And if you were skilled at surviving and killing, it was a good way to make a living. Instead of saying, for example I saw that the station gate was coming down and the last train was about to leave, you could say The station gate is already screeching closed. This idea of knights becoming lords was introduced in England by William the Conqueror. One way to deal with clothing is to not try to be unique. I mean what your character wears provides a clue to how they see themselves, how they want to be seen, and even how others see them. In visual mediums like TV or comics, cool outfits are on-screen the whole time, and they're the first and most obvious impression you'll get of the character, so they have a big impact on how the character is perceived. Improve this answer. Glasses, headsets, lenses, jewelry, belts and so on can all help sell the futuristic look. However, you can tell your reader interesting things through a mismatch: A wealthy character might show off their expensive clothing. Abi Wurdeman is the author of Cross-Section of a Human Heart: A Memoir of Early Adulthood, as well as the novella, Holiday Gifts for Insufferable People. Like Borges would say, The line could be thin or thick, glowing, metallic-looking or just plain, padded or smooth, patterned, decorated or simply a seem. And lets not forget the trusty steed. The aim is to arm you with what you need to enrich your tales with brilliant detail. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. This is great! This is often enough to make something look more futuristic, especially if used on something that looks glossy, shiny and/or smooth. Not all trends return and fashion isn't perfectly cyclical. 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. And medieval warfare was a bloody affair. 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. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. What I would like to ask is how you would go about describing very specific details on more complex clothing? But for writers like me who get stuck in the white socks, green dress rut, heres a quick reminder: Details about fabric, fit, quality, and color are super effective when it comes to creating a sense of character, place, or moment. Those warriors came from the people who lived on the lands under the watch of the knights. 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. Embarrassed by her own inability to dress in finery for the occasion (and by being upstaged), Katerina resorts to scathing mockery of Amalia. Maybe a bit of both. This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. Heres a cool video on making leather fantasy armor by YouTuber, Prince Armory. For example, if a character is going on a date, you could write: Gem wanted to look sexy for her date downtown (but not easy), so she changed into more comfortable clothes. Who is your character at the beginning of the story, and how can you dress them to establish their normal? By using fur for decoration you quickly create fictional pieces in no time. Stylish. For example, fur usually wasn't used as a piece of decoration for clothing and if used at all was often worn around the neck and shoulders or underneath other (often hide) clothing to keep warm. 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. Richie also runs The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed, a podcast devoted to helping writers improve their craft. This article was very helpfulcan you post some examples of showing versus telling when describing clothing? Look how she sits with her mouth open! Community . That said, once you describe how a person dresses you shouldn't really keep doing it unless it is relevant to the plot. One reason clothing descriptions can start to feel like a tedious laundry list (see what I did there?) Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed last week. You could even move the buttons to the side and have it close diagonally instead. Let your mind fill in the details, always checking back in with your adjectives to make sure the concept is moving in the right direction. If you tell your readers about Nanettes light pink cardigan and string of pearls, you dont have to say much about the shoes and skirt and silk blouse. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. Is this purely for cinematic effect or would some leaders remove their helmets to show their faces to their soldiers? They looked something like this: One of the main defensive strengths of plated armor came from its curved design, which deflected both blades and arrows. In other words take what exists and apply it differently. 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. 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. I like the way you wrote this information. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Its because concrete details are incredibly effective in communicating abstract concepts. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. I have a hard time describing my thoughts on content, but I really felt I should here. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. What is the prevailing value in the society of your story? Sneak around? Im writing a little in the Epic Fantasy genre and there were quite a few useful notes I wasnt aware of here. You can use visual description to make a character more vivid in the readers minds eye. Blend in? Do not describe a character's clothing except as that point of view character would do so. Another benefit to chain mail, a point which can slip the mind of writers, is that it was cheap and efficient, able to accommodate different-sized warriors, unlike expensive plated armor. Stockings, long gloves, scarves or separate layers of clothing make a huge difference. A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. Its all in the craft.Its good that youre here to learn how to describe clothing in writing, because its a powerful tool. Id be willing to bet each of these items immediately brought to mind a semi-clear character. Which of these clothing types is your character most likely to reach for when starting their day? 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 So let's delve deeper into the details of how to actually figure out what your character wears. 