Dressing (or Undressing) Sleepy Hollow’s Ichabod Crane

I’m a huge fan of Fox’s new TV show Sleepy Hollow. With season 1 nearly over – and the 2-hour finale scheduled for Jan 20th – I'm filling my time speculating on how the great writers of the show will sum up this amazing introduction to the world they created AND what Ichabod Crane might be wearing. His gabardine jacket and period clothing can only carry him so far. They’re 250 years old. Parting with the last thing that’s familiar to him, Ichabod would not simply let Abbie pick his new clothes. This is a character who is opinionated and insistent on what he thinks is “appropriate.”

 Fans of the show would agree that the hunky British lead actor, Tom Mison, would look good in anything. It’s tempting to treat him like a Ken doll and dress him up (or down) to suit our fantasies. (Whew! Is it hot in here?) As an author, I have an idea what the clothing style of each of my characters and often create an image board for each one as ideas for how to dress them, while staying true to character. But we must remember that in the case of our revolutionary war hero Ichabod, he would feel naked without a jacket for example (something I read on a historical clothing site). His clothes can change during the seasons ahead (Fox has renewed the show for round 2. Yay!), but this first attire switch would probably be Ichabod’s choices to make with Abbie’s thoughtful guesses on what would work for him.

 
So here are my thoughts on what clothes Ichabod might choose for himself.
 
Pants – His colonial culottes breeches (marking the more aristocratic classes – working class men wore full length pants) are down to his knees and his knee high boots come up to where the clothing ends. There are men’s military style pants with a similar look, but here are some that could work and that Ichabod might find practical and similar.

Boots – I don’t see Ichabod giving up his boots for sneakers. This is an area I hope the show wardrobe people have put a great deal of thought into. Those knee high boots are romantic and look great on Ichabod. Below are a few boot styles that could transition him into the present day without losing too much of the real character. Not sure he'd love the lace ups since his knee high boots are slip ons. Boots #2 are western style ropers, but the buckle might feel like his period clothing since buckles were often fashionable.

 

 

 

 












Jackets – As I said before, a revolutionary war hero feels naked without his jacket. A blousy tied shirt like he’s been wearing could be found today, but here are a few images of jackets that would cover anything he wears underneath. Even though many fans would feel that less is more, Ichabod would not agree. He’s modest and respectful of propriety. What do you think of these jackets? (Poor Tom Mison may be stuck in NC humidity in a jacket if Ichabod gets his way, but I think Tom is also a stylish man and would put up with Ichabod’s insistence.)

 
Shirt & Stock – I see Ichabod wearing open collar (without the more formal stock/tie that came more into style later in the century) similar to what he wears now with fabric ties used for buttons. Here are some images that might work, although he might also see a loose dangling neck scarf as practical.

 

 


 

Tom Mison at NYCC looking dapper in a scarf

 

Vests – I see Ichabod layering his clothes because the clothing he is used to wearing had its layers. As he gets more comfortable without a jacket, a vest might be a good compromise for his modesty.

 

 
 












Outer Coat – A great looking navy double-breasted pea coat would work well and the military styling would suit him, but here are coats in a similar style to a period Frock coat.

 

 
 











Undergarments – I see Crane dressing in boxers or some other form of loose fitting undergarments. No tidy whities for him. He wouldn’t like the tight fit. Even in his period clothing, he is wearing a hand stitched loose garment that almost hangs on his hips – not commando.

 
 











Fun stuff – If I were Abbie and could buy Ichabod fun stuff to wear (with a sense of humor), I might look for crazy Tshirts or funny boxers with a reference or image printed on them he may not understand – something he would wear underneath that only she would know what he had on, yet wouldn’t embarrass him in public.

 

 












Those are my thoughts on what Ichabod might choose to wear if he had to ditch the worn gabardine jacket. What do you think? If you were Abbie and took Ichabod on a shopping spree for clothes, what would you convince him to wear? He trusts you. He’d listen, right?
 
