Will Wight, New York Times Best-Selling Author of 'Cradle'
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In which we ramble on.
And by we, I mean me.

Developing a Magic System

10/10/2019

60 Comments

 
Two weeks after a major book release, and here's a status update: I'm already back to work on Of Killers and Kings / Of Kings and Killers (books #3 of the Elder Empire series), Uncrowned is still selling unbelievably well, and I am finally over that cold I had on release day.

Seriously, it was bad. A day or two after release, I was basically in bed all day, responding to comments and emails on my phone and sniffling.

But now that I've returned to health, I'm going to share with you something I normally don't: my notes!

During my Subnautica stream for the Uncrowned launch, a few of you expressed interest in how I develop magic systems. Well, I recently started developing a few for fun, so I thought I'd walk you through what I did!

This particular system is my attempt at a general all-purpose magic system. I wanted to see what I could do with a magic system in which magic could theoretically do anything, like in Harry Potter.

First, the system as I wrote it out, followed by an explanation:

***
Name: All-Purpose Wizardry
Abilities
—Wizards can do anything that could be done naturally, skipping the time and energy cost involved. The more time and energy it would take to do manually, the more it costs.
—A wizard can cast a spell to clean a room, and it will be cleaned as though he did it by hand. Teleport items across the room. Start fires instantly, strangle a target, lift objects without touching them, remove a tumor, stitch a wound shut, see distances far away, etc.
Categories
—I’m thinking each spell is highly individual, meaning you don’t have schools of magic or categories of spells, but should there be styles of magic? Does a spell that builds a house have certain rules that are different from a fireball spell?
Usage
—Wizards concentrate on mentally building the complex architecture of a spell, which takes a few seconds to a minute of intense visualization and concentration. Then they cast the spell, which takes effect directly, ignoring the method in between.
—Wizards can then see or sense a price for that spell and choose to pay it if they wish. The price is in energy; not in physical effort or time, which are precisely what spellcasting saves, but in magic points/tokens/slots.
—When the spell is defined and the price paid, the spell is cast and takes effect.
Requirements
—Concentration. You have to hold in place the arcane architecture of the spell.
—Definition. You don’t have to define the spell as precisely as programming and defining every step, but you do have to define it to some degree, as in “Clean this room.” Intentions, not precise definitions, are what matter in magic; you therefore don’t have to lawyer the magic by defining your terms explicitly.
—Price. You have to be able and willing to afford the price, then you have to pay it.
—Action. I haven’t quite decided what, but there should be some external action associated with casting a spell; either a somatic gesture or a verbal component.
Limitations
—Wizards cannot do anything inherently supernatural like shoot ice beams or reverse time or raise the dead. Spells can only accomplish things that are physically possible. Healing wounds quickly is fine, starting fires, controlling weather, etc.
—The more time and effort an action would theoretically take, the more energy the spell takes. “Theoretically” because distance, for instance, is calculated as the crow flies. Not about how many mountains or walls are in your way.
Terminology
Spell slots = Points?
Spellcasters = Wizards
Spells = Spells
(Mostly standard terminology here.)
Suggestions
—Either the act of paying the price should be tangible or there should be some clear action associated with the spell.
—The price/point/slot mechanic is the biggest gray area here. I think it’s important to have the resource be clear and distinct and spendable, not just a pool like mana or madra.
—How do you earn points? Do they passively recover over time, or do you have to perform actions? Does everyone have the same number of points or recover them at the same rate? How do you increase your maximum MP?
—Here’s a usage structure I like for the spell architecture: like Lincoln Logs or Legos where you’re building them a piece at a time and you have to mentally connect two targets. So for instance, to teleport a remote control over to you, you have to build a bridge between where the remote is and where you want it to be.
    To turn someone into a frog, you have to surround them in “bricks” and then build a frog (NOTE: not sure I like that element of it, because it contradicts the “intentions not detailed instructions” doctrine).
***
As you can see, this is only a thought experiment, but it shows how I start and organize my thoughts about magic systems. Now that you have an example, I'm going to go over the sections quickly.

