Dressed to Kill

Hi Everyone!
To celebrate the release of The Blood in the Beginning, I'm giving away two SYKED Tees. Just pop in the comments your favorite character's (film, TV or book) get up to be in the draw!  

The two winners have been drawn! They are 1) Suzanne and 2) Sarvah! Congratulations, and please email me: enchantmentATkimfalconerDOTCOM. I'll need you postal addy, and size. 

When it comes to revealing character attributes, an often overlooked technique is attire. What heroes and villains wear, as well as how they wear it, speaks volumes. A writer can also hint at complex states of mind in how characters go about the act of getting dressed, their approach to wardrobe, laundry etc. It delivers to readers information about who the character is.

For example: Are they rich and flaunting it? Ripped and want the world to see? Not giving a flip what others think? Too depressed to care? OCD?

From profession to personality, culture and period, the character's relationship to her clothing reveals much without having to spell anything out.

In my latest release, The Blood in the Beginning, Ava Sykes's clothing is part of who she is.  From her layered tees, black jeans and steel-toed Tims to her Jujitsu gi, MMA gloves and UCLA pre-med lab coat, her get up reveals deeper levels of personality - even strata of soul!

"We automatically categorise people based on their clothing whether we realise it or not. In fact, it takes no more than a description of their clothing to build a variety of pictures of a person in our heads." -- Bridget McNutly

Attire also serves to set the scene. From page 134 of The Blood in the Beginning:

Krysten Ritter is Jessica Jones

     I emerged from the elevator at street level in my black jeans, Poseidon tee and boots. Headset switched on and ready for work.
     ‘Ava!’ Billy punched my shoulder as I took over for him at the door. ‘I liked you better in the dress.’
     ‘Skirt, but settle down. Nothing to see here.’
***
And page 180, at the martial arts academy:

‘Rourke didn’t show,’ was all Dom said. Then he eyed my uniform. ‘This is a no gi class. In the cage today.’
     ‘I only brought my gi.’
     ‘You can wear your pants and sports top. Let’s go.’
     Yeah, summary dismissal. I took off my belt, gi top and tank, and folded them on the bench, then got back in line.
***
The brand of shoes our heroes pick for the day can reveal in a single word or two, more about a character than pages of narrative. It's a handy tool, one definitely worthy of remembering.
***
Again, to celebrate the release of The Blood in the Beginning, I'm giving away two SYKED Tees. Just pop in the comments a favorite character's get up to be in the draw! From film, tv or book!
Kim Falconer is a Supernatural Underground author with her latest release out now - The Blood in the Beginning - an Ava Sykes Novel.

Kim posts here at the Supernatural Underground on the 16th of every month and runs Save the Day Writer's Community on Facebook and GoodVibeAstrology.com. 
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