 
 

Wizard World’s Austin TX Comic Con

Jordan Dane

@JordanDane

I am no longer a Comic Con virgin. There, I said it. I joined the Writing Ninjas of TX at their large impressive exhibit where we chatted with readers about YA books and signed our featured novels. Our amazing book seller was The Book Spot of Round Rock, TX. The store will have our signed books on sale and on display if you didn’t make the Comic Con in Austin. Here is a link for their YA signed featured books.

 

Here are photos from Comic Con:

Bottom (L to R): Madeline Smoot, P J Hoover, Mari Mancusi
Standing (L to R): Jessica Anderson, Jo Whittemire, Danny Woodfill (Book Spot)

Kari Holt as a Zombie - Scary

Me in my Duck Dynasty gear - even scarier

 

HarlequinTeen made sure my latest YA Crystal Fire was “in the wild” when Comic Con was on – a special exclusive for the event. The Hunted series is complete with both books now being available.

Crystal Fire & Indigo Awakening - The Hunted Series at Comic Con

 

I took some miscellaneous shots of some crazies I saw, but there were many more photos taken by the Austin Chronicle and I’ve included a link to their images below.

Conan

Hercules and his goddess? Don't know, but they were smiling.

 

Here is a link to the Austin Chronicle posting of many more fun photos taken that day by their photographers. If you ever get a chance to go to a Comic Con, join in the fun and dress up. Tap into your inner child with a flourish. You won’t regret it.

Key Essentials for An Authentic YA (or Adult) Voice

Jordan Dane
@JordanDane



Purchased from Fotolia by Jordan Dane

On Oct 17th at the KILL ZONE blog, I critiqued the first page of an anonymous author’s work –A Game of Days. Some interesting comments on the YA voice came from this post and I wanted to share more on what I’ve learned from writing for the teen market. My personal epiphanies.
 
Writing for the Young Adult (YA) market and capturing the voice of YA is less about word choices (and getting the teen speak down) than it is about getting the age appropriate decisions and attitude right. Urban fantasy or post apocalyptic plots can build on a world that is unique and unfamiliar. Books like the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or the Divergent series by Veronica Roth can have its own voice, so teens are familiar with reading books like this.
 
When I went looking for solid examples of teen dialogue or introspection to share at a workshop, I searched some top selling YA books, only to find the voice I expected wasn’t there. Sure there are YA books where authors can sound authentically teen, but to keep up the realism for a whole book can be a challenge and an overabundance of “teen speak” can date the banter or be too much for adult readers to catch. (Yes, adults are HUGE readers of YA.)

As you read through this list, think about how each of these tips might also apply to writing ANY voice, even book intended for adults. Many of these tips work for cross-genre writing.
 
Key Essentials for An Authentic YA Voice:
 
1.) Use First Person or Deep Point of View (POV)—This technique of “deep” POV, or “close third” person, is used in fiction writing as a glimpse into the head of your character. In YA, I think of deep POV or close third as conversational thoughts deep inside your teen. First person POV is like reading someone’s diary.

2.) Don’t be afraid to mix POVs—You can mix POVs (for example, first person for your storyteller and third person for other characters), but since it’s your story, only you can decide how you want it to be told. Many YA stories are in first person, but more authors are exploring a mix. By adding in the element of third person for other characters, you can let the reader in on what is happening outside your character’s head and add twists to your plot more effectively. Plus if you have secondary characters or villains who may threaten your protagonist, letting the reader in on what’s in their head can make the reader more fearful for your hero/heroine. (Most adult books are not in first POV, but first POV is very intimate and fun to write. My current adult book project has first POV for the main character, but third for everyone else. Very liberating.)

3.) Don’t worry about your vocabulary. Today’s teen reader can handle it. There’s no need to simplify your choice of words or sentence structure if the character warrants it. Just be mindful of the experience level and education of the teen in your story. A homeless kid without much education won’t have an extensive vocabulary unless there’s a good reason for it. If you’re writing a futuristic dystopian book, you’ll be world building and perhaps coming up with your own vocabulary or teen life choices or social customs that would be different from a contemporary YA.