Abilities: What the magic can do. Strangely enough, I find that a lot of new writers working on their own magic systems fail to define what their magic can do, focusing only on what it can't do. It's important to establish what your magic can do, because that's what makes it cool.
Categories: Schools of magic, elements, etc. How are magic-users or spells categorized? This is the weakest area in the example magic system, because by nature it's hard to separate this particular system into categories. However, in many systems categories are important, because they provide a logical structure that the reader can follow. For instance, if you see an earth sorcerer and a water sorcerer in a story, you can logically infer that at least wind and fire sorcerers also exist.
Usage: How, practically speaking, is magic used? Asking this question can help you picture the process of casting spells or using magic more vividly, which can help you ground it in the world and think of rules or limitations you hadn't considered before.
Requirements: What you need to be able to cast magic. Someone else can prevent your magic from being used by preventing your ability to fulfill one of the requirements. People often lump this in with Limitations, but I think that's a bad idea. Requirements are what you need to cast magic and Limitations are the things magic CAN'T do. They should both be present, but are entirely separate things.
Limitations: What your magic cannot do. Sometimes this is lumped into Requirements because the cost of a spell is often in both categories. For instance, if a spell costs mana (or a technique costs madra) that is both a Limitation of the magic system (you can only do magic until you run out of fuel) and a Requirement (you need fuel to cast magic). However, if there are no ice spells in your system, that's a Limitation and not a Requirement.
Terminology:​ This is usually a lot more complicated than in this example. What do you call magic itself? Magic-users? The use of magic? The source? Is there a term for certain magic that isn't used for others? I normally spend a long time developing terminology, but this example uses the standard terms: wizard, spells, casting, etc.
Suggestions: This is where I include my own notes on what's missing from the system so far, ideas I have for the future, weaknesses that I'd need to shore up in the story, etc.

I make these for fun sometimes, and I'm sure a lot of you do something similar. Raise your hand if you've ever sketched out a magic system in your notebook.

Now never lower that hand. It's stuck there now, permanently above your head.

I hope this gives you some sort of insight in the process I use to at least brainstorm and think out magic systems. People ask me for this sort of post from time to time, so I could do some more here and there if you find it interesting, so let me know! If you don't, then let me know that as well. No skin off my teeth.

And let me know what you'd like to see me blog about next week! I have a few one-sentence ideas for future stories that I might one day get around to writing if I live long enough, I have other magic systems, and I'm certainly capable of talking about anything else.

​-Will

60 Comments
Ravi
10/10/2019 04:27:58 pm

Next Week, I'd like your entire MCU rankings. Make it so! Or a character outline, or something.

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:00:04 pm

I feel like my MCU rankings differ significantly from most people's, so this might be surprisingly contentious.

Here's a sneak preview: I can't stand Civil War. It's in the bottom third for me, along with Winter Soldier.

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JOhn
10/10/2019 04:29:56 pm

That was interesting. Definitely post more of your process that you use to write you books!

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John
10/10/2019 04:30:40 pm

Your

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Patriarch Core Split
10/10/2019 05:35:48 pm

Thanks Will! I've printed this out and am going to give it a shot developing a concept in my head. It's about an elemental magic system where "mystic" artists cultivate their spirits, growing their power so they can split their core and eventually reach the level of Million-Core-Monarch by assembling the Ultimate All-Element-Avatar-Core.

I think I'll call it Winterstud and release it in just under 6 months!

/s

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Patriarch Core Split
10/10/2019 06:19:37 pm

Also, I'll need to find a narrator willing to change their name to Trevor Birdlee

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Trevor Birdlee
10/10/2019 06:31:56 pm

Hi

Gerg
10/17/2019 10:40:50 am

+1 upvote this comment

Will link
10/17/2019 04:00:31 pm

Tbh I'd read it.

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Sha Miara, Who Has Been Publicly Congratulated by Will Wight
10/10/2019 06:02:32 pm

I tried to fill it out for Subnautica! I feel like this could actually make a cool fantasy magic system if you knew how to twist a few things (which I don't).

