Fantasy- Real World Magic

Real World Magic

When writing fantasy, authors have to make an important choice- where to set the story. This is important in other genres as well, but it is more so in fantasy. An author can chose to set the story in a generic, nondescript place which is boring for the reader to read or they can create a whole new world like C.S.Lewis did when he created the world of Narnia. This approach takes a lot of effort and planning to work effectively and I have not succeeded in creating a masterful world rich with detail as yet. A slight deviation on this approach is setting it in the real world, but then creating a sub-world within it. J K Rowling did this in Harry Potter- she set it in the real world but the built a magical fantasy world consisting of Hogwarts, Diagon Ally etc... Authors can base the fantasy solely in the real world; this is my favourite approach. The benefit of using a real life setting is that the readers can immediately connect with the setting and concentrate on the story and characters. However writing in a real world setting also has its flaws, the biggest one being that if you say, set it in Spain, it is vital to get the traditions and style of architecture right; if you don't then any readers who know about Spain will start picking apart you story and exposing its flaws. It is the writers priority to get this right from the word go!



If you have got the setting sorted for your magical fantasy and you have decided to take the plunge and set it in the real world then the next thing you need to consider are the characters. Using the real world as your setting means that, inevitably you are going to have characters who live on Earth. You're not likely to populate the planet with aliens, unless you set it in the future or a parallel universe! Obviously, you don't need to use real people, but you could if you were so inclined. In the fantasies that I set in the real world I usually have it where a normal guy meets either a magical or super natural being who looks like a human but act a bit 'differently'. Fairy tales demonstrate this well; in Cinderella, the normal person is Cinderella and the human like but different character is the fairy god mother who has some human like features, though with wings, but can perform magic.

The way the human and the non-human interact is the key to creating a successful, 'realistic', magical fantasy. Will the normal react to the non-human with fear, or interest? Do they initially want nothing to do with them, or do they try to manipulate them for their own good. This reaction is what gives the reader a sense of realism to your fantasy. If the human goes, 'OK, he's magical and can read my mind, I think I'll leave him be.' and then goes off on their own little journey without even a slither of a thought or any curiosity then the reader is not going to believe you. Similar to this is the opposite. If the human starts talking to this magical being like he's his best mate then the reader isn't going to believe you either. However, if the human is cautious, but curious, answers the beings question but talks very little; the reader is likely to believe in your story more. The human can then start to get more and more confident with this magical being and start asking more questions. The reaction between characters is in my opinion the hardest bit to get right. A lot of comments on my latest fantasy ‘The Magician’s Tattoo’ are about the reaction and I have thus made alterations to the way I wrote the initial scenes.

All stories need a bad guy or a metaphorical bad guy, depending on the style of writing. If the baddie is going to be a character rather than an obstacle then the best bet is that he will also be magical, but uses his magic in a very different way.



Obviously, if the fantasy is magical then there will be spells or something of similar effect. Being that the fantasy is set in the real world, not everyone will be accustomed to people appearing in their homes and shooting blasts of light at things, so you need to be discrete, unless you’re describing the baddie, who has complete dis regard for those around him. There isn’t much to say on this front but you could adopt JK’s approach by making a magical government who restricts the use of magic in non-magical areas.

         Another vital point to make about using magic is that you need to restrict or limit the power. In Harry Potter this is done by having some spells illegal, the need for wands- or special training in non-wand magic, and the need to learn the spells. In The Lord of the Rings the ring is the key to magical powers. In my attest comedy fantasy the restriction is that when magic is done for fun your hair goes grey and if you do magic for non-fun purposes you need to urinate the excess magic. If you don’t restrict the magic then the magicians have essentially unlimited power and it makes for an uninteresting story.



Finally, after you have everything clear in your mind. Where you magical fantasy takes place, what it looks like, what the traditions are, who are your characters, what is the normal guys response to the magical guy, how bad is your baddie, and is he magical too, what are the laws and regulations on magic and how are you magicians limited from wielding unlimited power? After all of those questions are answered you may devise a plot.  The plot could be preventing the baddie taking over the world- though this is quite clichéd, learning how to properly wield magic or journey to save a magical artefact and protect it- again clichéd. Of course there are many more plot lines to take; the limit is your own imagination.



A link to my fantasy

The Magician's Song  (13+) On indefinite hiatus. Thrown into a world of magic Nathan must deal with the unknown! #1716874 by Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC

is here!



I would love to hear your thoughts on writing magical fantasies in the real world and please suggest any pieces you would like me to review.