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When building the world your story takes place in, it’s important to make your audience feel like there’s more to it than what they’re seeing or reading about. It could be the name of an exotic place that your story will eventually reach, a mystical beast that’s suddenly resurfaced after decades of not being seen, or a war breaking out in a distant land. The same applies to magic in the world.
Worlds filled with magic evoke a sense of wonderment and an innate curiosity to learn more about it. That curiosity beckons the audience to want to discover how it works, what else people can do with magic, and so on. Fantasy creators are left with a delicate balancing act in how much to reveal and what to keep secret and most do this with great success.
There isn’t just one type of magic in the world. There are a number, each one different from each other, and the ones you use depends on the world your story is set in. You have the elemental kinds like fire and water and healing among others. Thus, you want to use the ones that make the most sense for your world which will govern what your magic-capable characters can and cannot do.
Wielding magic is one thing, seeing it is another. In the latter, it’s not just the audience who bears witness to it. All characters, both those that have magical powers and those that don’t, see it and that will lead them to have different reactions, both good and bad. Their relationships with them can change which will have lasting effects upon the plot.
Magic in the world doesn’t just affect those living within it, it affects it as a whole. In extreme cases, it can leave an enduring scar that never wholly heals or it can renew the vigor in an environment that sorely needs it. Magic can impact the world in a litany of ways.
This is the first article in the series exploring the different aspects of magic. On our blog page, there’s a plethora of fantastic articles that cover a wide range of topics that you’d enjoy so be sure to check it out!
The fantasy genre is filled with many worlds teeming with all kinds of magic. One thing you’re likely to notice is that all the magic you see just feels so natural in the worlds they appear in. It only fuels your interest, not deter you from wanting to learn more about the world you’re in, whether it’s a book, tv, movie, or video game. As an aspiring fantasy creator, capturing that sentiment is critical to success.
The first thing you need to do when featuring magic in the world is to establish the set of rules that govern it. Just like with everything in real life, there is a cost, regardless of if it’s hidden or not, and the same should apply with magic. Our article on the system of magic covers all the important details there so be sure to give that a read!
Once you’ve set up the magic system, it’s time to bring in the ones you’ll be using. There are so many types out there that it would be impossible to use them all. You have to make the choice to feature the ones that not only fits in the world naturally but also fits the vibe of the story you want to tell.
Here are the common kinds of magic you’re most likely to come across (and have in your world as well):
Many worlds — and stories — incorporate a mix of the ones mentioned above. Some lean more into the elemental side whereas others are more focused on the everyday ones like teleportation and levitation. When using magic in the world, having a different mix of magic can enhance your audience’s immersion in it but take care as to not overdo it. You want them to feel like it all just flows together well.
Magic appears in every corner of the world — at least the ones that feature it — affecting it in many ways. Seeing it in person can dramatically alter his opinion on whether it’s a good thing to have in the world. It’s not just seeing it in realtime, it’s also bearing witness to the person who is casting it and why he is doing so.
Magic in the world is broken down into two groups. The first revolves around those capable of wielding such powers and the second is all non-magic folk. The Harry Potter series perfectly illustrates the two different worlds and how people in each one perceive magic. Muggles, or people who know little to nothing about magic, fear it when they see it as opposed to the other group who practice it on a regular basis, doing many things muggles cannot do.
Exploring how magic affects people’s relationships with each other is a prominent theme in many works across the genre. Non-magic people, when laying eyes upon magic for the first time, view it with either awe or trepidation. They then look at the spell-caster with wonderment or fear and that will affect how they interact with the other wizards and witches of the world they cross paths with.
On the other side of the coin, many magical practitioners, when watching magic, still have that feeling of awe that they had when they saw it for the first time in their life. They marvel at how much knowledge they’ve amassed and the things they still have to learn about. They’ve seen so many different magic in the world like healing or teleportation that they’ve grown accustomed to it, viewing it as an integral part of the community they live in.
Wizards’ relationship with the person casting the spell also affects how they interpret it. For example, suppose the caster is an enemy of the wizard watching him perform magic. The spectator would be filled with anger as he watches his enemy do spells that harm other people or cause mayhem in the immediate surroundings. The type of relationship they have with one another affects how they interact with each other in the world every time they cross paths.
Magic in the world doesn’t just impact those casting spells, it affects the world. For as long as it’s been around, the magical community’s shaped the world through the use of their powers, leading to both positive and negative changes. There are many who endeavor to be mindful of how their powers affect it whereas there are others who view it as their playground to do all kinds of nefarious magic.
At the heart of many works in fantasy is the eternal conflict between good and evil. Magic is then an instrumental tool both sides use in their struggle to gain supremacy over the other side. The world becomes their battleground with many scars left from bygone great battles that never wholly fades.
Geography and terrain are obvious representations of how magic in the world shapes it. Mountains can be torn asunder, rivers can start flowing in another direction, forests can be laid low by fire, and so on. These changes serve as a physical reminder of how much power is in magic and a cautionary tale in using it in extreme ways.
Just as magic can affect the world in bad ways, it too can change it in good ways. Areas that have suffered great devastation can be revitalized through the use of magic. Burnt crop land can spring back to life, grass can regrow in places it hadn’t grown in for a long time, and so on. Here, magic is used as a positive force to help nature recover from the destruction of war.
As much as it can help it recover, there are some things magic in the world just can’t do. It cannot bring back the dead — at least to when they were alive and in perfect health — nor can it heal everything in the world. There are just some things that can’t be fixed, no matter how much magic is used in a vain attempt to make them whole once again.
In some worlds, magic permeates everything, from trees that tower over people to the very ground that they walk on. It dictates how people live their lives as well as what they can do. For many people, it is a tool that they rely on in their everyday lives and they strictly adhere to the magical system that governs the world.
There is no one singular form of magic in the world. Multiple forms don it, from elemental, which is perhaps the most common, to teleportation. Each one comes with its own pros and cons and only you, the creator, can decide which ones fit best for the world your story takes place in.
Many worlds feature two distinct groups of people. Those that can do magic and those that cannot. Each group views magic differently which will affect how members of each one interact not just with the other but within the same group. Their interactions will shape not just the world but the story as well.
Magic in the world affects it in a number of ways. It can cause disruptions in nature, such as forests succumbing to flames or powerful waves appearing out of nowhere. On the other side of the coin, magic can rejuvenate it, as seen by new plant life flourishing in places that suffered destruction.
Not sure whether to feature magic in your world? Many worlds and stories have it in some capacity and if you do it right, it can be a tremendous asset to the world you’re creating from scratch!
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Sunfire
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