The reason we fuss over physical descriptions is not because its so important that the readers imagination gets it right. A warrior had to fight the enemy, and to fight his armor as well would be too distracting. 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. 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 . Another similar and perhaps way more popular example of this is Steampunk. Changes in characters clothing can help revealcharacter development. But they could also dress in modest, inexpensive-looking clothes. Other clothing pieces could be various types of hats and scarves, (trench) coats and even something as simple as pockets or buttons used for fastening rather than as decoration to name just a few. As for showing with clothing rather than telling, a writer could say, He was lazy and inattentive to his appearance about a character, or they could say his clothes always looked like hed just pulled them out of a pile in some corner of his bedroom and had thrown them on without a glance in the mirror. Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. There is simply more characterization, not only of Gem but the other characters, too. - 'Stealth'. If you write historical fiction, youre probably way ahead of me. This is mostly something to keep in mind when designing for characters living in the future, but it could work for alternative historic universes as well. Or it could be that they want to be charmed by their own image when they look in the mirror. They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. At the end of the day, they were professional slayers, swords for hire. And what weve covered here today is only just the tip of the iceberg. I would be great to expand it with armor from other areas, Samurai armor, for example. In 2021 his debut novel, Pariah's Lament, an epic fantasy, was published by Of Metal and Magic. If sturdy is a top consideration, your character might be expecting trouble or adventure. It's also an indirect way to describe their physical appearance by examining how the clothes fit them. 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. But there is so much more to the experience of clothing than that. 70s-inspired. 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. Would the fashion designers in your fantasy novel make use of dragon scales? 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. Costume is a large part of a character. Clothing description in a story is useful because it often gives additional information about a character that you might otherwise tell. As a quick question, in film you see a lot of heroes and leaders not wearing helmets. Mail was lightweight and flexible. To add to the previous mosaic part stealth technology can provide great patterns. Now, for the feedbackit depends what POV you're writing in. So below, well take a look at the relationship between the genre of fantasy and medieval armor. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. So its unsurprising to see soldiers wielding swords and axes and shooting bows. PsstDoes Your Character Have a Secret? 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 . Copyright 2023 Richie Billing | Fantasy Writer. 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. Jeans and a tee it was. - Use nudity. An owl in new ribbons, ha-ha-ha! If youre trying to learn how to describe clothing in writing, youre probably like me: Youve only pretended to know what organza is. Fashion trends come and go and they often return later, albeit in a slightly different form. A few easy changes are to make one side longer than the other, so basically creating a diagonal cut instead of the standard horizontal one. From time to time we may use affiliate links to help with the costs of running the site. Embarrassed by her own inability to dress in finery for the occasion (and by being upstaged), Katerina resorts to scathing mockery of Amalia. You can also fulfil (or contradict) impressions your characters (or readers) form based on appearances. Stockings, long gloves, scarves or separate layers of clothing make a huge difference. Maybe theyre wearing an article of clothing that once belonged to someone theyve lost. Why this arguably works better is the details of getting dressed tell us multiple details about Gem. Think noble King Arthur and his knights of the roundtable. If its 1st person you'll describe things from the POV of your character, and I find that that's different than if you're in, for example, 3rd person. Such simple things, but the clothes really helped show Jesus plight. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. 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. Just click this link and dont even think about touching your wallet. Consider whether your characters attire might serve as a symbol, highlight a theme, or represent a conflict. One reason clothing descriptions can start to feel like a tedious laundry list (see what I did there?) So why not join the gang? 80s-inspired. Really like your article. This is less important for non-visual arts as clothing isn't always described in writing, but it can still be incredibly helpful to have a fully detailed character in your head or written down somewhere for reference and just to make everything feel more real and alive. Pauldrons, gauntlets, and even leg armor were fashioned into elaborate designs. Or at least they know what century theyre in. Now turn the edges a different color or make them light up and you immediately have a more futuristic looking suit. Theyll see it automatically. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. It's what we're slowly doing today. Leonidas in 300, for instance, almost certainly wore a helmet in the battle with the Persians! In battle, you are trying to strike a moving target, so mail was sufficient as most blows were glancing ones. That would depend on a few things. Id be willing to bet each of these items immediately brought to mind a semi-clear character. Pingback: Fantasy Weapons - Medieval, Magic And Other Types - Richie Billing, Helping writers on their journey and readers find their next favourite story.. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. "Garb" or "dress" (without an article) is a rather drab abstract noun for what a person is wearing. The image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. 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. I second the idea of describing the reactions of the characters to the city. 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. The reader does not need the full outfit in one go. First and foremost, remember that clothing description is still storytelling. Amalias dress thus comes across as insensitive to her; malicious even. The complete opposite is true for fantasy and historic clothing. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. As with body armor, great efforts were made with the designs of helmets. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. 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. How does their attire reflect what they want, what they fear, or where theyre going? Dont worry, thats not a trick question. Yet Dr. Urbinos status as a respected doctor is earned he has nothing to prove by dressing smarter. Is your character trying to attract positive attention? Do not describe a character's clothing except as that point of view character would do so. A scarf for example might be too hot for some areas, but it's obviously easy to leave those out. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. And what does she put that cap on for? Achieving glory in battle was one way of earning a knighthood. If youre good at talking clothes, you can sit this one out. Heres a great visual guide on female fantasy armor by YouTuber Shadiversity. Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. A knight, by definition, was a lord. Those of us who dont get all jazzed about writing clothing descriptions often fail to consider that a good wardrobe has layers. What are the rules of your characters world? So here are some more ways to alter a design while sticking with familiarity and a more historic feel: Clothes that are loose and hanging in folds. The good news is that attire is not only important, its also kind of fun when you start digging into it. Impress someone with my indifference? The senses were deadened: sight limited, sound muffled, breathing stifled (depending on the type of helmet). If it fits your universe it usually works, so don't be afraid of doing something different. ), Your character and communitys financial resources. Shoes made with bendable displays already exist, allowing you to change your shoe's design on the fly. Knights werent as immobile as people assum, though I can imagine in a quagmire itd be tricky to get up. Clothing description also presents an opportunity to play with different points of view. You could even move the buttons to the side and have it close diagonally instead. Even things like tattoos, hair colors, eye colors and so on can help with this. Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. and our And of course, location provides a clue for what it takes to be comfortable in the world of your story. Each suit was tailored to the individual. Like say a vest with mirrored sequins and rhinestones, but they all go in a pattern and you feel the need to describe the pattern line by line? When youre shopping for yourself, you know what you like but you dont know how to describe it. I like the way you wrote this information. The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. But they werent administrators. 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. They can tell us what era they live in, and even a persons current state of mind or intent.
Magis Latin Declension, Does Joe Spano Have Cancer, Articles H