Can you feel the magic in the air?

Well I can't. See, I'm writing this sort of post-apocalyptic style sci-fi fantasy. It's more fantasy than sci-fi since it doesn't have spaceships or robots (though it does have computers), but it also doesn't have a lot of elements you'd find in fantasy, particularly in medieval fantasy. It's more like star wars without the robots, space battles, space ships.

It takes place in another world, but I think of it more like a planet.

One rule I made before I started writing was that I wouldn't use magic. Eventually I realized that I wasn't able to be as creative as I wanted to be because I had to explain everything with science, and I do not have a whole lot of scientific knowledge.

When I started thinking about it...I couldn't remember why I didn't want to use magic. I don't think it was because of it being cliche. I think it was because I wanted the series to ring true. Most fans of fantasy read because they want to escape from reality, but I wanted mine to ring true.

Recently, I've been using "energy" rather than magic to explain things. Since it takes place in another world, it makes sense that there would be different energies in the world right? It is different than magic because it would have more rules. The problem with this is that I have to make rules based on scientific principles. If there are no rules, then "energy" becomes just another way to say "magic".

I brought up Star Wars. From what I know of SW, it never uses magic. The planets have their own unique natural resources and technology. To explain the unexplainable in SW, they use the "force". I think the force is a good balance. It isn't necessarily anything spiritual, magic, or technological. It's just an energy. I think that is the sort of thing I'd be using. I guess one major difference would be that I probably wouldn't treat it as one all-powerful energy.


So what do you think? Does the whole "energy" thing work? Do you think it needs to be drastically limited?

Or do you think I should be ok with using strait up magic?

EDIT: and if I did treat these energies similar to the force (and gave it a name), do you think it's sound too much like I'm ripping from Star Wars?

Example: "Oh Mercy Alive! Evil Lord Arkansas is trying to draw power from The Florsh!"

Actualy, it'd probably be something like this: "Oh no. The king is trying to use Florsh energy."

The difference is I wouldn't use "The", which I think changes the idea a little.

kct webber said:

Call it whatever you want. It's all the same thing. It's a good system or it isn't. All good "magic" systems have rules, whether you want to base it in science, energy, sprits, spells, or whatever.

Telekinesis, for example, is magic to us. And it will continue to be until we can do it--whether that's by technological means, evolutionary advancement, or whatever else, does it matter? And posting a communication instantly to someone a thousand miles away would have been magic to someone 500 years ago.

My point is, create your world, create the rules, then make your system obey the rules. That's what makes a system ring true. Not whether you call it 'magic' or anything else. If your system, technological, supernatural or some combination, obeys the rules you've set in your world, it will ring true.

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Well said. So, if I created a system of otherwordly-like energies, it wouldn't bother you to read it? It wouldn't make it hard to relate to the characters or anything?

Calixus said:

Hey Mark!

I really like your idea of using Energy instead of magic. But in the Pagan/Wiccan world, magic is energy. In Wicca, a witch uses a combination of meditation, "spell" work (use of words to focus thoughts), and the manipulation of energy drawn from any or all of the five elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Spirit), and focuses the energy to help manifest the desire/need of the witch. Ley lines are an example of the energy that can be manipulated by those that can tap into them, and can be found by those that do dowsing. There are many examples of how Magic translate into energy and vice-verca. It may be that you can create something similar to the Ley lines of the Earth in your story that can be manipulated "like magic" by those that can access it.

There are also the theories of Magnetics that can help too, manipulation of them can cause anti-gravity, alter light ray pathways, etc. You might also want to review some of the current theories on Quantum Physics. There are several involving WIMPS, energy related to spliting sub-atomic particles, etc. Those might give you a few new ideas too. Hope this was at least a little helpful for you and good Luck! Can't wait to read what you come up with!

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Thanks!

Yeah...I did want to avoid anything used in that sort of mythology, but it is a fantasy. I guess I'll just write and see what happens.