Welcome to the Newcastle University Creative Writing society!
Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a good week, and those doing NaNoWriMo are still plowing forward. I've got another opinion piece for you. Here. Enjoy! One of the most popular genres for creative writing is fantasy, which brings in a whole host of exciting possibilities, including magic. Now, there’s plenty of resources on the CreSoc website to help you build a magic system for your story, so here I’m just going to briefly talk about possibly the most fundamental trait of your magic, which, if chosen wrongly, could make or break an entire narrative.
Hard mgic vs soft magic. A hard magic system is where the laws and system are fully known and defined, whereas a soft magic system is unknown and mysterious. Soft magic systems are much more common in books and movies, such as “A Song of Ice and Fire” and “Lord of the Rings”, and hard magic is more likely found in tabletop or video games, such as “Warhammer” and “The Elder Scrolls”. Neither of these systems are inherently better – in fact, as a storytelling mechanic, they are incomparable – so long as you know how to use them correctly. Hard magic is the more difficult of the two, due to the large amounts of exposition it requires, but grants a lot more freedom when set up. The main things to remember: limitations and consequences. For each “magical act”, make sure the reader knows the power and the cost before using it. Most people focus on the limitations, but the consequences are where you can really get creative. From the physical (to cast a spell, you require a petal from a rare flower), to the metaphysical (each spell cracks the fabric of reality; if two cracks meet then the universe will shatter), to the psychological (every spell has an affiliated emotion which is drained when it is cast, leaving the most powerful sorcerers as soulless husks who’ve lost the will to live), these can provide many complex and interesting storytelling scenarios. One of the main advantages of a hard magic system is that the magic can be used as a tool by the heroes, to solve problems and overcome obstacles. Take the example of a hero in trouble teleporting away from danger. With a soft magic system, this would seem like deus ex machina, which decreases the threat of any future danger and is generally a lazy way of storytelling. However, if you have previously defined how the teleporting works (only on a full moon, inside a circle of mushrooms, chanting your name backwards, and it kills a random loved one) then the reader will understand how the magic is cast, and the consequences of it. Soft magic can of course be used in your narrative too, but must be approached as one would luck; it can only be used to get your protagonist in trouble, not out of it, or just as superficial tricks which provide no real effect to the narrative, provide a sense of mystery and danger in your fantasy world. And finally, you can mix them. Maybe your magic starts off as a soft system, but as the narrative progresses, the characters slowly learn more and it becomes a hard system. Maybe your heroes use hard magic, but your villains use a stronger soft magic. Whatever you choose, just remember, above all else your story comes first. This blog was heavily inspired by the Brandon Sanderson’s Three Laws of Magic. For the full article and more, visit the Worldbuilding section of the resources. What’s your favourite magic system? Can you think of any particularly interesting uses of hard or soft magic systems? What magic system do you use, and why? Post down in the comments and, until next time, keep writing. Devon
2 Comments
Devon
11/15/2016 04:31:17 pm
Glad you found it useful! I've never actually read any Sanderson, but I'm very tempted to after reading his articles, even if for the worlds alone. Probably one for summer though, so I can completely lose myself in it.
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Blog posts are written by our committee members, posted regularly! We talk about exciting new ventures, upcoming events and opportunities, as well as the odd writing thoughts and topics we think of!
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