Name: Fabrication
Abilities
—A survivor can create objects from raw materials using a fabricator, or similar tools produced by a fabricator.
—A survivor needs to acquire raw materials and have a source of energy to use their fabricator’s abilities. They also need to have blueprints for what they’re trying to craft.
Categories
—Survivors from different factions can have slightly different equipment available for fabrication based on the blueprints they possess. If a survivor can scan a fabricated object though, they too can obtain the blueprints!
Usage
—Survivors must gather raw materials, some of which are very rare, in order to fabricate items. This often involves risky journeys into uncomfortable places in the deep and dark places of the world.
—Survivors can see the exact cost in resources of a blueprint using their HUD.
—When a survivor has all necessary resources, s/he can manifest a blueprint into something tangible. Larger and more complex blueprints take more time to build.
Requirements
—Resources. You need raw materials to make something.
—Blueprints. Your fabricator must have exacting instructions on how to create an object to make it.
—Energy. Your fabricator takes energy to run, which can be collected from various constructed objects.
—Action. You need to physically stand in front of your fabricator for it to function.
Limitations
—Survivors cannot create something without having both the blueprint of the object and the resources it takes to create it.

*Accidentally posted this on the old blog post, so I'm reposting it here where it's relevant. Sorry if you get two notifications for it.

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Sha Miara, Who Has Been Publicly Congratulated by Will Wight
10/16/2019 10:31:28 pm

As of 15 minutes before this post, I've finally blasted off the planet, awaiting my payment of 1 trillion credits before I can land and return to Alterra.

Out of curiosity, if the Sea Dragon Leviathan was a sacred beast, would it be accepted as a dragon or do the tentacles make it too weird? Would the other dragons exclude from counting as a dragon? Would it be dragon enough for Northstrider to eat?

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An Actual Bison
10/16/2019 10:37:02 pm

Poor Sea Dragon Leviathan, getting bullied by the other dragons because it has tentacles instead of wings...

Will link
10/17/2019 04:01:40 pm

Also yes, she's 100% dragon enough. And I'm pretty sure she's on a dream Path, what with her telepathy and (maybe?) future-sight.

Will link
10/17/2019 04:01:08 pm

I thought about this too! I thought it might make a neat Full Metal Alchemist-style LitRPG magic system!

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Redduck
10/10/2019 06:26:58 pm

I love stuff like this - the glimpse into someone else's thought process to see how they sketch out an idea, construct it and put it together.

Also, I wish I had raised my left hand earlier. The logistic impact of having my dominant hand perma-stuck in the air is a little more than I can manage right now.

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:02:09 pm

Thus you have fallen into my trap!

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Beloved
10/10/2019 06:45:26 pm

First of all, I think this here is a good foundation for a solid magic system. But there is still a lot of work to be done, I really don't know when you will have time to work on it in between all the series you got going on at the moment. Though I really hope it won't make the releases of your books come later than you originally planned, Cradle fanboi myself.
Be that as it may, I'm actually looking forward to the final form of this magic system. So I'd like to give you some suggestions that might be of use or give you some new ideas.
First I'd like to address the part about limitations - I agree that limitations must be set, we need to have a clear picture of what the system encompasses. But I do think that the system itself shouldn't be defined in its entirety, there should be some, many even, things that should be left in the dark. The reason I think so is because, at least for me, magic should be a transcendent concept. We aren't supposed to understand it in its entirety. The mystery itself is what draws us in, at least in my case. Magic should be vague, it should give us that elusive feeling. Being simple, yet incredibly complex. Magic cannot be understood by the likes of us, ordinary people.
As for the classification part, I think you should pretty much stick to the basics. The reason I think this is although magic should be vague, it should also be relatable to us mortals. And that is where we can relate to the concept of magic the most. Because magic is classified based on the part of the magic that we, more or less, understand.
So basic categories should be something like this:
Elemental magic
Time magic
Space magic
Soul magic
Life magic
Death magic
Although this is pretty basic classification it leaves much room for imagination. You can basically have countless hybrid magic branches or subclasses.
The last thing I'd like to address is the requirement/cost part. As you know a huge majority of magic systems use some sort of energy as a "fuel" for magic, like mana, madra, chakra, vital energy... which are all basically the same thing.
I, however think that magic should have more to do with the human brain. For example, magic practitioners shouldn't need "fuel" for using magic, but, what I like to call, mental power. Because the universe itself is an untapped source of unlimited energy. All we need to do is find a way to manipulate it. And that is where the concept of mental power comes in to play. We know that the human brain is the most complex thing in the known universe and we also know that humans only use about 5% of the potential the brain has. So my train of thought goes like this.
Ordinary people use 5% of their brain potential. But magic practitioners use more than 5%. And the more potential you unlock the greater your magic and your capacity for magic is. And when you unlock the full potential of your brain you become an omnipotent being, otherwise known as god. That means you become one with the universe.
So these are some of my ideas and insights about the world of magic. I really hope they will be of help to you in your pursuit of absolute magic system and will be gratified by the knowledge that I may have contributed a bit to the project.
I apologize in advance for any grammar mistakes that I may have made in this long comment and for the potential waste of your time, but in my defence English is not my native language and I really, I mean really, like magic.

