I find when I'm writing it is like a movie playing in my head and I tend to get wrapped up in the action, dialog and characters, forgetting to paint the scene. So I find myself going back to add visuals later. Often times more than once. Doing sweeps for clothes, decor and so on.
What are my character's wearing? Do I have the correct styles, fabrics for the period? Do I know the names of the fabrics, styles I'm using? Sometimes I don't and have to looking for them or have long chunky sentences.
http://www.costumegallery.com/
Whether it's a Regency or a Contemporary setting knowing what you are talking about takes a bit of research.
What a character wears says as much about her as the way she interacts with other characters. Clothes can give subtle hints to things yet to be revealed, or negate the need to explain she's modest or eccentric or at the top of fashion.
Where do our character's live? An Arts and Crafts/Californian bungalow
or a Victorian style house. Do you know the different Victorian architecture styles? As the author it's your job to be precise in your settings. 
Queen Anne is a specific Victorian type not a generic term for the era. Queen Ann is my personal favorite. http://users.rcn.com/scndempr/dave/school.html
Are your characters Frank Lloyd Wright, free from clutter, streamlined?
Or are they stuck in the eighties with dripping oil lamps and enormous water bed furniture? Or somewhere in between with Gustov Stickley's clean lines which lend themselves to a homey feeling consistent with the Arts and Craft movement?
http://www.iserv.net/~plucas/styles.htm
As I see it; there should be nothing in a novel which doesn't serve the purpose of the story. Whether it's a chintz tea set, Mission style furniture, the color of the walls, carpet or lack there of.
While they might seem inconsequential what you dress your story with adds layers to characters and the mood of the story. Can you imagine Dracula living in a 70's split level? How about Queen Victoria in a sod house?
Knowing what you are talking about can make the descriptive short and unobtrusive. Unless you are in Queen Elizabeth I court it shouldn't take paragraphs or a page to set the scene or describe a gown.
When I find that I've done just that, a lot of it hits the cutting room floor in edits.
So my dear Wombats, does window dressing happen as you write your first draft?
Do you write in layers, going back to add color to the script?
Is any of the background conscience thought or does it just happen/dictated by the characters themselves?
Do you use back drops and accents as a means to propel the story, or just as fill?
At least one wombat would like to know.
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Comments: 393
I am trying a format for the SisterHood book that has six very different women discussing a topic in every chapter. It was starting to work and then I realized I'd have to dress each woman differently for each chapter. That came out to about 120 outfits for the man who has trouble describing what a nun is wearing.
The first six women I mentioned this dilemma to had the identical response. "I can dress them for you."
I'd point out that we had the lesbian professor, the housewife, the scientists, etc. "No problem."
I'd add that I need to have some specifics, designer's names etc. "No problem."
Then I remembered my sister. I wouldn't be having this problem if I'd swallowed my pride and taken her up on her offer to play paper dolls.
What my chars are wearing becomes known only if it's important to the storyline. The world they live in, however--accents and all--is important because it is essential to the storyline. Unless you're writing something with people sitting around talking the whole time, I don't see how environment can avoid being an important character.
Dave I don't know why you got so flustered.. you splained it very well.. it does depend on the genre and what the writer is trying to accomplish.
Jamie, I hope you are feeling better. No work for you today, huh?
I'm sorry we offended you. I did think about them as a person and my comments were directed at the lack of constructive feedback on the thread.
John you wouldn't have to redress these women 120 times. Once a dress pattern is established the reader can pick it up and fill it in.. reference to 'Nice sweater Sue, is that cashmere?' is all which is necessary.. unless it's a Regency Romance.. somehow I don't see you tackling one of those. smile
I left a snarky comment, not an accusatorial one. I left a snarky comment because this was the #1 entry and it was bad. Not just a little bad, a lot bad. The writer hadn't even formatted it properly, and while I know the Gather editor is a piece of crap, we aren't talking about a few formatting mistakes, we are talking about an entire lengthy chapter appearing as a block of text.
And, yeah, a lot of blank orange heads there.
I take Jamie's point though. It's hard to know for certain what the situation is, and erring on the side of compassion is a good thing. I enjoyed my snark more than is karma-kly sound.
I write details as I go. The only times when I put a placeholder in is generally a scene; i.e., bar room brawl. I don't feel the emotion to compose it so I fast forward to the next part of the story and keep writing. I have a big glitch in a story right now that I cant' seem to bridge. I know two things need to happen, but I'm not sure how to get them from point A to point B.
