science vs. magic | Life in the Realm of Fantasy

Many authors will begin writing novels on November 1st. Some will be genre fiction such as fantasy, romance, or sci-fi, etc. I read sci-fi and seek out fantasy, but I’m also a born skeptic.

MyWritingLife2021B Logic is an area many first-time authors ignore because some magic or theoretical science they believe is original has captured their imagination. Taken individually, these ideas may be good, but if the author doesn’t thoroughly think it through, the reader won’t be able to suspend their disbelief.

Science and magic are two sides of the personal-power coin. Therefore, the tropes of science, the paranormal, and magic must be written in such a way that we can easily and wholeheartedly suspend our disbelief.

Open your storyboard if you have one and create a new page or open a new document. Title the document “Rules for the Paranormal” and save it in your story file. (Or Rules for Science, or Magic, etc.).

You are going to develop a system that describes the limits of your chosen trope. By creating unbreakable boundaries, you create opportunities for conflict.

Hint: make a “glossary,” a list of the proper spellings for all words that relate to or are unique to the kind of skill your characters have access to. Trust me, this will save your sanity later on.

In designing a story where superpowers, super weapons, or magic are crucial elements, we have to keep an important idea in mind:

Science is not magic.

science The writer of true science fiction must know the difference, especially when creating possible weapons. Superweapons and superpowers are science-based. Think Stan Lee’s Spider-Man. The theory behind superweapons and /or superpowers might be improbable. But it’s logical and rooted in the realm of theoretical physics.

Authors of sci-fi must research their ideas and understand the scientific method. This way of testing and evaluation objectively explains nature and the world around us in a reproducible way. Sci-fi authors must look things up, read scientific papers, and ask questions.

An important thing for authors to understand is who their intended readers are. Those who read and write hard science fiction are often employed in various fields of science, technology, or education in some capacity. They know the difference between physics and fantasy.

The paranormal is not science or magic. It is something else entirely and works best when the opening pages establish that the supernatural exists as a part of that world but has limitations. The paranormal should follow a logic of some sort. Start with a premise: Ghosts, vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves, or any kind of supernatural entity exist in that world.

Ask yourself, what are the conditions under which they cannot exist?

If ghosts, can they interact with the physical world? Why or why not?
What powers do the paranormal characters have?
Under what conditions do their powers not work?
What harms them? (Sunlight? A silver bullet? Something must be their kryptonite, or there is no story.)

Magic is not science, but it should be.

magic Magic works best when the local population in that world accepts that it exists and has limitations. When you think about it, magic should only be possible if certain conditions have been met. It should follow a set of rules.

For me, magic as an element of a fantasy novel only works under the following conditions:

the number of people who can use it is limited.
the ways in which it can be used are limited.
the majority of mages are limited to one or two kinds of magic and only certain mages can use every type of magic.
there are strict, inviolable rules regarding what each brand of magic can do and the conditions under which it will work.
there are some conditions under which the magic will not work.
the damage it can do as a weapon or the healing it can perform is limited.
the mage or healer pays a physical/emotional price for the use of magic.
the mage or healer pays a hefty price for abusing their gifts.
the learning curve is steep and sometimes lethal.
Is your magic spell-based rather than biological/empathic?
If magic is spell-based, can any reasonably intelligent person learn it if they find a teacher or are accepted into a school?

Fulfilling these conditions sets the stage for you to create the science of magic. This is an underlying, invisible layer of the world. By creating and following the arbitrary rules of this “science,” your story won’t contradict itself.

What challenges do your characters have to overcome when learning to wield their magic/superpower or super weapon?

Is the character born with the ability to use the superpower or magic? Or was it learned or conferred?
Are they unable to fully use their abilities?
If not, why not?
How does their inability affect their companions?
How is their self-confidence affected by this inability?
Do the companions also face learning curves?
What has to happen before your hero can fully realize their abilities?

Personal power and the desire for dominance are where the concepts of science, magic, and the paranormal converge.

In all my favorite science fiction and fantasy novels, the enemy has access to equal or better science/magic/superpower. How the protagonists overcome their limitations is the story.

Conflict forces the characters out of their comfortable environment. The roadblocks you put up force the protagonist to be creative. Through that creativity, your characters become stronger than they believe they are.

You must also clearly state the limits of science for the antagonist. Take the time to write it out and be sure the logic has no hidden flaws. If the protagonist and their enemy are not from the same school of magic or science, you should take the time to write out what makes them different and why they don’t converge.

That document is just for your reference. When you create a science, technology, or magic system, you build a hidden framework that will support and advance your plot.

Within those systems, there can be an occasional exception to a rule. However, a good reason for that exception must exist, and it must be clear to the reader why that exception is acceptable.

