Comments on: World-building: Creating a Credible Magic System

By: Justin

Justin — Sat, 17 Aug 2019 20:46:06 +0000

In reply to Harmony Kent. So sorry on this late reply, but thank you so much!

By: Vivienne Sang

Vivienne Sang — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 15:37:24 +0000

A great post, and most helpful. I love building worlds and the magic in them.
In my Wolves of Vimar series, magic flows around the land in a similar way to ‘ley lines’ on Earth. Where two or more meet, they form a node, and magic is stronger there. It does not work too well with water, though, and sinks down around rivers, lakes, seas etc.
Some powerful nodes have specific effects, like the one in Hambara where the only known surviving Mage Tower exists. It has an effect on space, and the tower is larger inside than it should be. (There is another place in the world where a node has a different effect, but that’s for another time.)
Mages can manipulate the magic to create other effects, but it has a debilitating effect on the mage, as well as filling him/her with euphoria.
In my Elemental Worlds books, the magic is endowed into gems by certain skilled people. It can only be wielded from the gem. Different gems do different things, and need recharging. But in these books, the advent of science is diminishing magic and some magical creatures are disappearing.

By: Top Picks Thursday! For Writers & Readers 08-01-2019 | The Author Chronicles

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 17:03:17 +0000

[…] some with research. James Scott Bell tells us how to come up with a title, Justin Attas discusses creating a credible magic system, and Sue Coletta details how and where to research historical […]

By: BECCA PUGLISI

BECCA PUGLISI — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 12:26:20 +0000

I LOVE world building. It’s one of the parts of the process where I can get hung up for a really long time. The magic element is almost a world of its own, with so many things to iron out before you start writing. Thanks for these tips!

By: Dylan

Dylan — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 09:52:44 +0000

In reply to Justin L Attas. Full Metal Alchemist manga series has a restriction on it magic/Alchemy system based on equivalent exchange. Where for example certain amount of ammonium nitrate can only change into equal of ammonium gas used for explosive material.

By: Harmony Kent

Harmony Kent — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 08:06:46 +0000

Thanks for a great post, Justin. I’ve reblogged this on: https://harmonykent.co.uk/world-building-creating-a-credible-magic-system-writers-helping-writers/ and tweeted. Have a great weekend 🙂

By: Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links – Staci Troilo

Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links – Staci Troilo — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 05:02:21 +0000

[…] Magic Systems and World-Building | Writers Helping Writers […]

By: ANGELA ACKERMAN

ANGELA ACKERMAN — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 18:13:29 +0000

What I love about world building is starting with a blank slate—magic can be anything, and come from anywhere as long as we build the logic into it. This allows us to really get creative! Thanks for the great food for thought, Justin!

By: Justin L Attas

Justin L Attas — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 17:05:51 +0000

In reply to Dylan.

I read Harry Potter growing up and I absolutely loved the series. Some people gripe that Rowling isn’t that great of a technical writer, but I see her as a master storyteller.

She did an amazing job conveying a consistent tone in her world and in magic. Never once reading those books was I taken out of the story by something that didn’t seem to “fit” with her concept of magic. It was very organic which made it a wonderful aspect of the story and helped the plot in every way.

I would love to connect more! Find me on my YouTube channel, my writing help headquarters here: http://bit.ly/roadsidewriter

By: Justin L Attas

Justin L Attas — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 17:01:12 +0000

In reply to ChemistKen.

I absolutely agree. If you don’t draw a line somewhere, readers will start to question what your magic CAN’T do. It may come off as a solve-all for every problem, which really weakens the conflict. So glad you enjoyed the post!

I would love to connect more! Find my on my YouTube channel, my writing help headquarters here: http://bit.ly/roadsidewriter

By: ChemistKen

ChemistKen — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 15:08:50 +0000

Another thing to consider is the boundaries of that magic system, for example, the cost of using magic or the limits of that magic. Without adding those into your magic system, you’ll have runaway magic and the story will suffer.

Thanks for the post, Justin!

By: Dylan

Dylan — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 14:11:58 +0000

What are your thoughts on Harry Potter books and movies? The magic in that series has every aspect you wrote about here. I think it blends the magic and the real world very well.