In other words take what exists and apply it differently. One specific form of descriptive writing that particularly affects setting and characterization is the portrayal of characters' clothing. - 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. 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. 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. Similarly, find out (or, if youre creating a fantasy world, create) the garments your characters would wear in a particular time and place. This one is simple, right? 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. Characters Wear More Than Just Clothes. Heres a great visual guide on female fantasy armor by YouTuber Shadiversity. The fact the clothes seem to stand by themselves indicates just how heavy they are with jewels and embroidery. But if you do want some guidelines, inspiration or just help this guide'll hopefully provide it. The reason we fuss over physical descriptions is not because its so important that the readers imagination gets it right. Once quenched, the steel was re-heated to make it more resilient. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7bbcc198c936bc1af3fbda128514c44fcfc10f0513ea31cad7c21ae61ba0ab0.jpg. In pre-thermometer times this was difficult as you can imagine, so instead, armorers observed the colour of the heated steel. What are the rules of your characters world? 2012 - But that doesn't mean you can't deviate from these guidelines completely and do whatever you wish. Since it's a friends' get-together, let's wear casual attire. The padded material could absorb blows from blunt weapons and provided some protection from cuts, but against well-forged weapons they were useless. 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? A band t-shirt. 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. A lowly one at that, but one very much capable of climbing the ladder. 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. Most clothing throughout history consisted of longer pieces of fabric and with minimal tailoring and cuts. And here are some great concepts for female fantasy armor. (Has denim been invented yet? If you want futuristic fantasy simply follow the sci-fi/futuristic tips more or mix and match both sides. Through fashion terms you can understand the fundamentals of the fashion industry. Its a bit OCD of me. So this really reaffirmed that approach for me. That's why it's valuable to learn these terms. - Convert future clothing to a historic version. His writing offers a masterclass in how to describe clothing in stories. 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. On occasion, Abi pretends to be a poet. 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 . Youll be blown away by the number of awesome things on there. Strips of leather were boiled in water, though some sources record oil and wax being used, and even animal urine. To navigate your way through this guide, just click the links below. One major element that makes creating more futuristic clothing easier is to make sure it doesn't look familiar, to make sure it doesn't look like something you'd come across today. 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. Because like all other character details, its not enough to paint a picture. For example, think about a wealthy person and how that person might dress. 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. Clothing reflects the resources available in a specific time and place. Mantel creates a vivid sense of the wealth that the church amassed in these times. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to Castles and Keeps: part one Richie Billing. Such coats were made from brass or iron, though steel was deemed best due to its toughness. Whether its a beekeeping suit, climbing helmet, knee pads, or sun-protective fabric, what your character wears provides a clue about whats at stake in the coming scene. 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? But let's take a step back and look at what kind of clothing is usually associated with futuristic settings. Cookie Notice So let's delve deeper into the details of how to actually figure out what your character wears. 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. 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? Look how she sits with her mouth open! 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. Look at this picture, is it insane for an author to try to describe this on a character? 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. Only the most powerful strikes could pierce such armor. But it can also be fun to play with the confidence and ease that comes with wealth. In Gabriel Garcia Marquezs Love in the Time of Cholera (1985), we learn of a doctors status through his being the only person at an event who is not smartly dressed: Although it was not customary for invitations to request special attire, least of all for a luncheon in the country, the women wore evening gowns and precious jewels and most of the men were dressed in dinner jackets with black ties, and some even wore frock coats. The image you create has to play a role in the narrative.Consider the character arc. Well also take a look at female fantasy armor and those used by, Mail was particularly effective against glancing blows. Like Borges would say, 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. Not quite. Continued successes could see knights rise higher up the ranks. Give your wealthy character a pair of Louboutins and dress your non-wealthy characters in hand-me-downs. 