An important thing to consider when using magic or technology is this: the only time the reader needs to be informed that these systems exist is when the characters need new information, and only if that knowledge affects their actions. Otherwise, write the chosen trope as if it is a natural part of the environment rather than wasting words on a needless info dump.

Everything will be in place for a free-wheeling dive into the consequences of your protagonist’s struggle.

The fundamental tropes of science, magic, or superpowers offer your characters opportunities for success. But to be believable, those opportunities must not be free and unlimited.

Magic, science, and superpowers share common ground in one area—they offer characters an edge in whatever struggle they face.

30 days 50000 words However, neither science nor magic can support a poorly conceived novel. Science, the supernatural, and magic are just tropes, tools we use to help tell the story. Strong, charismatic characters, mighty struggles, and severe consequences for failure make a brilliant novel.

Do a little planning now so that when you begin writing your novel, you will see your characters clearly. You will know what they are capable of and what they can’t do. Those limitations will offer you many opportunities to take the story in an original direction.

We are now in the final six days of NaNoWriMo. My region is small, only 174 active writers, but we’re moving along well. As a whole, we just crested the four million word mark. That’s not as much as some regions, but wow!

In our forums on Discord and Facebook, the conversation sometimes turns to the use of magic or science in a narrative. Many of these authors are new at this and need a place to safely discuss their work, so I make it my business to not impose my opinions in either forum.

Besides, I have this platform for ranting about writing. So, how do I feel about science and magic?

In the words of Egon in Ghostbusters, “Don’t cross the streams.”

I have said this before, but I feel the need to repeat it. Science is not magic, and it should not feel to a reader as if it were.

Science is logical, rooted in the realm of real and theoretical physics. The scientific method objectively explains nature and the world around us in a reproducible way. Skepticism and peer review are fundamental parts of the process.

Those who read and write hard science fiction are often employed in the field of science in some capacity. They know the difference between reality and fantasy. The same goes for those who read fantasy—they are often employed in fields that require critical thinking.

Often, readers of both genres are avid gamers. Gamers learn to develop skillsets within strict parameters to advance in the game. Thus, logic and limitations define how much enjoyment they get from a gaming or reading experience.

I read a great many books in all genres. If I have one complaint, it is that many authors indulge in mushy science or magic. They make it up as they go, which is what we all do.

But when they get to the editing stage, they don’t go back and look for the contradictions in their magic or science, the places where a reader can no longer suspend their disbelief.

Having magic conveys power in the same way that having superior technology does. It should be held to the same standards.

If magic is a tool that your characters rely on, it should be believable. The science of magic is an underlying, invisible layer that is part of my world-building process.

The following is my list of places where magic and technology converge in genre fiction:

The number of people who can use either magic or technology should be limited.
The ways that magic or technology can be used should be limited.
The majority of people are limited to one or two kinds of magic/technology. Only specific mages/technicians have the ability to make use of all forms of magic/technology.
There must be strict, inviolable rules regarding what each kind of magic/technology can do.
The conditions under which this magic/technology will work must be clearly defined.
There must be some conditions under which the magic/technology will not work.
There must be limits to the damage magic/technology can do as a weapon or the healing it can perform.
Does the wielder of this magic/technology pay a physical/emotional price for the use?
Does the wielder of this magic/technology pay a physical/emotional price for abusing it?
Is the learning curve steep and sometimes lethal?

Personal power and how we confer it is the layer of world-building where writers of science and writers of magic come together.

Magic and the ability to wield it confers power.
Science and superior technology do the same.

For the narrative to have any real conflict, the enemy must have access to equal or better Science/Magic.

Often in the case of magic, the protagonist and their enemy are not from the same “school.” This means that the author has two systems and sets of rules to design for that story.

The same goes for technology. One group may have found a way to exploit physics that places the other group at a disadvantage. This is where the tension comes into the story.

WE authors must create the rules of magic or the limits of science for both the protagonist and antagonist. We must do it in the first stages of the writing process.

It will only require a small bit of time and maybe fifteen minutes of writing to create a system that satisfies the above ten requirements. This way, you will be sure the logic of your magic/technology has no hidden flaws.

When you take the time to research science technologies or create magic systems, you create a hidden framework that will support and advance your plot. Limits force us to be creative, to find alternative ways to resolve problems.

Within either science or magic, there can be an occasional exception to a rule, but it must be clear to the reader why that exception is acceptable.

There must be an obvious, rational explanation for that exception.

This is an underpinning of the plot and is a foundational component of the backstory. The only time the reader needs to know these systems exist is at the moment it affects the characters and their actions.

The best background information comes out at the moment that knowledge affects the story. It emerges naturally in conversations or in other subtle ways.

By not baldly dropping it on the reader in paragraph form, the knowledge becomes a normal part of the environment rather than an info dump.