel like a tedious laundry list (see what I did there?) This article was very helpfulcan you post some examples of showing versus telling when describing clothing? Thanks Benjamin! Black and white usually does the trick as well. (Hopefully, I dont really know your life, so maybe not. Required fields are marked *. Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. Clothing description is something I have to actively choose to create, too. This can be a very effective way if your universe is based on an existing culture. and our Because it actually is possible. Lots of gear would have been looted. From lowly serfs to great warriors, all could wear and fight effectively in chainmail. 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. Without decriptions of the clothing it's a bit boring, the novel becomes a list of people the reader can't imagine doing things. We'll also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by knights, potential designs, and ways to help you find inspiration for creating your own. As far as guidelines go this is the first to be broken though, consider this one more of a starting point rather than something to necessarily end on. Love this topic!! Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. In my case my character is new in town and this description of clothing doesnt come until hes getting ready for the party in chapter 4 and its in the context of getting dressed, there are reasons behind it, the party is a very big deal for him getting his foot in the door with other teens in town and he wants to be impressive or maybe wants lot of attention with all the sparklies. See more ideas about fantasy clothing, anime outfits, character outfits. Vividly describing the colors of your character's clothing can enliven ordinary writing. Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. Dostoyevsky describes how Katerinas landlady, Amalia Ivanovna, dresses for the funeral: the table was properly laid at the time and fixed, and Amalia Ivanovna, feeling she had done her work well, had put on a black silk dress and a cap with new mourning ribbons and met the returning party with some pride. One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. This pride, though justifiable, displeased Katerina Ivanovna for some reason.
50+ Fashion Terms: Fundamental Words Related to Style Am I trying to blow the interview?
Medieval clothing description generator - Fantasy name generators I thought if I did that at the beginning of a chapter it would be better but I worry it will turn readers off. 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. They give you the chance to offer comic relief, a dash of wisdom, and just some good old fashioned friendship., Sidekick characters. Our wardrobes are influenced by our age, geography, culture, hobbies, and a million other aspects of our worlds. Fashion trends come and go and they often return later, albeit in a slightly different form. To make it futuristic you could change where the buttons are, they're normally quite low and form a v-neck line when buttoned up, how about moving them to the top and creating an upside down V shape at the bottom. You can immediately show a character is wealthy with descriptions of fine clothing. They're the ones who are always there to lend a helping hand, crack a joke, or provide some much-needed emotional relief.And let's be real, sometimes they dont go unsung. That works. Use fashion and clothing history archives if necessary. Coats of plated armor soon came about, which consisted of a series of plates linked on top of one another. Just click the button below to find out more. The image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed last week. Or one who was forever wearing poorly-fitted clothing that appeared to be handed down from friends? You can continue to alter it to add cultural elements, like the previously mentioned elvish elements or you could stick with this and keep it simple. And if you want more, this documentary is excellent. Examples of the latter are The Fifth Element and The Hunger Games. Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. Think touchable fabrics and the light scent of lavender soap. They could withstand high-velocity strikes from a javelin or lance, driven home by somebody charging forwards on horseback. Note that with the camouflage patterns it's best to use this style, but make them less randomized to avoid the military look, unless that's what you're going for of course. Clothing tells your reader a lot about your characters goals and motivations within a given scenario. At a quarter to six, Gem pulled off the low-cut top Emma had wolf-whistled and clappedat when theyd met for their usual weekend catch-up. How to describe clothing: 6 simple tips Use clothing to show status and position 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 Your main character just put on some makeup and changed into a fancy dress, complete with heels and a tiny handbag. Community . We often express ourselves through our clothing, at least when we have the freedom to do so, so knowing who we're designing for is the first step in creating the perfect outfit for a character. A common (wood) elvish theme is to have lots of green tints, flowery elements and intricate embroidery. 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? Here, for example, Hilary Mantel describes a Cardinals residence being plundered by the Kings men in 1529 England, in her historical novel Wolf Hall. Sometimes the simplest changes are enough to create something completely new and ideal for a particular universe. If youre good at talking clothes, you can sit this one out. We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor. Obviously clothing is extremely varied, especially dresses. Even the non-conformists are influenced by societal norms. Youre working essential details into the narrative at the moment when they are most relevant. If you stopped to think about it, you may even notice yourself imagining things as specific as age, hobbies, and ambitions. The line could be thin or thick, glowing, metallic-looking or just plain, padded or smooth, patterned, decorated or simply a seem. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Affordable . Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. Clothing is one of the easiest and most immediate ways to establish an historical setting. Only when youre keeping secrets in fiction, you can make them even darker and deeper than any you might ever have in real life. 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. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation.