Sincerely yours,
Beloved

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A Passing Neurosurgeon
10/10/2019 07:41:42 pm

I usually just lurk here, browsing this and the subreddit during the easier brain surgery procedures. Gotta type fast because I've got somebody with their skull popped off over in the other room. The 5% and 10% brain potential stuff is actually a myth. Humans do in fact use all their brain cells. The myth stems from the fact that only 10% of your brain cells actually do any thinking. The other 90% are dedicated to cleaning up and taking care of the messy and helpless little slobs.

Also, I think Will Wight came up with this magic system as an example for this blog post, rather than a fleshed out magic system he plans on using.

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Timmy
10/14/2019 03:58:33 pm

> The reason I think this is although magic should be vague, it should also be relatable to us mortals.

You're describing a soft magic system (and an entirely different magic system from what Will wrote about). While perfectly valid, it's a matter of preference and I think Will prefers "hard" magic systems, as described in the essays of Brandon Sanderson.

While it's perfectly possible to write a book with a soft magic system like you're proposing, Will writes progression fantasy which lends itself better towards harder magic systems with more clearly defined elements.

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:05:21 pm

As that passing neurosurgeon said, this is almost certainly not something I'm going to develop into a series, it's just a fun thought exercise to stretch out my magic-makin' muscles.

As for energy costs, I'm totally in agreement that most systems don't need an equivalent to mana, as long as there's SOME kind of cost to what they can do. Mental effort works great!

Let's say your only power is the power to turn grass into bread. If you can do it infinitely in an instant with no cost, you can solve world hunger or drown all your enemies in an ocean of bread.

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TsukikageRyu
10/10/2019 08:01:35 pm

Thanks for the informative post!

If you're looking for suggestions for new blog topics, I'd like to ask about something more on the logistics side of writing- organization. Basically, like you, I would also create a magic system with pretty much all the same bullet points covered. Unlike you, I don't use any kind of standardized form; it's just open a google drive doc and jot down thoughts.

I have a series I'm creating, and I have several documents of world-building notes. While some of the documents are for a specific category of the world (such as Cultivation/Magic System), I have also have several documents used as a kind of scratch paper for jotting down notes as inspiration hits. Also, some of the ideas are hard to classify and end up on a random scratch paper document. So, organization methods from someone working on a longer series like Cradle would be interesting to hear. I'll eventually organize my notes, but right now I probably have about 80k words worth of notes across a dozen or so documents, and I'd like to be try to have a cleaner process in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to read.

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:08:51 pm

I don't require that every magic system I make fits neatly into this form, I just find that it's a helpful tool to get me thinking about what parts are necessary in a system and make sure I have them. It gets me thinking about what it's actually like in the universe to use this power, and even gets me brainstorming potential weaknesses or loopholes that characters could exploit.

But certainly don't be beholden to the form!

As for logistics of note-keeping, I do more or less the same thing you do, organizing everything into folders by book. However, I also have some master documents that I make sure to update every time something changes in the books, like my document on all the major characters and my document on the Monarchs and other powerful people in the setting.

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DesperateFan
10/10/2019 08:38:57 pm

Hi Will!

