Magic Has Its Uses
I don’t introduce a lot of magic in my high fantasy trilogies like The Dark Lady or The Queen’s Pawn. Too much of the stuff is cheating and gets the author out of deep plot holes far too easily. If you do use magic, don’t surprise the audience by pulling a rabbit out of a hat to save yourself, if you haven’t given hints about rabbits and hats earlier on.
In the Dark Lady books I have magicians/wizards but they are used sparingly. Fireballs and lightning bolts are about the main extent. In the Queen’s Pawn novels I introduced a more powerful wizard so the tales involve a bit more trickery, but nothing that dominates the plot. In the later QP books I sink a bit more into the “other” side.
Where I go quite mad in the use of magic, and magic characters, is in the Housetrap Chronicles. These tales are full of magical creatures such as: elves, demons, vampires, witches and warlocks, as well as the occasional god or demi-god. In these fantasy detective stories I give my imagination free rein. After all, if you have both dirigibles and spaceships, it never hurts to throw in the odd unicorn too.
Next, it’s time to take a break from blogging and get back to some actual serious writing. A few things are on the go: I’m polishing off the start of a possible space opera series, giving some thought to a new Housetrap tale, and thinking about whether I want to do any more on the Toltec epic.
Oh good grief, winter is coming, and so is the local Comic Con
In the Dark Lady books I have magicians/wizards but they are used sparingly. Fireballs and lightning bolts are about the main extent. In the Queen’s Pawn novels I introduced a more powerful wizard so the tales involve a bit more trickery, but nothing that dominates the plot. In the later QP books I sink a bit more into the “other” side.
Where I go quite mad in the use of magic, and magic characters, is in the Housetrap Chronicles. These tales are full of magical creatures such as: elves, demons, vampires, witches and warlocks, as well as the occasional god or demi-god. In these fantasy detective stories I give my imagination free rein. After all, if you have both dirigibles and spaceships, it never hurts to throw in the odd unicorn too.
Next, it’s time to take a break from blogging and get back to some actual serious writing. A few things are on the go: I’m polishing off the start of a possible space opera series, giving some thought to a new Housetrap tale, and thinking about whether I want to do any more on the Toltec epic.
Oh good grief, winter is coming, and so is the local Comic Con
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