Gather, I'm sure, is aware of the situation. They'll handle it. We'll probably never know. Move onward.
Now I have to go read Wendy's article.
which promptly got chuckles all around and we started singing and swaying to the Chipmunks :)
I like using scenery or clothes, etc. to propel the story. In Beauty and The Best, it was Jolie's "kicky yellow flats." It gave you who she was, and then she loses them in a fire when her apartment building burns down. At the end she buys "kicky yellow pumps" as she's taking charge of her life.
The scene setting for In Over Her Head took me so many hours of research. The great world-building comments I got back validated the effort. But it created the emotion of the piece when they're running for their lives, the sea is in turmoil, the sensitive scene...ah, well, I'm not going to tell too much in case it sells, but, yes, definitely. I make sure the elements are there for a reason, not just thrown in willy-nilly.
I sometimes add color later, only because I didn't know enough at the time, but it's easier to know the task of involving the senses in every scene a priori and do it as I go. Without it you have cardboard. Of course a couple of my characters are still naked after the final edits.
Though, playing with Julie's paper dolls sounds like more of, what should I call it here? ... a personal growth experience.
And, Wendy, thank you for the front page hoorah. However, I do feel you have thrown down the gauntlet and DARED me to write a Regency Romance, which I am going to do as soon as I find out what that is and if I can write one with my clothes on.
I'm a layerer. I write something one day, then the next, I go over and add more depth, description, etc to what I wrote the previous day. I'm always surprised at how much I've missed. When the first draft is complete, I go back again, sometimes for multiple drafts.
Ugh! Sorry to hear that FCC has its own scandal. Good luck to all our Wombats! Good writing will triumph in the end. When are the semi finalists announced?
Do you mean we're supposed to have scenery and clothes description? Who knew? Action and dialogue for me, thank you very much.
Forgive me for my independent nature. I've never been part of a gang before. Carry on with the banging, I'll stay back here in the hideout and wait for you to return with your stories of glory. I won't mention my dislike for it again. I'll liken you to the "Merry Men" though, as opposed to the "Crips" or "Bloods". Robbing votes from the sock puppets to give to the folks with few online friends, as opposed to drve-bying the "enemies" articles with "1"s.
I'm sure to be sticking my foot in my mouth many times in the coming days. Might as well get used to the taste of shoe leather.
I went to work, but came home early.
Flying fur yesterday and Ester's article, boy I miss all the fun. Serious online shopping going on here- daughter's list is shrinking. No clue about sweetie, but hey i never am. Aargh! I detest shopping.
Jamie.. I would never accuse you of dbing me. I wouldn't have noticed had you not pointed it out. Honestly I don't pay attention to ratings, FC1 was the only time I watched. Your opinion is important to us, please don't stay in the corner too long.. it isn't the same without you. I didn't see a shoe in your mouth? Not at all.. must be the fever making your mouth taste like that. As for the gang comment.. the shoe was close.
Dale, I only read three entries in the contest. I missed the infamous one, so would you mind providing the title? Thank you!
I seem to be lost in the re-write of the first chapter and may not have it finished until next year. LOL... but I refuse to give up.
I'll try to get back here later. Right now I have to go to the doctor's office to pick up a prescription. For my daughter, not for me. And it's the kind you can't have phoned in. Sigh.
Cathy
Lisa, I think you can change your name title under the profile section on your namespace.
June, we're all works in progress and if you're not then you're just rotting. Either one grows or decays, so look on the bright side- you're growing :)
All- I have finals coming up so I will be sporadic, but lurking. Off to the War of Spanish Succession, yippee!
Err, not really. Here in town on business (actually to train my replacement as Friday is my last day). Currently sitting in a Panera Bread in Mt. Lebanon acting as a WiFi and power outlet vampire (I did buy a drink).
I don't know all the details and can't check now because the chapter is gone. However, this was not simply a case of a legion of Sock Puppets voting for a friend or family member. This was a case where dozens and dozens of nearly identically-named commenters, all with lower case letters (e.g, jamie c., jamie s., etc.) left nearly identical comments. Furthermore, nearly all of them apparently (according to Ken and Sy, I think) had the same e-mail address. The very strong indication was that the author or a surrogate had voted and commented many, many, many, many times.