SHIRT AND PANTS | Fantasy-Writers.org I'll make a separate point for sci-fi/futuristic clothing and fantasy/historic clothing. Other elements you could include are mood-based changes (exists today), clothing that uses lights or glowing elements (exists today), clothing that can be repaired or changed on the go (exists today), smart technology woven into the fabric of clothing (exists today), changing colors (think chameleons) whenever you feel like it (exists today, kind of). Use the Character section of the Idea Finder to develop quick story ideas and flesh out your storys cast. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. They mixed more traditional Asian styles with the more Western Industrial Revolution period styles. A man's padded undercoat worn under a doublet and over a shirt; a woman's (often padded) under-tunic or the skirt of her riding habit. With the major shapes in the thumbnails defined, choose the one that best exemplifies the feeling you're looking for. Wearing a suit of armor was like being in your own private world. Lets take a look at how clothing description indicates your characters identity, goals, and culture. My story feels like its set more in medieval times, but I don't want my characters running around in full out tunics and. But the biggest challenge can sometimes be simply making something look futuristic or historic fantasy-ish, which is the main focus of this guide.
How to describe scenery ? : r/fantasywriters - reddit.com See more ideas about character description, fantasy fashion, fantasy clothing. A few small details of clothing may distinguish your characters from each other, highlighting their personalities. You dont need it to sign up. Hopefully, you now have more wardrobe ideas for your characters than just red shirt, blue pants. But what about the process of actually sharing these details in your novel? For instance, if I'm reading a story and the narrative mentions jeans right off, I'm thinking mid twentieth century or later (while dungarees would be late nineteenth . - Taboos and nudity. The first time I joined my family for our biannual Minnesota fishing trip after moving to L.A. from the Midwest, I found myself constantly losing my aunt and mother. Im writing a little in the Epic Fantasy genre and there were quite a few useful notes I wasnt aware of here. Like all forms of exposition, your goal is to deliver this information without pulling the reader out of the story. To illustrate this in a way we did with the futuristic shirt example let's take a standard medieval tunic and turn it into a fantasy-themed version. Well, mostly. They can tell us what era they live in, and even a persons current state of mind or intent. And above all, people share their writing, get feedback, build friendships and develop greater confidence not just in their writing, but in themselves too. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. Since it's a friends' get-together, let's wear casual attire. Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. Mention the familiar swooshing of the neighbors tracksuit as he runs by the house every morning or how the aunts jacket always smells like cold air and pine needles. In other words, research. - Geometry. Leather could be stitched into coats, or added to mail to provide added protection. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. Clean, powerful strikes were needed to disable a foe wearing mail. As with mail, steel was the best material due to its hardness, which was obtained by heating the steel to extreme temperatures and then submerging it into cold water, a process known as quenching. Improving Google Rankings With Keywords And Content, Tips On How To Make An Essay More Engaging, A fantasy writers guide to weaponry Richie Billing, A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing, The Life of the Medieval Lord - Richie Billing, How To Create Your Very Own Living Breathing Fantasy World - Richie Billing, Fantasy Races - The Ultimate Guide To Elves, Orcs and Dwarves | Richie Billing, Killer Diseases of the Middle Ages | Richie Billing, Medieval Cannons: The Essential Guide | Richie Billing, On Writing: Fantasy Without Magic Of Metal and Magic Publishing, The Lives Of Medieval Peasants - Richie Billing, Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Great Examples Of The 5 Senses In Writing, 5 Mistakes Men Can Make Writing Women Characters, The Power of Words: Essay Writing Techniques, Mastering Body Language With Former FBI Agent Joe Navarro, A Lawyer's Perspective On Writing Fantasy, Do you want to grow your mailing list, check out. It's something we have today as well, but they're oddly uncommon and work great for more futuristic looks. Join Kickstart your Novel and get professional feedback on your first three chapters and story synopsis, plus workbooks and videos.