Great informative worksheet for refining a magic system, and I'll definitely try this out for myself at some point. For a future blog post, I'd like you to to take us through a day in the life of Will Wight. Record everything you do the day you write the blog post and describe each event in detail. I'd personally prefer that you vlog your entire day, but since you said in response to my comment on last week's blog post that you think videos of you online are weird, just a written record would be sufficient. You could totally sneak something weird in there and have us guess what it was.

Thanks!

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Hayden Desrosiers
10/14/2019 04:01:41 pm

I've actually done this exercise before. I took some entrepreneurship classes once and keeping a written log of all the things you do was one of the assignments. It's supposed to help you identify where you're wasting time and how to make your life more efficient.

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:12:32 pm

Yikes, idk how to do that. Let's see, if I were to describe today off the top of my head...I'm in a cabin that I rented for the purpose of writing this week. I woke up at 7:30 and was writing at 8:00, I wrote some of Killers until about 9:30 when I had breakfast.

As I wrote Killers, I'm going back between writing a scene and adjusting my notes and then back to the scene as I think of things. There's also a healthy amount of referencing notes and older books.

Wrote until about noon when I took a long phone call (with my graphic designer), then I did some promo stuff until about 1:30, then I had lunch and it was back to writing about 2:00. After that, I had some technical problems with my computer and Word that it took a while to resolve, continued writing, went to the gym about 5:30, came back to make this blog and answer blog comments, and now it's about 7:15.

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DesperateFan
10/17/2019 09:33:04 pm

Thanks Will! It sounds like you got a lot done today!

Nicholas Siracusa
10/10/2019 08:53:52 pm

Listened to the audiobook in a single day. When, and I cannot stress this enough, is book 8 coming out?

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Lashan
10/10/2019 10:38:57 pm

Sobbing me... he, he is writing other series not Cradle. I want to go into hibernation until next cradle release in 2020

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:14:16 pm

I wish it were sooner, but probably Q2 next year.

(︶︹︺)

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Man-flu victim too
10/10/2019 09:07:51 pm

I'm concerned you didn't take this so called "cold" serious enough.
It sounds more like the men flu. This is serious!

You really should take more care of yourself, it could have been a hospitalable event.

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:15:00 pm

I was starting to get concerned after a while, but then it eased up. TOTALLY FINE, NOTHING TO SEE HERE FOLKS.

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Bewildered
10/10/2019 09:57:17 pm

I have an idea in mind for an "All-Purpose Wizardry" type universe so do you mind if I point out a few other things I've thought of in the offchance it might contribute to your own (or others') creative endeavours?

You suggested categories shouldn't exist as each spell is highly individual, but perhaps with styles of magic having similar rules. Why couldn't you have competing classification systems? It's not that any one system is right or wrong, it's just different approaches to conceptualise things. For instance a pyromancer may use evocation and conjury type spells whereas an evoker may use pyromancy and geomancy. They have spells in common - fireballs, firebolts etc, but they also have some vastly different appraches\spells - a pyromancer might also cast 'rain of black dragon fire' - another fire spell but not one that is evoked, whilst the evoker can cast acidbolts because of his geomantic background. And that's just 2 approaches to classification. What if there're others - druidism, shamanism, runic etc?

You suggested wizards create the entire spell architecture then decide whether to pay the price to power it, but why should power be a fixed price? A 0.5 Lindon fireball might kill a rabbit, a 1.2 Lindon fireball might kill a leather clad man, and a 10 Lindon fireball might blow up a stone tower. The fundamental architecture might be the same - assuming higher strength spells don't require reinforced architecture, just with differing charges. Of course that would require a casting component to trigger the effect not the decision to pay the price. And of course this assume that magic is absolutely measurable. What if the price is individualistic and relative? What of alternative approaches to spell casting? Could a non-wizard caster will an effect into being if they couldn't visualise the complete spell architecture? And what about runic type systems, something akin to Sanderson's Elantris or Rithmatist universes? Could there be more than one way to shape power? What of artificing? Might a tool be built be a person or group with little to no wizarding ability? What would power such a thing?

