Sartorial Vocabulary
Dress, clothes, costumes, tailoring, patching, mending, sewing, weaving, stitching, knitting, embroidering, crocheting are all terms within the sartorial category required to write fiction. Even though the words themselves don’t vary, their manifestation changes from year to year, from period to period, from country to country. Thus, thinking about the description of how characters are dressed in a novel requires thought, research, and attention to detail. Tiny Tim could not possibly be dressed like Harry Potter although they are both English. Leia could not be dressed like Rapunzel even though they are both princesses. In Outlander, how Claire and Jamie are dressed changes dramatically as they flit between countries, cultures, and centuries.
Sartorial Points to Keep in Mind
Every novel is set in a time period, whether it be the past, present, future, or even a parallel time frame in science fiction. If the writer is dealing with the past or present, being accurate about the clothing individuals wear is essential. If the novel is set in a future period, authors can be more playful and creative about their character’s attire. In fantasy and science fiction, they have the liberty to create new sartorial trends—which may appear at the next Met Gala!
Accuracy and descriptiveness depend on gender, age, class, culture, jobs, education, and of course, the personality of the characters. A good example of a quick and dirty class distinction is beautifully done by Tommy Orange in There There, when he describes Bill Davis as wearing “light blue latex gloves … and [holding] a clearish-gray garbage bag.” The reader understands that Bill is a janitor.
Integrating Sartorial Elements into Your Descriptions
Accuracy requires research. Because our memories are feeble, it is important to make use of local library or museum collections, the web, photo albums your parents had, or photo albums you have kept for yourself. We forget how much fashions change or what folks were wearing during a certain period. For example, when I look back at old photos, I am even surprised by what I was wearing at the time.
Sartorial Faux Pas
It is important not to make blunders in describing apparel. Mistakes could cover any egregious mismatches of the categories named above. For example, in the 1970s, the time of the “flower children,” embroidered flowers were common decorations on bell-bottom blue jeans. The other day, I saw a twenty-first-century version, but the flowers were made from iron-on patches. This would have been a terrible faux pas for a true hippy.
Costuming must match the time and place or it is jarring. I recall a famous movie about a gay cowboy. The clothes he wore were completely wrong from the viewpoint of someone who grew up in a ranching community in the West at the time the film was supposed to be situated. The character dressed more like a farmer from the Midwest. As you write, you want your readers to be able to imagine your characters in a believable way. You don’t want them to be critiquing your sartorial mistakes as they read, so do your homework and write accurately.
Writing Goals for 2019
This year my goals are to:
1. Edit my first novel into a coherent manuscript by December 7, 2019:
During the month of April, I attended the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ full-day Education Event. Panels included “Finding Your Unique Writing Approach,” “Self-Publishing,” and “Marketing for Writers.” A one-on-one with Corinne O’Flynn, who helped me lay out the equivalent of an elevator speech on the novel I am currently editing, was elucidating. I also took a two-week online course with RMFW on writing a synopsis. The instructor, Sharon Mignerey, provided excellent materials and thoughtful feedback. Before I started the class, I couldn’t fathom that drafting a synopsis would help me tighten up my plotline, but it certainly did. Now I feel more energized about approaching my editing.
2. Complete a draft of my second novel by December 7, 2019:
While I was doing my homework for my synopsis class, I added on—just for myself—some practice at writing a synopsis for my second novel. Working on the draft synopsis showed me where my plot holes are, so back to the drawing board I go.
3. Document my progress through a blog to be posted on the seventh day of each month, writing 12 blogs in 2019:
Today is May 7, 2019. This is my fifth blog of 2019. At the RMFW Education event, I had to chuckle when one of the panelists, Angie Hodapp, exclaimed, “We don’t need any more blogs on writing!” Perhaps writing this blog is indeed an exercise in staring at my own navel. Nevertheless, it is helping me to formulate my own thoughts and explore the issues I am grappling with as I attempt to create a story. Setting myself a posting deadline for the blog has also helped me keep on task with my goals.
4. Continue to develop a network of kindred spirits in the world of writing and publishing:
At the RMFW Education Event, I met some fascinating writers. Listening to them discuss the pros and cons of pen names, self or traditional publishing, or critique groups expanded my own mental forays into creating a career as a writer for myself. Additionally, our Boulder Writers Alliance spring workshop this month featured Professor Polly E. Bugros McLean who discussed her “on-the-ground” research for Remembering Lucile: A Virginia Family’s Rise from Slavery and a Legacy Forged a Mile High. Listening to Professor McLean made me realize how much research I still need to carry out for my second novel. I’m going to have to hit the road!
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