Fantasy Armor - The Ultimate Guide - Richie Billing Great idea. And if you need a place to organize your complex responses, I recommend Dabbles Character Notes feature. What the description shows is that many of the inviteesplay at status through fancy dress. Clothes can betray our greatest joys and our deepest insecurities. Whereas a more confident or attention seeking person might seek out the edges of what's socially acceptable more or just wear more stylish and potentially more colorful or flamboyant clothing. But they could also dress in modest, inexpensive-looking clothes. Maybe theyre wearing an article of clothing that once belonged to someone theyve lost. These elements are very important when taking into account the previous point. Imagine your own armored knights storming through the battlefield like iron giants. And what weve covered here today is only just the tip of the iceberg. In Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, the poor, Tuberculosis-stricken Katerina Ivanovnas husband is trampled to death by a horse-drawn cart. Those of us who dont get all jazzed about writing clothing descriptions often fail to consider that a good wardrobe has layers. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? Nylon and polyester fabrics weren't invented until almost the mid 20th century for example. It can genuinely be tough to come up with cool ideas for epic fantasy armor without drifting back to things that weve seen in the likes of Dungeons and Dragons, The Elder Scrolls and movies like Lord of the Rings. Good for the mobile knight. I love to wear baggy trousers in summer. That was the theory. Borrowed armor wouldnt fit as well as a suit made for the wearer and wouldnt be as well balanced, so someone in borrowed armor would be more likely to have problems moving in his armor. Whether its a matter of indulgence or survival, feeling good is a deeply relatable goal. Think noble King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable.
160 Best Character description ideas | character description, fantasy A possible source of conflict for a story, perhaps! Blunt weapons were effective, causing haemorrhaging and concussion, so padded garments known as a doublet or gambeson were worn underneath to provide added protection. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. 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? The train hums and throbs in place as people rush to pile in.. Once blue, it is quenched a second time, permanently fixing its hardness. There are some elements which are common among most works of fiction when it comes to clothing, with these elements in mind it becomes a lot easier to turn the clothing we wear today or wore throughout history into a futuristic or more fantasy oriented equivalent. The bully Gradgrind is the type whod wear a waistcoat concealing an eyeglass for catching people out. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. The rope belt is solely decorative and a status symbol. Pfoo, the owl! Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. Characters Wear More Than Just Clothes. This idea of knights becoming lords was introduced in England by William the Conqueror. How to Give Your Characters Style: Describing Clothing in Writing Written by MasterClass Last updated: Aug 19, 2021 3 min read Creating vivid descriptions for a story or character is a mark of a great writer. Creating new clothing styles for fictional worlds can be a daunting task, there's just so much out there already and so many elements to play around with to create a fun and unique style, no matter whether the art form is visual or not. The eye slits were narrow to prevent all sizes of arrowheads from finding their way through. 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. I'll allow my fangirl side to shine for a second and use the Legend of Korra as an example of how mixing styles can work amazingly well. Similarly, show how different characters personalities are through apt clothing description. Now, if you write historical fiction, its important to research the clothing of your chosen era. Beyond medieval Europe, you have the Far East, the Romans, Viking Before you know it youll have designed a full set of fantasy roman or viking armor. For a bigger image, just click on the link above. I used to be under the mindset that describing attire was boring and it was better to let the reader fill in those details but especially with the novel Im working on now, I have used clothing to portray more about their character. One very important aspect of describing attire well is understanding why youre describing it in the first place.
Describing clothes : writing - reddit Both doublets and chain mail were worn in conjunction with plated armor for that added protection, particularly for areas plate could not cover, such as arms and the groin. I have a hard time describing my thoughts on content, but I really felt I should here. Is your character trying to attract positive attention? He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town.