The Wombat involvement began when Judi posted a comment and the sock puppets began quarreling with her. A few others investigated and left some comments. I went to see what the beef was about, but -- poof -- it was gone. The entire thing lasted no more than fifteen or twenty minutes. I don't see how anyone could characterize this as "harrassment." Nor did I think anyone was "celebrating" on our thread. There were some typical Wombat-type silly comments and expressions of surprise.
I also recall that you were justifiably upset when your Code Orange article was flagged and that you did not express much concern over the megavote getter in that contest who disappeared (either voluntarily or by Gather punitive action). So, what's the beef this time?
On fabrics and dressing.. go to a fabric store and wander through the bolts, take notes on what is what. If it's a period piece there is a great link in the article. If it's contempary pick up a fashion magazine for descriptions.. it really isn't hard, just time consuming until you learn the ins and outs.
The same with furniture and homes.. do google searchs and be prepared to get lost in all of it for hours. Looking around, what? Like I'm the only one who gets so caught up in the history of something that I get lost?
My first novel is fantasy. I didn't want to deal with researching details, so I made them up. Yup, fantasy has it's perks.
Cathy! Nice to have you weigh in. Hope your daughter feels better soon.
Good luck on your finals Vivian.. then Christmas break?
Shoe leather? You know, I ruined a perfectly good pair of Italian leathers once by inserting them one time too many in my mouth. sigh, and I really loved those shoes. Didn't have any puppies around to blame it on darn it. I think we all experience the taste of leather. Isn't luggage suppose to be made of leather? I wonder if that's the orgins of the saying, life comes with baggage? or maybe it was if you're alive, guaranteed leather will cross your lips. Hmmm maybe John can risk the super highway and find out...
Good discussion prompts here, Wendy. I'm bad at description, and that includes clothing and rooms and buildings. So I have to go back and add that stuff on purpose. In real life, however, I also couldn't tell you what kind of furniture a room has, the name of any designer based on the product, or the words for the funky things on my rooftop. If I don't know those things, I feel that most of my characters don't know that info in their time periods either. I'll set the scene as necessary, but I know I don't need to go overboard.
My two cents on that story, which will probably stretch to a couple dollars worth by the time I finish...
I felt someone was putting one over on us. All those uniformly glowing comments that didn't really refer to the story? I only did a quick pass through it all, but I think someone was having a laugh at Gather's--and our--expense. Several folks have bragged that they could game the system--I don't like being played.
And it's definitely not fair to all those who follow the rules.
If, on the other hand, the whole thing wasn't a put-on, then the comments do come across as piling on.
As for narcing? If no one says anything, then the bad guys win. This is a self-policing site. Gather can't do it all. We are the citizens here. Our site, our responsibility. I think back to that woman who was killed in NYC, 30-40 years ago. No one called the police--thought someone else would do it. We--that's the collective Gather we--have rights and responsibilities.
That said, does everything deserve a complaint? Not at all. The freedom here is in taking it to the source. That happened in this case.
Jamie, tell it like it is. Your words and opinions are as valid as anyone's. I absolutely LOVE that everyone here speaks his/her mind. We don't agree. Thank God. I get a bit uncomfortable at times--thank God for that, too. I don't want a group-think thing, like the Borg--one mind, many bodies. Each of us needs to be who we are. Say things important to us in the manner that we speak. Some of us are brusque, some humorous, some long-winded, some utterly confusing. It's who we are. Again, sometimes uncomfortable, but almost always stimulating.
I don't know if I said what I wanted to get across, but I'm done.
I like the question posed, Wendy, as well as all the nifty links! I have to say the quality of articles you guys post show a lot of time and thought...or the ability to produce quality really quickly.
I love clothes and food and all those sorts of detail, and what my characters wear can definitely dictate what they're doing or how they're moving, etc., so I go give 'em a wardrobe right out of the chute. Unless they're nudists and then they get nothing. NOTHING, says I!
I've read GONE WITH THE WIND dozens of times since my first read when I was about 10 and part of the reason (but not all of it) is the loving descriptions of clothes, food and settings. And she managed it without bogging down the story.
Wendy, I have a habit of trying to read between the lines for some hidden meaning when there's nothing to read but what's in front of me. Now I understand.
Thank you for clearing that up for me.
