(Sings) I'm a magical pizza! I'm here today to be a magical pizza! That's what I gotta say. Whoo!
(Music) LOGO.
Hellooo everybody! A couple of quick announcements. First up, a MASSIVE thank you to
Book Depository for listing The Savior’s Champion as one of the best books ever! If you guys aren't
already aware, the Book Depository compiled a list of the best books of all time and The Savior's
Champion made the cut! I received the news from my good friend Sacha Black and I was absolutely
floored! I did not anticipate seeing MY book on the list. My name was listed alongside names like
Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Harper Lee, Dante! You guys already know how much I love Dante's
Inferno. I am SO incredibly honored! Thank you guys so much for loving TSC, for rallying around
TSC and my platform! It means SO much to me! This is literally a dream come true! I still have not
come down from this high! Speaking of TSC, you guys already know that I'm in the process of
publishing its companion novel, The Savior’s Sister! Because of this, I have been hosting
#TSSTuesday, which is an event every Tuesday where I answer questions about TSS, I play TSS themed
games, and of course, I reveal something brand new and exciting about TSS! This can be character
aesthetics, brand-new character portraits, and in yesterday's case, playlists! I shared the TSS
playlist yesterday, as well as Leila's playlist the week before. I have them both linked below.
If you're interested in listening, get on it! If you want to participate in #TSSTuesday, the best
places to follow me are Instagram and Twitter. You can find me @JennaMoreci, so follow me now! We
have a good time! Moving on, today's topic is VERY relevant to TSS. We're talking about magic. That's
why I'm dressed as a pizza, because what's more magical than pizza? Nothing! That's what! I've
discussed magical systems in the past. However, you guys had additional questions, and I'm happy
to oblige. This video is dedicated to my patron over on Patreon, Tori Torrific. Tori is sweet,
and lovable, and she loves dogs as much as I do. That means she's good people and I trust her.
Tori wanted to know all about magic systems, specifically how to avoid magical info dumps,
and I got her covered! These are the 10 questions you should ask yourself before planning your magic
system. A brief disclaimer: I'm going to be speaking about magic in very generalized terms.
Magic can be very specific and complicated, but this video is giving you the basic starting points
for creating your system. This topic tends to bring out the pedants, but this is not an in-depth
analysis, so calm your tits. Number One (1): Soft or hard magic? If you're writing a magic system,
you've probably already heard of soft versus hard magic. To give a generalization, soft magic is
magic without any structure or rules. It’s free as a bird! The readers and characters usually don't
understand it and it's kinda just there to stir shit up. On the flip side, hard magic is a system
with rules, capabilities, and limitations that can potentially be understood by both the characters
and the readers. I mention this because it helps to know where your magic system falls within the
spectrum. Magic can have hard rules, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're voiced to the
characters, in which case, a hard magic system may appear soft. The advice I'm about to give
is most applicable to hard magic. However, even if you're writing a soft magic system, I recommend at
least understanding the magic for yourself. That way it's a lot easier to write! Number Two (2):
Where does the magic come from? In order to fully understand, and thus write your magic system in
a clear and digestible way, you need to first understand where it comes from. Sometimes magic
comes from the world itself. Maybe it comes from the air or the earth. Sometimes magic is
biological; people are born with specific gifts. In that case, what qualifies someone to be born
with magic? Is it genetic, or ritualistic, or are they chosen? If they're chosen, who's doing
the choosing? A god? A wizard? A noble? A shoe? I don't know! It's your world! Other times magic
is held within physical objects like wands, or books, or amulets. If that's the case, can anyone
wield these objects or do they need training? Do they need a specific birthright? Even if your
characters don't yet understand where the magic came from, it behooves you to get a grip on this
as the writer. Number Three (3): Who has access to magic? Sometimes magic is depicted as an everyday
part of society, like people having fingers and toes. Sometimes magic is restricted to a specific
race, or career, or even just one person in particular. Figuring out who has access to
magic is going to answer a lot of your questions regarding your magic system, which brings us to
Number Four (4): How does magic impact your world? Once you nail down the who, figuring
out the impact of magic in your world is going to be a lot easier. If everyone has access to magic,
then maybe its impact on culture is minimal. People see it as normal. But you also need to keep
in mind that if magic is normal, people are going to be using magic to do normal things like opening
and closing doors, or turning on and off lights. If magic is exclusive to a particular group,
how do other people view them? Are they afraid? Do they discriminate? It's common for people to
be fearful of what they don't understand. If only one person is magical, what does it mean for them
or society as a whole? Are they keeping their magic a secret so that they're not targeted,
or are they revered by their overall society? In The Savior's Champion, the Savior is the only
person in Thessen who can produce magic, and thus she is worshipped. A single person with magic can
have a huge impact on the society you're creating. Number Five (5): What are the capabilities? This
is probably gonna be the first thing you do when you create a magic system. “What exactly can your
magic do?” No shit! I can't exactly tell you how your magic works, that's for you as the
author to figure out. But it's important for you to nail down the exact capabilities. Is it healing
magic or dark magic? Is it super strength? Is it elemental? The world is your oyster! Magic is
fiction, so you can create whatever the hell you want! Number Six (6): What are the limitations?
