"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.". s a fantastic image that Thomas Feichtmeir, AKA Cyangmou has put together. It doesn't exclude those that don't know what a qipao is, nor break immersion for those who do. 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. The appearance of armor was a big deal for knights. They are more common around the chest and torso in Asian cultures though, so keep that in mind when adding diagonal lines. Not a Dabble user? Amalias dress thus comes across as insensitive to her; malicious even. Stylish. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. Smart: Neat and tidy clothes but not necessarily formal. In most cases simply copying the style of whichever era you've based your story on is enough, but it can be fun to create your own styles and in some cases it'd make sense to have your own styles as well. Only the most sophisticated, Dr. Urbino among them, wore their ordinary clothes. 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. Chapters 1 and 2 were pretty decent and I started chapter 4 with him dressing for the party. Play with the question of presentation and power! 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. A lowly one at that, but one very much capable of climbing the ladder. Because it actually is possible. (Find out more). Some helmets had chain attached which hung around and protected the neck, called an aventail, and most were padded inside, for added comfort. The unsung hero of so many stories. Its a bit OCD of me. - 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. When youre shopping for yourself, you know what you like but you dont know how to describe it. So have fun with that. I can only imagine the pain of the chafing! Another important function of clothing description in stories is to create an authentic sense of time and place. The aim is to arm you with what you need to enrich your tales with brilliant detail. To add to the previous mosaic part stealth technology can provide great patterns. The answer to this question gives you a ton of clarity. Some wore a trapper a covering of full chain mailand down the line, some horses even had their own plated armor. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. Game of Thrones/A Song Of Ice And Fire is one series that wonderfully explores fantasy armor and weapons. It can be as simple as making a dress shorter, a jacket longer or sleeves wider and longer. But I find looking back in time to the likes of the medieval period can provide some wonderful and unique ideas. Have fun with it. Again, I don't mean make your character walk around naked, but add elements of covering up or exposing certain areas of the body. And its in designs that you can really go wild with your own fantasy armor. We already have spray on clothing technology. Dragon scales, fiery furs and feathers and other elements can quickly turn a standard item into a fantasy one. They're the Robin to your Batman, the Luigi to your Mario, the Samwise Gamgee to your Frodo Baggins. You can quickly convey a number of things about your characters based on the clothing they wear. 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. They should be doing that. Or is it really important for a reader to know the specific pattern? A self-conscious kid tries to disappear inside their oversized sweatshirt. I didnt even know how to begin describing this piece of clothing. I tried to add as much variety as possible, but without turning the whole description into a mess. One way to deal with clothing is to not try to be unique. (Would people living in this area have access to leather goods? I would be great to expand it with armor from other areas, Samurai armor, for example. What would you think about a wealthy character who looked as though he shopped at thrift stores? Youre still not off the hook. They work, they're safe and in many cases have become a standard. A knight, by definition, was a lord. The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. In fact, you should be putting lots of thought and development into protagonists because thats who the story is about.But how much thought have you given to your tertiary characters? Embarrassed by her own inability to dress in finery for the occasion (and by being upstaged), Katerina resorts to scathing mockery of Amalia. When describing clothing in writing, consider: You can also use this aspect of clothing description to paint a vivid picture of the world you imagined. For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. Because like all other character details, its not enough to paint a picture. Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. This is a fun one. 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. But you may run into difficulties when it comes to the practicalities. Now on the other end of the spectrum we have fantasy clothing and more history based clothing. But they werent administrators. Think the previously mentioned Fifth Element and Hunger Games clothing versus Star Trek, Star Wars and so on clothing. Well 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. Is this purely for cinematic effect or would some leaders remove their helmets to show their faces to their soldiers? 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. Its something readers definitely appreciate, which I found with Pariahs Lament. Let it hang diagonally across their chest and over their shoulder instead. Thanks, Teresa, and for sharing that great example from the stage. The aim was not to cause any impediment to movement. Theyre just too important defensively. Also his mother was poor and anyone who knew that might wonder how he could afford such clothing so it hints at the actual story. I'm sort of into historical armor so would get a kick out of finding an excuse to talk about vambraces/rerebraces, spaulders, etc. Whether its a matter of indulgence or survival, feeling good is a deeply relatable goal. And if you dont write historical fiction? If all else fails use Google images and find some visual aids and inspiration sources, they can work wonders. 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. Ha-ha! Some materials are used more than others, some colors are more desirable than others and some accessories are more desirable than others and these all changed throughout time. You could even move the buttons to the side and have it close diagonally instead. Well, mostly. One character might demonstrate their power by showing up to prom in a designer gown. In writing, the clothes kind of do make the (hu)man. Fully geared up, you were a walking fortress. The fantasy genre borrows an awful lot from medieval history. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Clothing tells your reader a lot about your characters goals and motivations within a given scenario. What your character wears can tell us a lot about how they feel or how they want to feel. Plain: Ordinary clothes of one color like gray, beige, or black. Our imaginations can do a surprising amount with just a few key details. 04. If it fits your universe it usually works, so don't be afraid of doing something different. Thanks Chuck! 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. So why not join the gang? If done right you could even use these elements alone with clothing of today to sell a futuristic look. 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. As a result, feudal England became rife with young murderous men. The complete opposite is true for fantasy and historic clothing. Something like this: As you can see, a knights armor is made up of a lot of different pieces. 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 image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. Heating to the perfect temperature was key. Tell us how the wool of your protagonists sheath dress scratches the skin on the underside of her arm. But the definition of sneaky depends on your characters situation. But let's take a step back and look at what kind of clothing is usually associated with futuristic settings. William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. - Furs and other animal parts: A quick and obvious way of making something look more fantasy-themed is by simply adding elements of fantasy creatures. In reality, a medieval lord could pretty much do what they liked. As time marched on, small plates of leather or iron were added to the mail to protect key areas, such as vital organs. Casual. 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.
Stephon Marbury Brothers, Articles H
Stephon Marbury Brothers, Articles H