Thoughts of a Mad Man

Magical Legislation: It didn't just happen that way.

Precept One: Our universe started out the same as my fantasy universe, and somebody had to work to change the rule.


Precept two: The new rule stays the same until forced to change.


Precept three: Changing natural laws requires great effort. The greater the change, the greater the effort. Therefore, greater changes require deeper motives.


Now- Why use these precepts? They help us to select ideas that make sense, and suggest which ideas naturally fit with our favorites. Then they can be used to suggest further supporting ideas. Precept one tells us everything we need to know that we haven't changed. Precept two creates a sense of consistency that is at the heart of the writer's credibility. And precept three gives us a razor to determine whether a specific effect might really be worthwhile.





Observation: Nobody has proved that our universe is the natural one. Magic was easy. Somebody cast an anti-magic shell over the world.


Observation: Sometimes, people make mistakes... Magic doesn't have to make things better. It just has to be that somebody thought it would. We used to be ageless and immortal. Then somebody increased our birthrate. Another limited our lifespan.





The reader and the writer already know a lot about the world they exist in. Much of this information, called 'common sense', consists of ill-conceived poppycock, but no matter. The writer often finds the reader agrees with this so much of this stuff, and gives in on the rest. This collusion builds the bond between teller and audience, and supports the story. Perhaps by definition, Science Fiction writers aim as near to this reality as they can, with only those differences the story requires. A fantasy world can do the same. A fantasy world should 'make sense' as much as possible.





But how do we decide what that would be?


I'm suggesting that every time you create a magical law or device, that you assume that it didn't happen naturally. It happened because somebody wanted it, and took action to cause it. That somebody could be a god, but it could just as easily be a sorcerer, or a regular man. Possibly, in some situations, it could have been a fish!


Now of course this isn't the only possibility. I've seen exactly the opposite done to good effect. In that case, possibly the 'magical' world was the original, and the real world was the artificial. In the world of "Warehouse 13", magical artifacts usually come about because of intense emotion. These devices are wondrous, but dangerous and destructive. Perhaps the reason that these things don't happen in our world is simple: somebody 'put a spell' on the world to stop it.





So, why would I use that rule?


1. Because you want your readers to 'believe' that things work the way they say you do.


If you say that things fall when you drop them, they will- because that's the way they've seen everything else. But if you ask them to believe that your hero can make them float, they just might. Why? One reason: because they want to do that.


We all know that if we could, we would make magic power possible for ourselves. That's a good reason to believe that in another world, somebody would unlock these things for themselves. At least, for the time that we follow the story.


2. Because it brings limits to a canvas that doesn't have any of its own.


This would be easier if you'd just let me use magic. But the easy thing makes for a poor story. It would be easy to let the heroes just 'use magic' and 'blink' themselves home to safety. But what would be the point in that? We go home safely every day in the real world, but we don't write stories about that. Instead, we would like to have magic simply be an option, another thing that has useful effects and ramifications.


This limit- that magic is something that exists because somebody wanted it, in the same way that electric lighting exists - allows us to judge the levels of power that we should give. Greater magic requires a greater outlay of effort to set up.


My character, Carolie, can heal anybody (perhaps, even the dead; she's never met anybody dead.) She was born with that, so far as she can tell; she didn't put any effort into getting it. But, I can see somebody doing just that: spending their entire life changing the world so that that could be done. Perhaps thousands of people in the distant past worked their entire lifespan for this dream, treasuring each and every step toward the ideal. Can you not imagine an entire family devoting their existence for generations to advancing the power of healing? And being universally honored for doing so? Because I can.


However, there is a limit to Carolie's power. The healing is quick, but it's not literally instant. People brought back from the verge of death may be listless, may even fall asleep for a day or two. Where resurrection is concerned, if it takes a week, it would be just as good as if it took only a few seconds. So although people will toil tirelessly to make healing possible, they're not going to bother to also make it quick and convenient.


How does this give the writer an advantage? Because the correct level of magical power allows for good stories. Too little, and magic is a waste of thought. If magic has too much power, then it immediately ends the story.





By deleting certain problems, a magic power might force us to deal with others. For example, Superman doesn't have to worry about whether he's going to be gunned down, or even worry about whether the drunken driver is going to stop. With his strength, speed, etc. he could provide for himself with no trouble at all. His power forces him to become, not just interested, but deeply invested in the wellbeing of his fellow people. What other choice does he have?


So, if we want somebody to behave like Superman, heroic and unconcerned for himself, we could do that by making him essentially invulnerable. The fun thing about this, is that the mind will eventually find that one little bit of vulnerability. With Superman, it's not the kryptonite, that's just Lex Luthor's pipedream. With Superman, his real vulnerability is the fragility of his friends. If we want somebody to be generous without any hesitancy, we could give him the power to charm elves. He would be able to . In his case, he would naturally be concerned with what effect his gifts would have, rather than on 'the bottom line.' He might take great pains to see who deserved gifts, make a list, and check it twice. This explains a great deal about Santa Claus. Though I don't know why he lives in the arctic wasteland!





It doesn't end with magic powers and special gifts.


Special magical species could exist for the same reason. Perhaps somebody bred them, as with some versions of Anthros (Example: Vincent in TV's "Beauty and the Beast" was created by the Alchemist who called himself Paracelsus. I'm referring to the one starring Linda Hamilton.) However, it's also possible that the population itself desired the change. Over the centuries, breeding could create great changes in a population - and breeding in wild populations, is based on what the population finds desirable. Elves could have descended from humans who prized the grace and longevity. Perhaps they performed quests to ensure these traits, for example, or simply bred the most long lived among themselves... Meanwhile, Orcs could be descended from a group of survivalists who rejected ordinary ideals of kindness, cooperation, and prudence. Instead, perhaps they preferred preferred independence and boldness taken to reckless extremes. Now, this would change their psychology, but its easy to imagine that these people (brash, arrogant and argumentative) would experiment with ways to make them stronger and less human.





In sum:


Comparing the world you want to depict with the natural one is a good way to gauge how much of a stretch your story involves. Letting the characters (both on-the-page and in the backdrop) do that stretching seems like a good way to keep it in control. The above will help in selecting and maintaining the magical laws of the world. Once that's done, a well-regulated plot and well-drawn characters will complete the sale, and the reader will buy in to your universe.