You suggested that the price of the spell would be a defined portion of a wizard's mana, but what of indirect costs? Assuming fixed absolute costs a fireball might usually cost 1 Lindon for instance. Casting 100 such fireballs would cost 100 Lindons of mana capacity. That might exhaust some wizards whilst others would have no trouble with that limit, but what of mental and physical costs? Would repeating the same spell time and time again be physically and\or mentally taxing? Would casting a single 100 Lindon fireball be physically and mentally simpler? Might randomly casting a series of fireballs, acid bolts, lightning storms, and earth tremours totalling 80 Lindons worth of mana actually be more exhausting because of the radically different spell architecture and inability to repeat? Like the possibility of multiple spell classification systems it seems to me that indirect, or if you prefer, hidden costs, could prove as critical as official mana costs. A mentally alert and physically fit but magically weak wizard might, in general, be a better caster than a mentally frail, physically restricted but magically supreme wizard. And what of recharge abilities? Will a night's sleep restore one to full capacity? Or might it take a week or more of rest to restore a caster to full mana? I know in your suggestions you said use a clear, distinct and spendable resource not a nebulous pool like mana or madra, but do readers care about stats? Might it be more productive for an author to leave the numbers behind the scenes so that he, or she, knows the strength of a particular spell and can thus track character spell levels but write a qualitative rather than quantitative depiction of the action?

And on a side note the plural of Lego is Lego! It's a bit like sheep not sheeps is the plural of sheep. The name is from the Danish 'leg godt' play well. :-D

Oh as for suggested requirements, what if the only requirement to cast magic is a functioning brain? Would the way to prevent this be to either render one unconcious (or dead) or force them into a semi-functioning state - drown them in alcohol or laudenum etc? Are there other methods to disable a brain?

Anyone else able to add to this brainstorming?

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Valar
10/13/2019 05:55:31 pm

There are possibly numerous ways to disable a brain from functioning at the level you describe.

Could hypnosis be one?
Drugs?
Concussions and other physical damage?
Could spells cast by others limit the brain output?
Stress?

But more interestingly, what would be the consequence of everyone being a (potential) magic user be?
Would everyone have the same capacity for growth given appropriate training?

Lastly, thumbs up on the Lego comment. Pet peeve of mine.

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:25:01 pm

So I'm in a little bit of a pickle about Lego.

On the one hand, I actually know that the plural of Lego is Lego. It's one of those bits of trivia that I run into every once in a while.

On the other hand, I hear people say Legos all the time, and I don't know that I've ever heard anyone in real life say 'Lego' as a plural. In terms of language, I usually like to use the word people actually use, even if it's not technically correct.

For instance, I say "hopefully" a lot in my books, as in "Hopefully, he wouldn't be murdered." But I'm fully aware that that's actually an incorrect usage of the word "hopefully," because the character isn't doing something in a hopeful manner, he's hoping for something.

So I don't know whether to correct myself to the actually correct Lego or stick with the commonly used Legos.

(Not that I thought of any of this when I was writing these notes, because I was writing notes for me, this is just my general thought process about word correctness.)

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Valar
10/28/2019 03:22:26 pm

I think it's quite simply a case of Danish being different to English as far as every day usage goes.
Only a toddler might say "Legoer" (Danish equivalent plural) and so Lego is the common and preferred usage. And so it grates a bit to hear people say Legos, even in English. Maybe because you subconsciously feel bad for the person using baby language 😂
Hopefully that clears it up...

George
10/11/2019 04:43:10 pm

QUESTION FOR WILL: So, not quite related to your post here Will, but I finished Uncrowned. Solid book and now hungry for more. BUT...... now what should I read? (And yes, I have read and own all your other books :) ) Any chance you want to toss a comment in here with maybe 5-10 books that you recommend? I dig your writing style and I find that recommended books tend to click better than random titles. If not specific books, authors are great as well! Thanks!

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Will link
10/17/2019 04:28:18 pm

Hmmm I'm never really sure how to recommend things to people I don't know. I don't recommend very many books to everyone without caveats, and the ones I would recommend to anyone typically everyone's already read.

Having said all that, I just finished the two existing books in Mike Shel's Iconoclasts trilogy, and I would highly recommend. (I'd read the first one before, but I just now read the second one.) Starts with The Aching God. It reads like a D&D system but in a very serious, well fleshed-out fantasy world.