I have always been sartorially challenged, both in real life and in anything I write. I have no idea what I am actually wearing at any time, let alone a character. I don't think I could recognize a bodice, if it ripped in front of me. So… to answer your question Wendy, no I have no idea how to do this. I also have no clue as what all these parts of buildings and things are called (portcullis? Arbor? Terrace?). Can you subcontract this stuff out?
Fantasy for you my man.. you can make it up and call it anything you wish. Hahahaa
June.. I'm pretty staight forward.. nothing between the lines but dead white space. smile
Descriptives come hard for me to, and I fall into telling.. sigh, I hate that. It's a process.
His love looked as if she'd stepped out of an earlier time in Spokane's history, a time when the Davenport Hotel was in its hay-day. Her thick, auburn locks were fashioned so a cascade of curls kissed her creamy neck, framing her elegant face. Her gown in particular garnered his attention.
The fabric looked as if an artist had lovingly dabbed the jewel tones against the weightless chiffon so they would meld, seamlessly, breathlessly. A subtle emerald silk hugged her figure, leaving little to the imagination. She'd aged well, very well indeed. The gown settled at the small of her back, as strings of tiny crystals criss-crossed her sun kissed shoulder blades. It brushed the carpet and caressed her shapely legs with every move she made.
The front showed her modesty with a gentle scoop neckline which gave the barest hint of cleavage. A tasteful strand of marquee diamonds secured a magnificent pear emerald to the graceful hollow of her throat. Smaller, matching, emeralds pinned two delicate strands of diamonds to her delicate earlobes.
I just asked someone else--is it bad form to tell all you northerners experiencing snow and ice that it's a record-setting 76 here today? That's 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. Am I loving it? You bet.
We didn't have the bad ice storm up my way -- I believe that was in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, etc.
PS They still love us. For the guys just to rile 'em up we send a photo of some gals playing beach volleyball- kills 'em.
June if you want to read someone who wrote almost exclusively about details and no action, as a reference try Henry James. Utterly void in action but detailed in emotions and surroundings.
Dave is it windy? I can do cold. Don't like it. Can do it. It's the wind that kills me with its biting.
Wombats travel in a gang. Great if you are in that gang. Not so great if you are not in that gang. If the wombats suddenly decided that my code orange entry had a false number of votes and reported it, then flagged it repeatedly or left a string of accusatory and/or negative comments one after another in the space of an hour (not possible in that particular contest) until I withdrew from the contest, yes I would feel harassed. I'm not saying we should sit on our hands and do nothing. I'm also not saying we should turn a blind eye to cheating. I am saying that when 8 wombats show up on someone's thread (where no wombats had gone before) and sling insults (thinly veiled or blatant) this speaks of harassment to me.
You might ask Paul how if feels to have a pack of Wombats ripping you apart, then sniggering about it on the thread. I'm surprised he forgave us. I'm not sure I would have. And Paul you deserve a public apology for that, so I offer one now. Paul, I'm sorry that happened to you. Truly.
So take it for what it is. I'm sorry if you feel like I'm treating you like naughty children. That also was not my intention. I'm pretty tore up about this actually. Eventually, I've got to call things as I see them. And this has been going on for a while.
Police away (people should not get away with injustice), just please refrain from ganging up on perpetrators and then alerting me to it (indirectly). I'd rather not know. I will not participate. I hope things will be handled differently in the future. That is all.
Continue to berate me for speaking my mind, if you must. There are two sides to every coin. I tend to see both. Forgive me. When the side I'm on doesn't "feel right" then I have to say something. I'm still on the Wombat's side. It isn't a requirement to agree with everything you do, is it? If so, I will regretably leave.
Great article, Wendy. With what I write, dress isn't as important of a detail and when I add them, I try to have them show something of the character or the mood -- of either the WEARER or the POV character.
I had a character pull on a navy-colored hoodie -- A. it's a subconscious link since he was a former Marine and the Marines are a division of "the navy" (although they hate that reminder) - B. a hoodie kind of symbolizes insecurity...put that hood up over your head and you have your hands in your pockets in front of you...he's guarded, even a little bit scared. And (hopefully) I convey that in just a quick snippet. Later the same character grabs a brown bomber jacket...he's inpenitrible (sp) and ready for war.
Another time, I have a POV character note a female character's pink sweat pants as she walks away. I don't need to state the obvious of what he's really looking at.