Struggling with describing clothes for a fantasy setting. : r/DnD - reddit The final design with all its layers will often hide elements of the clothing that a client may want to see later. The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. From time to time we may use affiliate links to help with the costs of running the site. Well come to this below. 70s-inspired. These shallow details help us go pretty deep on character. Heres a great visual guide on female fantasy armor by YouTuber Shadiversity. Jeans and a tee it was. 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. So why not join the gang? See how Dickens contrasts the fact-obsessed, overbearingteacher Thomas Gradgrind and his wifes personalities through (among other details) their clothing description. clothed and we should definitely be using them to portray our characters personalities. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Okay, maybe not.Secrets in real life can be a little trickywe all have thembut they have a way of blowing up in our faces, depending on how big they are.Your characters are really no different.
100 Words to Describe Clothes - grammarhow.com So here are some more ways to alter a design while sticking with familiarity and a more historic feel: You suddenly know which details to include, which to leave out, and whether to call it a blood-red cloak or a goji berry wrap. You find that its about more than throwing out fashion terms and listing articles of clothing. A coat of mail was a complex web of metal rings, each locked with an iron rivet. Katerina is affronted by Amalias fine dress because it is new and shows pride. 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.
Describing clothing - Creative Writing Forums When shes not writing, Abi is most likely hiking, reading, or texting her mother pictures of her houseplants to ask why they look like that. 2012 - It would have been extremely warm too. Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. Dont worry, thats not a trick question. In reality, a medieval lord could pretty much do what they liked. All cultures have dress codes to some degree, some more so than others and some more stricter than others, but every culture has a range of styles that would be considered normal, 'out there' and unacceptable to most. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg. Very informative.
How to Describe Clothing in Writing Without Boring Everybody Impress someone with my indifference?
Looking for a word - prince's clothes - English Language Learners Stack Is your central conflict a life-or-death situation? Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? Then this is their category. Because like all other character details, its not enough to paint a picture. Sci-fi and fantasy don't necessarily have to be futuristic and historic respectively, but they're commonly associated as such, so for the sake of simplicity that's what I'm going with for the purposes of this guide.
How to Analyze a Fashion Collection - Bloomsbury Fashion Central What Clothes Say About Your Characters - The Write Practice Nov 28, 2022 - Explore Anung V's board "Character description" on Pinterest. Lets take a look at some individual pieces of armor. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. Each lesson breaks down the analysis of one component of a fashion collection, progressing from a consideration of the designer's technique and influences to the . Further reading How To Write Fight Scenes. Are the characters of your dystopian novel forced to make do with burlap and mud? Theyre the kind of thing that often happen organically, but you can actually make use of character secrets to make your stories better. In 2021 his debut novel, Pariah's Lament, an epic fantasy, was published by Of Metal and Magic. An owl, a real owl! The important thing to remember is to remain in the character's point of view. Which of these clothing types is your character most likely to reach for when starting their day? Great points. Strips of leather were boiled in water, though some sources record oil and wax being used, and even animal urine. But status can be communicated in more subtle ways, too. Besides, these are all just guidelines meant to spark some inspiration in you. This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. We already have spray on clothing technology. One of the first things I learned when I moved to L.A. is that writers do not dress professionally for big meetings in Hollywood. But the definition of sneaky depends on your characters situation. And as a reader, nothing bores me like an entire paragraph of detailed clothing description. The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. Non-visual senses are big, too. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed, We mentioned gambesons above. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. What also worries me is that in Chapter 3 I used a lot of descriptions of the house, like the main characters room and then I had him go to various other rooms, looked at pictures of his family he has yet to meet so chapter 3 had the least story development or social scenes but the ones it had were good ones and I ended it with a scene that creates more development and story hype. (Find out more). It's also an indirect way to describe their physical appearance by examining how the clothes fit them. You can also fulfil (or contradict) impressions your characters (or readers) form based on appearances. That fancy Ming dynasty dress looks completely different with exposed shoulders and that medieval set of pants look completely different if you turn them into shorts with exposed legs. Your email address will not be published. Lets delve further into these ideas about describing characters dress: Think of your characters clothing like an actors costume in a play. Whats the respected uniform, and does your character wear it?
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