The unsung hero of so many stories. Dont worry, thats not a trick question. Its okay if Todds checks his designer watch three pages after you mention his silk tie. 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. In the historical fiction books Ive read, none of the heroes took off their helmets unless they were knocked off, or bashed in. If sturdy is a top consideration, your character might be expecting trouble or adventure. Some had pointed snouts, the purpose of which was to deflect arrows when walking into arrow storms. Amalias dress thus comes across as insensitive to her; malicious even. And lets not forget the trusty steed. For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. 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. - Christine, on How to describe clothing in a story (with examples), 8 story hook examples (how to grab attention), Story structure examples: How to create payoffs for readers, How to describe to immerse readers (complete guide), How to write deep POV: 8 tips and examples, 9 exposition examples: How to write clear introductions, How to make a plot captivating: 7 strategies, Writing great characters: 5 lessons from modern novels. A knight, by definition, was a lord. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. Ideas are forever being shared and discussed.
Creative Words to Describe Outfit & Clothing - INK What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. Compare this, then, to Dickens description of Gradgrinds wife in the following chapter (Gradgrinds wealthy but poverty-claiming friend has just told Mrs. Gradgrind he was born in a ditch): Mrs. Gradgrind, a little, thin, white, pink-eyed bundle of shawls, of surpassing feebleness, mental and bodily; who was always taking physic without any effect, and who, whenever she showed a symptom of coming to life, was invariably stunned by some weighty piece of fact tumbling on her; Mrs. Gradgrind hoped it was a dry ditch? Get it right, and you transport your readers to a vivid world. For example, a shy person will often wear 'regular' clothing, clothing that isn't too bright or outgoing in both design and colors.
How to Analyze a Fashion Collection - Bloomsbury Fashion Central Make them earn any sightof skin, Aunt P always said. I would be great to expand it with armor from other areas, Samurai armor, for example. It's part of culture, so it's definitely something to keep in mind since your fictional universes will have some form of culture as well. It was pretty easy to make, though laborious, and easy to repair. Well, mostly. Its not an aspect of character design that bubbles up naturally from the depths of my creative soul. The rope belt is solely decorative and a status symbol. 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. Without decriptions of the clothing it's a bit boring, the novel becomes a list of people the reader can't imagine doing things. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. 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. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. What backstory or character motivations could combinations of appearance and reality suggest? "White tunics" have been worn from 2016 to a good forty thousand years ago. - Geometry. So have fun with that. These detail could suggest that your character is miserly or down-to-earth despite their wealth. Youre more than welcome to join us and wed love to have you on board. They give you the chance to offer comic relief, a dash of wisdom, and just some good old fashioned friendship., Sidekick characters. I sincerely hope youve found some inspiration for your fantasy medieval armor. Press J to jump to the feed. Which is to say, if you write from the point of view of a character who thinks of clothing only in terms of the simplest descriptors, that's just fine. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. The pieces around the vital organsthe chest and headwere thicker and heavier than those on the arms and legs to try and reduce weight as much as possible. And its in designs that you can really go wild with your own fantasy armor. And above all, people share their writing, get feedback, build friendships and develop greater confidence not just in their writing, but in themselves too. You can try all Dabbles premium features for free for fourteen days. 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. Hi Paige, thank you (and thanks for your question). Who doesnt like being comfortable when killing? Make it mandatory to hold up a piece of clothing. And well dip back in time to look at medieval armor and how it was used and crafted. 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. One thing Ive always wondered is if someone wearing plate could fall down just right in a muddy battlefield, and get stuck there in the same way a large flat rock gets stuck laying in mud. Now add a thick, layered scarf or attach a hood to this tunic and you're already well on your way to a customized look. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. Our wardrobes are influenced by our age, geography, culture, hobbies, and a million other aspects of our worlds. Smart: Neat and tidy clothes but not necessarily formal. You can use visual description to make a character more vivid in the readers minds eye. All this to say: there is substantial storytelling power in a coral Life is Good t-shirt. Really, the topic of this article is not how to describe clothing in writing as much as it is how to tell a story with clothes. You can keep track of your characters signature style, upload photos, note how their style evolves, and keep these ideas right at your fingertips as you write. Why this arguably works better is the details of getting dressed tell us multiple details about Gem. I thought if I did that at the beginning of a chapter it would be better but I worry it will turn readers off. But it provided an odd sense of security. Read these tips on how (and why) to describe clothes with examples from well-known novels: 1: Use clothing to show status and position 2: Build (or thwart) character expectations with clothing descriptions 3: Describe clothing to contrast characters' personalities 4: Show clothing to avoid over-relying on telling However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing.
Play with the question of presentation and power! Fashionably elegant and sophisticated. Your articles are always very informative. I mentioned my online writing group at the beginning of this guide. A jacket or coat of mail was usually worn with a hood, or coif, of the same material to protect the head and neck. They could withstand high-velocity strikes from a javelin or lance, driven home by somebody charging forwards on horseback. Whenever other races or species are involved, like elves and trolls, it's often best to give them clothing that differs from whatever humans (and other races) wear, even if those differences are subtle. Maybe your character is snuggled up in their fleece pajamas while the blizzard rages outside. He received his BA Honours in English Literature and his undergraduate in English Literature and Music from the University of Cape Town. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? 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. I really loved this article, but I have one question, it was very helpful. 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. So sometimes all it takes to create futuristic clothing is to take a trend that has passed, alter it slightly and you're done. Finally there's the aspect of fashion to take into account. One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. But put me in a job interview wearing the same outfit, and youd probably start making new guesses about my intentions. I never thought of there being a uniform for Midwestern ladyness. This one is simple, right? Your email address will not be published. Characters wear more than just clothes. Stylish. You can immediately show a character is wealthy with descriptions of fine clothing.
What are some ways to describe a character's clothing? They work, they're safe and in many cases have become a standard. A possible source of conflict for a story, perhaps! Obviously clothing is extremely varied, especially dresses. 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). Separate and enlarge it, turn down the Opacity of the layer . As the battle continued through the day, a rumor grew that Harold had died or fled the field, I forget which. Perhaps its because the genre was born out of stories that emerged from the Middle Ages like Beowulf and King Arthur (around the 10th-11th century). It makes for a more entertaining read. The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. Sure, it helps your reader to know how you picture a character. Do your characters care deeply about looking respectable, or are they more afraid of putting on airs? For example, think about a wealthy person and how that person might dress. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. Its a bit OCD of me. Here are some classic characteristics you can draw out through clothing description.
Will using real-world cultural vocabulary in a fantasy setting He is old but stylish.
[Help] Coming up with Fantasy Outfits : r/fantasywriters - reddit How were women treated in the Middle Ages? And when Mother Nature gets involved, even the best suit of armor can have problems. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. The fact that Nov 1, 2019 - Explore Arisa Nightingale's board "Male Fantasy Outfit Concepts & Designs", followed by 456 people on Pinterest. Clothing description is something I have to actively choose to create, too. The senses were deadened: sight limited, sound muffled, breathing stifled (depending on the type of helmet). Thank you for reading our blog! 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. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. Think of the process like dressing a doll: start at the beginning and up build the layers. Maybe your character heads out on the town wearing a daring leopard print jumpsuit, only to have their best friend immediately ask where they got the kitty costume.. Try some colour. and our A common (wood) elvish theme is to have lots of green tints, flowery elements and intricate embroidery. We therefore see in the fantasy genre characters equipped with grand helmets and beautiful pieces of plate armor.