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. (Huh.). And of course, location provides a clue for what it takes to be comfortable in the world of your story. I thought if I did that at the beginning of a chapter it would be better but I worry it will turn readers off. - Use lines to break up a piece of clothing and create a kind of mosaic. Maybe a bracelet represents a character's relationship to her mother. These were worn on their own by those wanting greater speed and flexibility, but also by those unable to afford stronger armor. Fashionably elegant and sophisticated. Much of the clothing we wear today were either rare or completely nonexistent a hundred years ago. With all that armor, its often assumed the medieval knight was immobile. 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. Youre already obsessing over hat styles and what the undergarment situation was at the time of your story. On the other hand you may wish to add layers for the same purpose. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed, We mentioned gambesons above. Fashion trends come and go and they often return later, albeit in a slightly different form. But the biggest challenge can sometimes be simply making something look futuristic or historic fantasy-ish, which is the main focus of this guide. When you use clothing to define who your character is, remember that it can also clarify how they feel about themselves and how they fit into the world around them. I saw Jesus Christ Superstar a long time ago and Jesus was in a sharp black suit. Details about fit, cut, and material go a long way when describing the clothing of a character who longs to attract. Is your central conflict a life-or-death situation? So why not join the gang? A simple t-shirt could be cut diagonally in the front, give both shoulder parts a different style from the arms, elongate one side and so on. 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. Thanks Liv, Im glad you found this helpful. Discover an extensive list of terms you may want to know here. 60s-inspired. Jordan is a writer, editor, community manager and product developer. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. 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. They mixed more traditional Asian styles with the more Western Industrial Revolution period styles. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. - Mix cultures. Knights were, indeed, hard to defeat in battle. This is often enough to make something look more futuristic, especially if used on something that looks glossy, shiny and/or smooth. Choose A Chapter The Fantasy Genre And Medieval Armor Chain Mail Plated Armor Helmets Other Types Of Armor The Medieval Knight Showing what your characters are wearing can be a great way to show your readers what they might be up to that day without having to actually narrate anything. Love this topic!! Stylish: Elegant and sophisticated clothing to grab attention. Try some colour. The train hums and throbs in place as people rush to pile in.. His writing offers a masterclass in how to describe clothing in stories. See more ideas about fantasy clothing, anime outfits, character outfits. Does your character need to hide? Theyre probably less concerned with how they look (unless they want to look intimidating) and more concerned with things like survival or victory. 80s-inspired. Costume is a large part of a character. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. He is old but stylish. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. But there is so much more to the experience of clothing than that. Are they overalls or coveralls? - Break up clothing into more separate pieces and give them their own styles. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. For a bigger image, just click on the link above. "White tunics" have been worn from 2016 to a good forty thousand years ago. It gives you an idea of the capabilities that armor can have. 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. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. Our imaginations can do a surprising amount with just a few key details. You can weave clothing description into your process when using our story planner for writers. Do your main characters tend to steal the show in your novels? Get it right, and you transport your readers to a vivid world. Armor, therefore, wasnt that heavya full suit weighed approximately 50 pounds, which is around 3 to 4 stone. These elements are very important when taking into account the previous point. And ninety-nine percent of the clothing descriptions in your first draft are just jeans. I get it. 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. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. Characters wear more than just clothes. When heated, steel turns from yellow, to brown, to blue, to red. As knights became fully armored, so did their mounts. Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. But it provided an odd sense of security. This usually involves dresses from some time pre-renaissance and a tunic or shirt paired with trousers for men and women who are doing warrior stuff. I mentioned my online writing group at the beginning of this guide. Thanks, Sana. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. Black and white usually does the trick as well. What is a good way to do Show not tell in a first person POV state? By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. In a book, none of that is true. 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. It's also an indirect way to describe their physical appearance by examining how the clothes fit them. It doesn't exclude those that don't know what a qipao is, nor break immersion for those who do. But it makes a good story. Theyre just too important defensively. My story feels like its set more in medieval times, but I don't want my characters running around in full out tunics and. Coats of plated armor soon came about, which consisted of a series of plates linked on top of one another. The clothing itself can be just standard medieval gear, but with these elements they immediately look (wood) elvish. Lets take a look at some ways you can develop those unique ideas: In this section, well take a look at some cool pieces of knight armor in fantasy that people have designed over the years, to give you even more inspiration for your own designs. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. We all love a character with a cool set of fantasy armor: the baresark Rek from David Gemmells Legend with his enchanted coat of bronze, or Tomas from Raymond Feists Riftwar Cycle with his gleaming white dragon plate which gifted him incredible power. 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 . Pre-empt this by illustrating everything in layers and completing each layer of clothing. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. 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.
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