Just things I do. I'm enjoying hearing other people's tips and suggestions! Warning: what I like...I steal!
;-)
Wendy, can I have a dress like that one? It sounds divine.
Sy - wink, wink - bodice ripping in front of you? You'd only notice what's inside, right?
You know, I've been here once a day, and it's always a new thread. I still haven't sat down to work on the manuscript in over two months, though I've decided to change the ending as a sort of shedding skin, where I'd like to see Michael as more of my past, and Laura as a frame to that, the before and after of Michael, or some leap frog effect. People are not often kind and well meaning, and could betray anyone, as far as I've seen at this point. I care not to be that.
But I also have stories where the lack of description about the clothing is meant to be a remark on a character. In novel #2 heroine doesn't spend much time thinking about clothes. The only time I describe her clothing is a quick 'pulled on her jeans' or something along those lines. But in novel #1 and #3 the clothing is described more fully, because the heroines are more clothing-aware.
OK, back to crazy Monday existence.
1. I totally agree with Jamie on the harassment issue. Right or wrong there should be no harassment.
2. I don't at all apologize to Paul. I reviewed (I think fairly and semi-objectively) his article. I couldn't help but notice he (as well as others) were engaging in inappropriate debate with commentators on his thread, so I mentioned it.
3. Jamie, if you leave, I'll hunt you down and refuse you food or water until you rejoin the wombat thread. If that's not enough, I'll change your nickname back to Space Squirrel!
;-)
As she stormed through the door of the plaktelleria, she threw off her fur lined masskin with a flick of her wrist. Her eyes, heavily painted with the juice of the bornyberry, blazed, as she confronted her terrified adversary. He, still dressed for morning in his flannel preggamin, remained calm in the face of her fury. He looked down from her eyes to the sparkling, and very expensive crain-stone necklace hanging at her throat, which he knew quite well had not been a present from him. At least he couldn't remember giving it to her.
"I hate you" she snarled, ignoring the maid (dressed to the nines in a prilleen layered minlar sheath) who was tiptoeing down the causewalk, expecting to see her new lover alone in the large and ornately furnished charbellion, instead of finding him standing in the middle of the plaktelleria, facing his furious fourth wife.
ahhhh nevermind.
June - Wendy's right. We're all 'works-in-progress'. We practice and critique and listen and learn in the hopes that we'll improve our writing for the better. We all have weaknesses that we need to work on.
Ken - you're about to quote some non-fiction, aren't you? I just had lucky charms fall on my desk. You're channeling...
For anyone who's interested - I have boots that make me 6'1".
I love writing fantasies because of the freedom it gives my imagination. Not one of my novels takes place in modern-day, boring ole Earth. Lollaphonetika in Literaritika? Sure! Why not?
I got nothing but a headache.
On the contrary, I am very proud of you for stepping forward and expressing something that was bothering you rather than sitting back and doing nothing. Just as Sy would have been wrong to say nothing about something that bothered him. I was attempting to put the matter in perspective -- that the suspicious activity was quite bad, not just the usual Gather games -- because you were not on-line when it transpired.
That said, I clearly understand what you were getting at -- people should not be rushing to attack others or defend their groups whenever some beef comes up. I prefer a more reasoned approach. (In my own defense, I was hiking on Isle Royale when our friend Paul was mistreated and only heard about it later.) I think that's one problem with the late night silly threads -- we tend to lose perspective in the flurry of commenting.
This is long. Let me just conclude by asking your forgiveness for sounding like a bully. I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate. You are a wonderful friend, and it would hurt me very badly if I caused you pain or discomfort. Please keep pinging on me and anybody else if we misbehave.
(Psst. Is that really what happens next? Is it? Is it? Because those little girls have GOT to be afraid of those things that are stalking them.... It sure would be nice for them to feel a little safer. With an angel, I would feel VERY safe.)
June that is the best descriptive I've ever come up with.. And I want that gown too! It just about kills me that she gets shot in that dress and ruins it. Just a graze, she's fine but the dress. wwhhhhhaaaa.
I'm honored you'd like to use it as reference.. I'd go with the other suggestion though. have you read Ann's FCC chapter? Her descriptives are washed in so well, it's amazing.. subtle and powerful.
HHHeeyyyyyy Paul! How's it going?
Jamie if Steve takes you away, I'll make sure you are fed.. but you have to come back to us.. k?