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Hi there!

So, I'm currently in the process of writing a novel, and I've found that my best method for continuing to stay motivated about a project is to talk about it with people. As it happens, this is also my best method for working through plot problems and character issues, so it's a two-birds-with-one-stone kind of issue. (And, to be clear, this is not an erotic story. It's heroic fantasy, and there's only a little romance and no sexual content.)

My problem is that, while I've shown some of my writing to friends and family, I don't have many people who fall into that group. Three fifth's

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44 minutes ago, Cute_Kitten said:

I recommend having established rules for the magic, otherwise it can be hard to pull off effectively; it'll just be an easy cure all.

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13 minutes ago, WBDaddy said:

Indeed, having all these things mapped out in advance is what makes for truly great fantasy literature.

Hence why I've never attempted it - too much work for a pantser like me. :D:D:D

It's my very favorite genre to read.

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Actually, the system of magic is one of the few things I have mapped out almost completely.

(Oh, and real quick, to answer Personalias's question: She's incredibly inexperienced, to the point of incompetence. She just recently gained her powers, and there's not a lot of available info on how to use magic, short of tracking down another Sorcerer and getting them to train you.)

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2 hours ago, Livingbylies said:

Being a Sorcerer/Sorceress isn't something you want to be public knowledge in this setting. Only about eight years prior to the story's beginning there was an incredibly

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Okay, this all seems doable. I think my problem, in part, is that I've simply put them in a kind of boring part of my world. They're effectively in Kansas, and now that I'm thinking about it the story would be more interesting if I put them... Well, literally anywhere else, now that I consider it.

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Something similar -OR- ?

I have been to several book readings and signings and the author in most cases is not candid about what the publisher wants to increase sales volume.

The murder book/story must have a murder within the first chapter -

Must use foul language to describe a scene -

Must have some sort of sexy foreplay to jump start the book -

In the 2nd chapter must resurrect the cliff hanging scene from the 1st

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  • 1 month later...

The novel I wrote, which I am pulling heavily from for Distant Lights, deals with magic in a sense. Also, as the world establishes space flight as a length process (Humans have yet to leave the solar system, yet they have been exploring it for long enough for a separate human species to evolve adapted for life in star ships.) I have run into both the magic issue, and the travel issue.

The way I handle travel, is frequently to not handle travel. If a character is steaming from Mars to Earth, or to a moon somewhere, I decide: Do I want the steamer to be a scene, or is it unimportant. If I want it to be a seen, I will develop characters for it, and run a story through the scene. The scene is not based on travelling, but just a backdrop for events and possible sources of complications. If I don't think a scene on the steamer will add much, I will use it as an exposition drop, using a "journal" entry, or a moment of self reflection as a character disembarks.

For magic, I make it rare and with severe consequences. In my setting, certain people can "awaken." It is not a process which is understood, it just happens. It normally manifests in small passive ways, the ability to sense and direct energy, and is used in creative ways. It follows certain rules:

1.) Yes telepathy is possible to an extent. You can "clone" the energy processes which trigger certain thoughts, so if two people share a language, they could communicate to an extent, or if they have shared experiences, such as emotions, they could read, or send them. The more alien the experiences between the two, the more impossible this becomes. This can also be used to influence people, by slowly adjusting how the flow of energy in their brain works, and retrain it to fire different responses from stimuli.

2.) Traditionally magic tropes like fireballs, lightning, orbs of energy, are allowed, however these often come at great cost to the user, as the energy has to be built up and stored in their body before being unleashed. It is not instant, and it can be painful, and dangerous to the awakened individual.

3.) Its range is very short, and teleportation is impossible.

4.) anything you can imagine that could come from the manipulation of energy is possible. The more energy that is required, the more dangerous it is.

This means that characters who are awakened are capable of great displays of power, but are only likely to do it when the risk is worth it. This gives you an out for an antagonist to be a powerful "magic wielder" but opts to not default to his magic until he is cornered. He is not willing to pay the price of his magic unless he needs to. It gives your protagonist the same deal. Wield the power, and pay the cost, or strive to do it a way that is less destructive. It is also a source of conflict, the toll it takes on them, the easy of manipulating someone instead of paying for something.

See Clara in Distant Lights. Her failing was because she had figured out how to manipulate Mackenzie so easily, so got cocky, knowing the risks, and pushed to far. She lost sight of her capabilities because she was so much more capable then most of the people around her.

In short, magic needs consequences. Otherwise, it will create plot hole after plot hole, as the question is raised: Why didn't the hero just magic his way out? It is also way the magic character in many fantasy novels tends to be an adviser, and not the hero. It allows you to take the wizard away and your hero is forced to use mundane means to handle a problem.

Even in Harry Potter, they do this to an extent. Harry and Ron are actually kind of bad at the magic. Herminine is the magic person, and multiple times she is removed from the story, or is placed in a position to not always directly help Harry, forcing him to overcome a challenge that he is not prepared for, while still allowing for a magical solution to be present. It allows us to believe that Harry has to struggle, because we see first hand that while he may be the Greatest Wizard of his time, his Greatness extends for his deeds, not his magical talent.

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