Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

Gratuitous use of magic: poor writing and/or unenjoyable?

+0
−0

Many of my characters, main, side, and recurring all have a suite of magic abilities. So will them constantly using magic be annoying? Will it make the magic stale? What tips should I follow and what should I avoid?

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/19683. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

1 answer

+1
−0

The main way to make magic "not annoying" it to make sure it follows the rules of magical physics, if you will.

Magical acts require energy (fuel). The energy has to come from somewhere to be expended in an act or a spell. It can be extinguished and replenished. It's not endless.

Magical acts have consequences beyond the immediate result. Shooting something with a levinbolt will also raise the ambient temperature in the room and temporarily blind onlookers; using sound waves will burst eardrums.

Even people born with magical talent have to learn how to use it: how to cast a spell, direct energy, form a shield. It takes time and effort to learn these things.

Just because everyone has magic doesn't mean that they'll use it for everything. There will be times when it's easier, safer, or quieter to do something by hand.

For homework, read the Harry Potter series, play some D&D or read some of the D&D/Forgotten Realms etc. novels, and watch the BBC show Merlin for starters. Mercedes Lackey has about two dozen sword-and-sorcery books which show the learning process and consequences of magic in great detail.

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

0 comment threads

Sign up to answer this question »