Some
of the greatest authors in the fantasy genre created magic differently for
their readers. However, all of them followed some simple rules in their writing
of magic to capture the readers and make the magic they created more
realistic. Not all of these authors
clearly stated this This article will hopefully explain these to you and use
examples so that you can join myself and others in walking through a world of
pure imagination.
1. If you have magic, have nothing else. - That is your free ride.
Mixing TOO many powers together will confuse people. I LOVE the Avengers and
the Justice League, who doesn’t, but there are times that I have to resort to
my cheat sheet to remember what some people can do. It works for these comic
book mash ups because the characters have been established through their own
intricate sagas, but it won’t work for your readers who are just learning about
your world
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2. Never forget that people are the story – As magical as the
wizarding world is, without Harry, Garion or Frodo we wouldn’t care.
3. Do you need magic? Why? – There has to be a reason magic
exists. Eddings produces a great reason. In his world, the two sides are two
different possible endings resulting in some sort of rift between that magic.
If the hero wins, one destiny for the world exists, if he loses there is
another reason.
4. If you have magic, it infuses the entire world – Rawlings does this
seamlessly in a modern setting using a magical law that shields Muggles. For
many, there are disbelievers that simply chose to ignore it i.e The Hobbits, but it is there.
5. You don’t always have to define these limitations to your
readers, but you do have to know them. - For example, in the world of Harry
Potter, even though there are dark arts, only those who are evil use them.
Therefore, while there are two sides to the magic, it is the intent of the
wizard or witch that defines good and evil. She doesn’t SAY that’s what she
does, but readers know.
6. All rules are made to be broken, but not all in the same
story. - Magic
didn’t appear to have consequences in Middle Earth, but Tolkein followed all
the other rules. If magic existed without rules, there would be no end to its
possibility and thus becomes unbelievable.
7. All spells have a consequence and a counter spell. – For Eddings, if someone
moved a boulder with magic, the character was just as tired as if they had
moved it physically. It also carried a noise that announced the presence of the
wielder to others with magic abilities. For Tolkein the all-powerful one ring
corrupted the bearer.
8. Plot twists based on the magic work, but only if the
readers understand. We saw Harry use the
marauders map several times, so when Peter Pettigrew appeared, we knew
something was amiss. If the readers didn’t understand that, then finding out
that Scabbers was Peter wouldn’t have been so magical.
9. Heroes and spells both have weaknesses that can be
exploited. – Superman had to have kryptonite If
there is no weakness, then evil can’t be beaten and there is no struggle for
good.
10. There has to be a learning curve. – Harry Potter had Hogwarts,
Garion had Polgara and Belgarath. If the bearer can simply wield the magic from
the outset, then it requires too much suspension of belief
12. Ultimately, magic can’t solve the problem. Harry literally has to
die to save the people he loves even with magic. If you have your story end
with that cop out, then you take the humanity out of the story.
Creating
worlds is hard. Yet, how boring would any of the works of the author’s listed
above be without magic. It has to be defined before you even begin to frame
races, characters or plot. So when you
make your maps, take some time to define your magic as well. Fantasy and sci-fi
writers have the most creative freedom and responsibility in the writing world.
After all they are not limited by “known” timeframes or locations. So, above all, have fun.
Brandy Potter has been writing since she was 9 years old, but Venomous Lives was her first published novel. Currently she is working on a romance suspense and a romance thriller. Her character development focuses on the psychology of the everyday person, fictionalized visions people overcoming their conflicts. She enjoys watching people and observing their behaviors. What makes us and at times what breaks us. She likes strong female leads but maintains that they are strong in different ways. She does reviews for an online blog magazine and facilitates an online author’s group.
Visit the author on Amazon http://amzn.to/2xjDHL9
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Brandy Potter
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