I just returned from a writer’s retreat not too long ago. One of the speakers was discussing various aspects of writing. I found this advice to be extremely beneficial and wanted to share it with you. You can find the speaker’s website here. Today, however, we’re going to discuss magic systems.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that I host a podcast about world building. We have a specific methodology for world building. This is a slightly different approach, but it’s just as effective. I thought some aspects of it were particularly insightful and worth exploring.
Today, we have six questions. They’re quick questions, so don’t stress. These six questions about our magic system can really help us understand it. As an author, we should understand our magic system. If we don’t understand it, there’s no way the characters will understand it. If the characters don’t understand it, the readers will be lost.
We start with the most important question. What is your magic? Is it necromancy? Fireballs? Music? Telepathy? Ritual spells? The ability to speak true names? The ability to transform? If we don’t know what it is, it’s almost impossible to write about it.
Often, we ignore this question. We say, “I’ve got magic,” and then we add a little bit here and there. Eventually, we get what’s called scope creep, and our magic system becomes large and unwieldy. None of the rules make sense. While you can dismiss this and say, “Don’t worry, it’s magic,” it feels awkward to a reader. It doesn’t maintain the cohesion of the story or the immersion we want for our readers.
Once we’ve decided what our magic is, we need to decide where it originates. Magic comes from somewhere because nothing comes from nothing. Magic could theoretically be the origin of everything, in which case it’s sort of like God. But when we talk about magic coming from somewhere, we’re discussing how people wield it. It’s one thing to say magic just exists. It’s another to say that a person can use magic to cast a fireball. Understanding where it originates for the characters is incredibly important.
After you’ve decided what it is and how it originates for the characters who wield or encounter it, it’s helpful to ask about its history. What do people think about it? What has been done with magic? What hasn’t been done with magic? What will someone do in the future that will make everyone say, “Wow, that’s amazing?” Most importantly, how do the characters themselves feel about it? If someone’s village was burned down by an evil sorcerer, they probably have strong opinions about magic. So understanding the history of how magic has been used in your world, in your story, is very important.
Next, it’s important to ask about magic’s weakness. If magic was a perfect system that could fulfill every wish for no cost and could not be stopped, then you wouldn’t have a story. You’d just have a bunch of people wishing each other out of existence. Instead, magic is most interesting when it has a weakness. There’s something that it cannot do. In Aladdin, you can’t make people fall in love. That is the weakness of the genie’s magic. It makes the story more interesting because Aladdin can’t just wish for Jasmine to fall in love with him. He has to put in the hard work. He has to seduce her off her balcony onto his magic carpet and take her flying through the air. The point is that a story needs weakness. It needs things to not work all the time. So if you’re writing a story that has magic, understanding its weakness is important.
That brings us to cost and limits. Where can magic not go? And what does it cost to wield? Magic without cost is not very interesting. But magic with cost can be fascinating. Especially if you can find creative ways to pay the cost.
Finally, it’s important to understand if magic can be turned off or lost. This can be a simple yes or no decision. Maybe it’s a yes or no decision that you then reverse later because you think it’s going to be interesting. But anytime something can be taken away, stories become interesting.
Samson’s story, the really strong guy who pulls down the pillars, is only interesting if his strength can be lost. If he is perpetually strong, then there’s no conflict because he can just beat up anyone who comes. Not that One Punch Man is bad. It’s just that’s not the focus. But by allowing Samson to lose his strength, all of a sudden you have a fascinating story. You have two competing sides. One is trying to pull the strength from the other so that they can get what they want. The other is trying not to lose their strength so that they can get what they want. It makes for really good conflict. And conflict is the core of a story.
So these are the six questions that you should really be asking when you are writing a magic system. What is your magic? Where does it originate? What is the history of the magic? What is its weakness? What are its costs or limits? And can it be lost? If you can answer these six questions, you are going to be well on your way to creating a fantastic magic system.
YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/xv26HubSjo0
Thanks for reading and watching.
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How can incorporating magic’s weakness into a story not only add depth and complexity to the plot, but also challenge characters to think creatively and overcome obstacles in order to achieve their goals?”,
“refusal