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George
10/18/2019 09:54:36 am

I will check them out!

Fenrirwolflord
10/11/2019 05:28:57 pm

Honestly i have both created and tried creating or tweaked varies magic systems a fair bit. I do similar for world building or thematic ideas.
I would love to hear some other magic systems you have considered or have messed around with for fun.

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Hand
10/11/2019 08:56:17 pm

I'm above you all. Bow down to the great hand. My core is full of fingernail madre and if any of you dare to challenge me be prepared to be scratched! Bow down to the might me!

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manty05
10/12/2019 07:46:31 am

This is not really a topic but, how are the EE audiobooks coming? Also do you already have a narator for the Shadows side of EE?

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Tom
10/12/2019 04:12:00 pm

Will posted previews awhile ago, so I think the audiobooks are finished recording, just waiting edits and launch. Will probably wants to do a big Elder Empire marketing push when he finishes OKAK, and he'll probably start releasing the audiobooks then.

That will work well for me, since it's been ages and ages since I've read Elder Empire, and I don't know if I want to reread just so I know what's happening for both book 3's. Having new audiobooks might change that though, since I know Will's not going to skimp and will get us good narrators.

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Michale
10/12/2019 07:04:33 pm

If you're up to writing more stuff about your writing process, perhaps you could take us through how you develop and flesh out characters? Maybe one for settings too at a latter date?

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khan
10/12/2019 11:27:02 pm

Interesting.. interesting indeed..
One thing about your this particular magic system strikes me as ingenious and that's the lack of classification. It's really important but often overlooked.
Like think of harry potter. people are of different personalities and therefore are sorted to different houses but all have equal access to the full magic system. they are only limited by their own choices and passions.
Now what such a magic system gives us? we readers are people and therefore have different personalities and points of view. but we all can picture ourselves casting the magic with the characters of this world. That's a recipe for success.
Just like Lindon we can see ourselves splitting our cores and spewing blackflame or like Northstrider eating dragons :)

Reply
Guess Who?
10/13/2019 12:36:56 pm

I would like a detailed “Avengers: Endgame” review for your next blog post.

Reply
Sam
10/13/2019 02:55:17 pm

Didn't he already do this a few blog posts ago?

Reply
Guess Who?
10/14/2019 01:23:13 pm

To Sam:
He gave a no-spoilers review, which just basically said how much he liked it. Now I want to know specifics.

Matt
10/13/2019 12:54:11 pm

I'd be interested in hearing your process in developing the framework for a series.

For example, do you map out the overarching plot lines with some real detail, including the direction of the main characters, major plot points that won't occur for several books down the line, etc., or do you just start with more of a bare-bones outline that you flesh out more organically as you write?

Reply
DesperateFan
10/14/2019 05:56:45 pm

Will used to use a lot of DnD tools, writing novels by fleshing out the world and monsters. He had a couple milestones he wanted to hit, gave his characters personalities, and did his best to direct them towards those goals. Nowadays he's got a firmer hand on the plot, though he's still occasionally subject to the whims of fancy that appear while he's writing, whispering in his ear and urging him to take the story in an unexpected direction.

At least that's my analysis based on several years of internet stalking.

Reply
The big Will
10/13/2019 09:58:19 pm

I had Underoos when I was a kid. Now those are magical.

Reply
The Creator of Ballomancy
10/14/2019 11:34:11 am

Behold, I have created a masterful magic system using your methodology, Will Wight. Now, I know you’re jealous of my creative genius, but I’m very kind and generous so I hereby sign the copyright to this beautiful creation to you, Will Wight. Congratulations Will, you’re now the proud owner of Ballomancy.