4.) Character first or story first? In my adult fiction thrillers, characters usually come at me first, but in YA I think it’s important to conceive a plot then fit the best characters to the premise. This may help you conjure the most fitting character and voice for the story, without creating a cookie-cutter teen that follows you from book to book.

5.) Don't force it. As many kinds of teens there are, that’s how many varied “voices” you can create. As long as the story is compelling and the characters draw in the reader, the voice of YA only needs to match the tone, age, and character of that story. Don’t force voice or language that doesn’t seem real to you. Your protagonist’s voice should come naturally from the story premise and the conflict, filtered through your head as the author. If you force it, it will show.

6.) How does the story and character motivation affect your storyteller’s voice? One of the biggest mistakes writers make in YA usually has to do with the sarcastic voice. Biting sarcasm alone does not make a YA story. Without a reason for this behavior, the author runs the risk of making their character unbearable, unlikeable and a real turnoff for the reader. The manuscript must have a cohesive story with solid character motivation to go along with the attitude. Even if the voice is great, what happens? Something needs to happen. And if your character starts off with a good reason to be snarky, give them a journey that will change them by the end of the book.

7.) Know your character’s motivation. Sarcasm, voice, and maturity of your character must be driven by a reason in your story to add depth. Provide a foundation for the “attitude” your character has and don’t forget a liberal dose of poignancy. A reader can tolerate a sarcastic teen if a scene ends with brutal honesty or catches the reader off guard with something gripping to make the whole thing come to a real point.  

8.) Beware of stereotypes—Avoid the cliché character (the geeky nerd, the pretty cheerleader, the dumb jock). This doesn’t only apply to YA.

9.) Can you relate to your storyteller? Peer pressure, dating, zits, kissing, sex, being an outsider, not fitting in—these are teen concerns that, as adults, we have to remind ourselves about. With each of these words, what pops into your head? Does it trigger a memory, good or bad? Sometimes the best scenes can come from these universal concerns that haven’t changed for decades. Filtered through your own experiences, a scene can carry more weight if it’s still relevant and relatable.

10.) What is your storyteller like emotionally? What effect can raging hormones do for your character? Is everything a drama? Not all teens are like this. Some are withdrawn in front of adults or in social situations. It’s important to ask yourself: What are they like around their friends and who are their friends? I would resist the urge to create a character based on a teen you know if it’s at the expense of your plot. Certain aspects or perceptions of “your teen” can influence your character, but your book is fiction. That’s why I recommend devising your plot first before you place the right teen in it.

11.) Who or what has influenced your storyteller most? Like in the movie, JUNO, the teen girl had a dry wit that sometimes referenced an older person’s humor. Not everything was “teen speak.” She was influenced by the adults in her life, using references she heard from her dad and step-mom. Her pop culture references were peppered into the humor of another generation. She still sounded young, but her dialogue appeal was more universal. Don't be afraid to make up a word or phrase to suit your character's world.

12.) What journey will your storyteller take in your book? Getting the voice right is only half the challenge. Your YA book must be about something—a plot, believable world building, and the reaction and journey of a real teen amidst it all.

13.) Don’t forget the imagery. Teen readers have great imaginations and can picture things in their heads like a movie. Give them something that triggers and engages their imaginations. Picture your book scenes on the big screen and write them that way, but don’t go overboard and slow your pace. Teens get it. Give them a glimpse and move on. They’ll roll with the imagery.

14.) Turn off your parent switch—If you’re an adult and a parent writing YA, you may find it difficult to turn off your mother or father switch, but you should consider it. Kids can read between the lines if you’re trying too hard to send them a “universal parental” message about conduct and behavior. Simply focus on your story and tap into what your teen experiences were—without censorship—and without the undertone of sending kids a special message. Your story will read as more honest, without an ulterior motive.

HERE is a link on a video about one teenager’s story from The Onion News (DISCLAIMER: I had nothing to do with making this video):


 
For Discussion:
1.) Any other writing tips to make your YA voice read as authentic?

2.) What books have you read where the teen voice seemed very real and please share why you thought so?