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Sparks

Karen (Karenika) Grunberg

Dressing it up!

Some of us plan the night before, while others leave it to be a last-minute decision. But when it's time to go out, all of us have at least one thing in common -- we're dressed. :)

Lots of factors contribute to the dressing game. Imagine the time you spend getting prepared on the morning of your daughter's graduation. You try to look presentable and professional; but, if you're wise, you wear the most comfortable shoes possible. Now imagine the day after an all-nighter. How about a day when you're going to work in the garden? What would you wear to your son's wedding?

The list goes on and on. Everyone dresses to the occasion, but that's not all. A character living in 1700s would obviously not wear the same thing as a woman from the 21st century. So the date matters and the planned events of the day matter. What else?

How about age? Does a twenty-year-old wear the same thing as a sixty-year-old, or a five-year-old? Nope. Age matters. Imagine two teenage girls living in the same period, with the same plans. Do they wear the same thing? Maybe. What if one of them spent the night fighting with her boyfriend while the other got engaged? Oops, there go the identical outfits. So, mood can change an outfit.

Now, let's imagine the two girls are the same age, of the same period and are in the same mood. Let's think of other things that might affect their clothing. How about background? What if one is Hispanic and the other an Orthodox Jew? Body shape comes into play as well. What if one's really tall and the other is really thin? One is poor and the other is rich. These are just a few of a million things that go into the decision-making process that we take so lightly.

Let's make these two girls exactly the same on all counts - same background, age, body shape, era, income, and everything else. What would keep them from wearing the same thing? Probably one of the most important factors is personality. Look at yourself and your siblings. You can even take a pair of identical twins and find that they often dress completely differently. Their clothes reflect their identity. Clothes are a mirror into a character's soul.

Now that we know how crucial clothing is, go back to your previous works and dress up your people! Each time you write a scene, know exactly what your characters are wearing. Even if the reader never gets to see them, it's crucial for you, the writer, to know.

Most importantly, make sure to have fun, fun, fun!
Karenika

This month I received no sparkling ideas. If you have any, please email me so we can all use them to help our writing!