Magic and Magical Creatures

One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing fantasy is creating a new world from your imagination. You have the power to devise an entire civilisation to your liking, including whatever elements you see fit. An aspect of this fantasy world building that runs through most of the sub-genres of fantasy is the creation of magic and magical creatures. Fantasy worlds often abound with wizards, sorcerers, elves, fairies and so on, who have the ability to control the magical elements around them. When you are writing this type of fantasy, you have almost free-reign to invent whatever you want. However, there are some guidelines that you should follow if you want to have a fantasy world that draws readers in and makes them interested in reading more.

Magical Hierarchy

The first thing you need to decide is what type of magic exists in your world. Do random magical acts just happen here and there? Or are people able to harness the magical energy for their own use? If people are able to use the magic, what are the limitations of this? It is important to know just how much the magic in your world will affect your characters, as this will have an impact on your plot and character motivations.

You should also consider who is able to access the magic. Does it only affect certain people who are born with a “gift”? Can anyone handle magic if they have the right training? Is it a closely guarded secret that only a certain group of people know? Again, you need to know the specifics, so that you can keep your details and descriptions consistent throughout your novel.

Magical Details

Next, work out the smaller details of the magic in your world. Does the magic exist everywhere, or is it confined to certain geographical locations? You also need to know what can be done with the magic. Can spells be created to control every aspect of life? Or do they have strict limitations? Make sure you have all of these details clear in your mind before you begin writing so that you can avoid contradictions.

Magical Creatures

Where would fantasy be without dragons, elves and fairies?! Granted, some fantasy contains no magic or magical creatures at all, but the idea of the genre has been built with these elements playing a large part. If you choose to have magical creatures in your fantasy novel, then there are some points to remember. Firstly, the creatures must fit in with the magical details that you have worked out for your world. Make sure that there are no contradictions that will make your readers shake their heads and put your book down in disbelief.

You will also need to work out how these creatures co-exist with each other. It is likely that there is a food-chain or pecking order, just as there is with animals in our own world. Who is the strongest? Who has the most power?

In general, there are some very traditional ideas about what magical creatures in fantasy novels will be – i.e., dragons, fairies, or Tolkien-esque elves and orcs. However, you don’t necessarily need to bow to this tradition in your own writing. Why not come up with your own ideas for creatures in your world?

For information about working with magic and magical creatures, look out for our upcoming workshop: “Abracadabra – Controlling the Magic in Your Novel”, which is available to all members of The Speculative Fiction Writers Toolkit.