If your magical characters are all-powerful, then one of two things are gonna happen. Number one,
the story will be less interesting depending on which characters are magical. The stakes aren't
gonna be very high if your protagonist or villain cannot be defeated whatsoever. Number two, you are
going to write yourself into a corner, because how the fuck do you overthrow a magical villain with
zero weaknesses? This is why magical limitations are SO important. What makes this character’s
magic fallible? If a character has super strength, awesome, but maybe using this super strength takes
a toll on them–either their mind or their body. So if they overuse their super strength, they could
be totally wiped out. This will make their fight scenes much more intense, which is exactly what
you want. Number Seven (7): When is an explanation relevant? Writers get really excited about their
magic systems, but like every other element of your plot, you only need to explain it when
it's relevant and necessary to the story. That means you should not info-dump an entire magic
system if only a fraction of it is going to be used. Think about what is relevant and explain
it when it's logical and needed. For example, if your character is being taught how to use magic,
then it makes sense for someone else to explain the magic system to them. But if your character is
using one power of many, you don't need to explain all of their powers at once. Sometimes magic
reveals are supposed to be shocking, in which case there's usually little to no advance explanation.
This can be entertaining when done well, so long as it's not a scapegoat. “By the way,
I have the magical ability to come back to life. I just never told you!” Sounds fake, but okay.
Sometimes writers will show blips of magic without fully explaining it until a later chapter. This is
a popular technique because when done correctly, it intrigues the reader. It makes them want to
read further so they can figure out whatever the hell is going on. Lastly, sometimes magic is
supposed to be misunderstood because the character themselves doesn't know what's going on. In that
case, an explanation would completely contradict the character’s point of view, which brings us to
Number Eight (8): What's the perspective? Writers, and even readers, often forget that perspective is
pivotal when writing magic. Before you explain a magic system, stop and ask yourself the following
questions. First, what is the point of view? If you're writing third person omniscient, then
it doesn't really matter which character you're following. The point of view is all-knowing, so
you can explain whatever you want about your magic system. However, if you're writing first person,
third person limited, or third person deep, you need to stop and ask yourself which character are
you following and what is their relationship to magic? When writing these specific points of view,
the narrator only knows what the character knows. This means if the character is a wizard
possessing all knowledge of magic, then you can write whatever you want about the magic,
provided it's in keeping with the story and the voice. If your character just developed their
powers and has no idea how they work, then it would be counterintuitive for you to explain the
magic system in full. Similarly, if your character is witnessing magic for the first time, then you
can only describe what the character is seeing and understanding. Otherwise, it will break the
perspective. I know you want to give all the juicy details, but just because you understand what's
going on doesn't mean the character does. Stick to the perspective or else you're breaking the
immersion. Number Nine (9): Can you simplify? The general rule of thumb when creating any kind of
system in your world is that if you cannot easily explain it to someone else then either you don't
know it well enough or it is over complicated. The more convoluted your magic system is, the
less likely readers will be able to follow it. Obviously. Now I'm not saying your magic system
needs to be dumbed down like, “Make fire! Go boom!” Just remember that the reading experience
is supposed to be fun, and if you're making all of your readers memorize a glossary of terms and
definitions, that's not enjoyment! That's the SATs. And Number Ten (10): How does magic fit
into your story? Sometimes people get carried away with their magic systems and then forget that,
like everything else, it needs to serve a purpose to the plot. You need to figure out what the point
of your magic system is because it's going to influence pretty much everything I already
listed. If magic is a small part of your story, then that means it needs to take up less space
on your pages. Simplify your magic because people don't want to be studying up on a system that's
rarely utilized. If it's a huge player, then it needs to be conceptualized with as much time and
care as you would an important character. And if magic doesn't play ANY role in your story, it's
time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Why haven't you deleted it yet? Be realistic about
your magic system and its role in your book, if it has one at all. So that's all I got for
you today! A huge thank you to Tori Torrific for requesting today's video! If you'd like the chance
to have a video dedicated to you, or if you want access to TONS of other awards, check me out on
Patreon! We've got early access to videos, we have a private Discord writing group, we've got signed
merch, we have a monthly livestream! The link is listed below, get on it! Don't forget to subscribe
to my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload,
ring that bell! The Savior’s Champion is available in eBook, paperback, hardback, signed hardback,
as well as audiobook. If you are brand new to audiobooks, you can listen to TSC on Audible
for free! I have all the links listed below, so you have no excuse not to check it out! Get
on it! It's available! Do it! Yeah! And be sure to follow me on social media! I'm on Instagram,
Tumblr, Facebook–and of course, you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye! (Rumbling Male Voice) This is
Brontes. Why, the fuck, haven't you subscribed to Jenna's channel? Do you really want to face me? If
you don't do it, you know what will happen. I'll rip out your tongue, torture you, then leave your
rotten corpse out for the birds to feast on it. Now press the goddamn button. And the bell, too...