Name: Ballomancy
Abilities: A user of magical balls can summon ethereal balls into existence and control one aspect of the balls they summon, based on their category of mastery. How many balls they can summon and control at once determines their rank as a ballomancer
Categories:
 Position Ballomancers: can control the position of their balls, flinging them forward or backward no faster than they could throw the balls by hand.
 Size Ballomancers: can make balls larger or smaller, however the mass remains the same.
 Color Ballomancers: Can change a ball to any shape visible to the naked eye.
 Lumiticity Ballomancers: Can make their balls emit light.
 Fire Ballomancers: Can control heat.
 Frost Ballomancers: Can make their balls cold
 Attraction Ballomancers: Can control balls to pull other balls towards them.
 Repulsion Ballomancers: Can push balls away from each other.
Usage: Ballomancy is used by everyone on the world of the Great Sphere. Everyone (with the exception of the ball-less) uses ballomancy to make improve their life. They also use it to fight against their rivals from the evil angular dimension, which overlays the Great Sphere like an ephemeral net. Beings from the angular dimension use a magic similar to Ballomancy, called Polygonalmancy, which is literally exactly the same thing except with squares, triangles, rectangles, ect.
Requirements: Ballomancers must call on the essence of the Great Sphere, the world on which they dwell, to summon their balls. If they get trapped in the Square Dimension, or the Triangle Dimension, ballomancy will not work. They do have the option to be corrupted into a Polygonalmancer though.
Limitations: Every category of Ballomancers has a limitation.
Position Ballomancer: Can only fling with the speed they would have throwing their balls by hand.
Size Ballomancers: Make balls as big as they are or as small as an eye
Color Ballomancers: Can only change balls to the colors they’ve seen before.
Lumiticity Ballomancers: Balls can only be as large as the brightest glowing item a Ballomancer has eaten in their lifetime. Yes, eaten.
Fire Ballomancer: Draws heat from the ballomancer’s body to make things hot.
Frost Ballomancer: Dumps heat into the ballomancer’s body to make things cold.
Attraction Ballomancer: The ballomancer’s body feels the crushing weight of attraction to the Great Sphere, and can only generate a force as large as they can endure.
Repulsion Ballomancer: Ballomancer’s lose the force of gravity, even getting flung into the air if the repulsion force is great enough.
Terminology:
Ballomancer – A wizard who summons balls
Summons – Balls a wizard calls into existence.

Suggestions:
 Ballomancers use the magic of their balls to do things like fly by using a combination of Repulsion and Attraction ballomancy.
 Fire and frost balls are often used in conjunction, because you can’t lose or get very much heat dumped into you without dying.
 Color ballomancy can be used to generate illusions from a distance, though the fabrication becomes apparent when up close due to the fact that you can see the individual balls.

Reply
The Creator of Ballomancy
10/15/2019 11:37:42 pm

Lumiticity Ballomancers: Balls can only be as large as the brightest glowing item a Ballomancer has eaten --> only as bright.

Sorry, I save time when writing anything by never rereading or editing anything I've written. It's a strategy that has consistently failed me nearly every time I use it, but I continue use it anyway as I hope for the best.

Reply
Devin, but not the one who's an Alpha reader, just a random Devin
10/14/2019 05:45:44 pm

Estyr Six vs Akura Charity, Sage of the Silver Heart. Who wins?

Reply
Wilbur Waitly
10/14/2019 06:16:18 pm

Personally, I'd like another Great Oreo Taste Test, or something similar. Something random and unrelated to writing.

Presumably you've gone on enough cruise ships that you can rate your experience with various cruise lines? Maybe you could do a Subway sandwich taste test?

Reply
An Actual Bison
10/14/2019 06:39:55 pm

I think Will needs more business expense write offs considering how much Underlord and Uncrowned have sold. He should do a comparison of which type of Tesla is the best to buy with cash, and a comparison with other big sport scar brands.

Reply
Dan
10/20/2019 11:17:11 am

All I have to say is I can’t wait till the end of the elder empire series it has been too long

Reply
Kyle Shannon
10/22/2019 04:35:30 pm

Hi Will, I have been a fan since house of blades was self published on kindle selling for $2.00. I am so happy to see how far you've come. I have the first edition on a old kindle and was looking over the differences to the current edition. Your writing continues to improve and it's great to see a author so interactive with his readers. I look forward to reading your more recent ventures.

Reply
Brian Parisi
5/18/2022 09:18:35 am

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Leah Gerics
6/12/2022 04:08:09 am

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Email: amberlottotemple@yahoo.com

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