I know this sounds like a silly thing but I always have problems when describing locations, such as were they walking down a plaza? was there a ballustrade to their left? (I write mainly historical or fantasy fiction) I've tried reading architecture books in order to find out the names for these things but i'm finding it hard. I also often have a problem with clothes, such as the type of collar they wear or the type of clothing, like is it crinoline or satin or what. Does anyone know of any resources that helped them?

Hi, Yewtree, and welcome to WriteWords.

If I'm writing a description and add something I'm not sure the proper name of I pop a couple of square brackets in as a marker, and carry on. Then, when I have the time, I go and look those words up in reference books in the library, or do a Google search, or Google image search, or check out Wikipedia, etc. Sooner or later I'll come across it, but in the meantime the writing's not held up and I can carry on and complete the chapter.


- NaomiM

Hi, this isn't a silly thing at all, I wish more fantasy writers worried about how to describe place. It's so important. The reader has got to feel the world is real, because you're being asked to suspend disbelief with the magic.
For historical, there are some good reference books where you can get pictures of the clothes they wore in the day. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but if you got to the library they should direct you to something. Or if you are in London, perhaps go to somewhere like the Fashion museum http://www.ftmlondon.org/ or the Victoria and Albert and they might have exhibitions on or be able to direct you to some good reference books.
Probably Emma D will know about historical source books (she writes hist fic). They will probably help with the fantasy too, since much fantasy draws on history for its sense of place and time.

The utterly wonderful Deb's Historical Research website is no more, alas, but yes, it's always a problem. Other than that I've never come across a single resource. The V&A bookshop is a useful place to start if you're in reach of London (you can always note them down and order them through your library) as it covers not just fashion but also the other applied arts.

Your average central public library can be pretty good too, since it's probably serving fashion and art students: what you're after is something which tells you not just what the clothes were, but the right words. Loook for things with glossaries at the back.. Fiction of the period sometimes helps, though not often with clothes... On the other hand, that's a useful indication of the sort of light hand you need with the details, because it's not as if we get up thinking 'I'll put on my gored skirt because the hem is feather-stitched' very often. It's the way that those details interact with the basic character-in-action that matters, so you usually don't need very much, unless your character is an obsessively acquisitive antiquarian. Philippa Gregory, I think, tells a good story of actually trying on some Tudor clothes (presumably theatrical) and discovering that a well-dressed gentlewoman can neither breathe, nor raise her arms above shoulder height. That's the kind of thing that matters... but would the characters actually mention it, if they don't know any different? I realised that in the whole of ASA's 137,000 words, I mentioned clothes twice...