A loyal reader writes:
Slowly developing world, characters, etc., but in Reddit’s /r/worldbuilding, someone came up with this prompt: How does your magic work?
https://www.reddit.com/r/worldbuilding/comments/c6csar/how_does_your_magic_work/
I (/u/Alkalannar) make the comment that goes with your old-school Actual Magic definition from How to Design Magic Systems. It has twice the number of upvotes as the next-most-popular. I am astonished, to be honest.
It’s just a small thing, but finding this in Reddit of all places…are people finally admitting that they crave stories of good and evil, where magic is dangerous to the soul?
That encourages me to keep writing and listening to the muse.
Congratulations, dear reader. You’re off to an excellent start.
People are tired of pink slime generic fantasy.
Sandersonian nuts ‘n’ bolts magic systems are wearing out their welcome.
The soul can’t subsist on a steady diet of Gray and Grey or Gray and Black morality.
I used to think the key to creating a standout magic system was putting all the parts together like a Swiss watch.
Years of experience have taught me that magic’s moral dimension and how it affects character is the most important consideration.
To see the culmination of multiple magic systems in apocalyptic conflict with moral stakes most modern novelists won’t touch, read the epic conclusion to my award-winning Soul Cycle.