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. Its hard to really appreciate just how sickeningly awful medieval warfare would have been. You can use visual description to make a character more vivid in the readers minds eye. - 'Stealth'. If it fits your universe it usually works, so don't be afraid of doing something different. This includes things like a pilots uniform, a tiara, or a Pink Ladies jacket. Not really. Game of Thrones/A Song Of Ice And Fire is one series that wonderfully explores fantasy armor and weapons. Your articles are always very informative. Great idea. Good for the mobile knight. The shrewd king essentially licensed out parcels of his land as rewards to his warriors in exchange for their military service. Pingback: A fantasy writers guide to weaponry Richie Billing. As a friend told me, Wear jeans and glasses and have a favorite pen. - 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. Metallic works well too, but make sure any metal bits or metallic looking bits are smooth and clean looking too, otherwise it might look too historic. One of her poems is (legally) stamped into a sidewalk in Santa Clarita, California. Not to pile on, but dont forget to make sure you know which materials wereand werentavailable in the world of your novel. Expensive indeed, and heavystronger horses had to be bred to handle the weight. By playing around with this you quickly create very subtle, but more unique fantasy-themed items. Non-visual senses are big, too. Theyre the lifeblood of any relationship. Theyre probably less concerned with how they look (unless they want to look intimidating) and more concerned with things like survival or victory. - Make things look glossy, smooth and clean. A scarf for example might be too hot for some areas, but it's obviously easy to leave those out. 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. So why not join the gang? William the Conquerors society was shaped with war in mind. In reality, a medieval lord could pretty much do what they liked. And if you were skilled at surviving and killing, it was a good way to make a living. Consider this example from Hard Times. Or they could be frantically running errands in leggings and a t-shirt. Great article. Press J to jump to the feed. ). Arrows will bounce off steel crafted in such a wayunless from close range, as we discussed last week. And right at the heart of it were the leaders of societythe medieval lords. Although such armor exists in fantasy worlds, its important to understand how things work in the real world, even at a basic level. Consider whether your characters attire might serve as a symbol, highlight a theme, or represent a conflict. But put me in a job interview wearing the same outfit, and youd probably start making new guesses about my intentions. As soon as the actor enters stage right or left, we have an inkling of whether theyre a wealthy landowner or peasant, an elegant heiress or humble flower-seller. Get it right, and you transport your readers to a vivid world. If a knight fell from a horse, he could quite easily pick himself up, not stuck on the ground like a tortoise knocked on its shell. It doesn't exclude those that don't know what a qipao is, nor break immersion for those who do. Not a Dabble user? Share. We already have spray on clothing technology. Or else that she feels shamed by her Aunt and thus decides to be good. How does their attire reflect what they want, what they fear, or where theyre going? Do all your characters embrace it? Describe these in passing to add visual colour and authenticity to your character descriptions. Advertisements. - Taboos and nudity. show how hard is to escape in a narrow street. The last minute change suggests an indecisive nature. 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. She also writes for film and television with her brother and writing partner, Phil Wurdeman. 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. Once blue, it is quenched a second time, permanently fixing its hardness. What your character wears reveals where they come from, how they rank in society, how they want to be perceived, and even how they feel about themselves. For example, a meticulously dressed character who is discovered in a disheveled and poorly dressed state. If your protagonist is donning a tri-cornered hat, loosening a corset, or strutting through town in a new toga, your reader has a good sense of time period. Those warriors came from the people who lived on the lands under the watch of the knights. Youre already obsessing over hat styles and what the undergarment situation was at the time of your story. Dragon scales, fiery furs and feathers and other elements can quickly turn a standard item into a fantasy one. That would depend on a few things. How long do they need their clothes to last? Adding these other bits of lesser-known fantasy armor to your stories can really add extra depth to your worldbuilding. Here are a few different types: We mentioned gambesons above. Does your character need to hide? You can immediately show a character is wealthy with descriptions of fine clothing. Who doesnt like being comfortable when killing? You really can tell a lot about a person by what they wear, or what they dont wear. 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. Why this arguably works better is the details of getting dressed tell us multiple details about Gem. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts Make sure you know whats hot and whats not in your specific setting, as well as what specific words the locals would use. The answer to this question gives you a ton of clarity. You can go for standard quasi medieval fantasy clothing. See more ideas about character description, fantasy fashion, fantasy clothing. But Ive also noticed that artful clothing description does make a character, a setting, and even a moment more engaging. 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. Or theyll be living off soda crackers and peanut butter for the next week because they drained their checking account for a suit to impress at their job interview. 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. 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). Lets delve further into these ideas about describing characters dress: Think of your characters clothing like an actors costume in a play. It took leaving the Midwest to recognize it. That cloth ribbon tied around their waist? As such, the contemporary tales that have followed, like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Dungeons and Dragons and everything in between, have paid homage to that era. One does not refer to "a garb". Only in certain situations is a description even needed. (Would people living in this area have access to leather goods? Fashion photographer Bill Cunningham said, Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life. Try applying this philosophy to clothing descriptions in your writing and see what happens. Sometimes they're more interesting and lovable than the main characters themselves and end up stealing the show., Secrets. Another might claim power by striding in wearing torn jeans and a tank top. Slog through another meaningless day in a world where nothing matters? 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. Play with the question of presentation and power! Lets talk about how to describe clothing in writing organically. - Mix cultures. Thats a good example of using clothing to reinforce the narrative of a characters arc. Before I delve into the more detailed aspects of creating clothing there's one final thing to keep in mind and that is that fashion repeats itself. Nylon and polyester fabrics weren't invented until almost the mid 20th century for example. The more you know about real clothing and armor, the more tools in your bag of tricks for describing awesome fantasy pieces. Character description may change over the course of a story to emphasize a characters arc. You may have imagined a man in an expensive suit or a woman in designer clothes. Given that I am writing alone in my apartment, you might rightfully conclude that my goal is to be comfortable. You can even use different pieces of clothing to cover up body parts differently. 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. We naturally link clothing and identity, which is why wardrobe is such an effective tool for building a vivid character. Fashion trends come and go and they often return later, albeit in a slightly different form. This description generator will create a mostly random description of either a dress or a suit, fit for formal occasions and other fancy needs. Well cover everything from helmets and plate armor to chainmail. So have fun with that. And as a reader, nothing bores me like an entire paragraph of detailed clothing description. - Diagonal lines: Diagonal lines aren't all that common in historic clothing and they usually only came in the form of neck lines, the edges of unbuttoned jackets or from large pieces of fabric being held up (think ancient Rome). Lots of gear would have been looted. Separate and enlarge it, turn down the Opacity of the layer . The answer can guide you towards certain fashion trends to inspire your characters wardrobe. Either way, their goal is to be desirable, whatever desirable means in this situation. What exactly are you trying to communicate about the character, setting, or situation? That also will help readers really experience things through their eyes. One easy way of creating a more customized look is to simply use cultural elements in the standard clothing. Particularly in genres such as historical fiction and fantasy, clothing can help to create other worlds (or a long gone era of our own). By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Can you imagine tweaking this to make your own set of fantasy armor? 70s-inspired. Richard the Lionheart, for instance, was celebrated amongst his peers for his ability to chop his enemys skulls down to the teeth. An anxious college student buys a flower crown in the hopes of feeling young and free at Coachella. - Change lengths. You could even move the buttons to the side and have it close diagonally instead. This is often enough to make something look more futuristic, especially if used on something that looks glossy, shiny and/or smooth. (Find out more). In this scene, Gradgrind returns home to find his children playing outside: A space of stunted grass and dry rubbish being between him and the young rabble, he took his eyeglass out of his waistcoat to look for any child he knew by name, and might order off. Youre not infodumping. - Break up clothing into more separate pieces and give them their own styles. For fantasy stories to be more believable, we need to understand how it interacts with our characters, especially if theyre enchanted. Just click this link and dont even think about touching your wallet. - Use nudity.