On Writing and Worldbuilding, Volume I

by Timothy Hickson

Are there more pressing concerns than fulfilling this destiny? Are the methods required to fulfill it morally justified? Are the methods required to avoid it morally justified?

that central point of tension arises from the philosophical and character conflicts around the idea of the prophecy itself.

story. It also allows the trope to be integrated into a grey narrative, avoiding binary depictions of morality as purely good versus purely evil,

Character development and narrative structure

it can come across as weak writing if: the only reason that this mysterious farm boy with dead parents is the only one who has the ability to stop the Dark Lord is because they are the chosen one. the only reason the main character begins their quest is because they are told that they are the chosen one, and that they need to go on said quest.

The problem with this narratively is that it reduces your protagonist to a placeholder character.

When writing your own, consider carefully how they connect with certain characters and why certain dynamics form.

it is important to give the chosen one a character arc and a motivation that exists independent of their chosen-ness.

Multiple elements of motivation that exist wholly independently of their chosen-ness allow the writer to create interesting struggles where the chosen one’s personal motivation conflicts with their motivation to do their duty.

The first act of the story is where the author indicates to the reader the most important desires, relationships, and points of development for a character, meaning that this is where the setup is most crucial.

Authors need to answer the following: why is the character doing what they do, and why do they have certain relationships with other characters?

Despite being the chosen one, his character development is largely about maturing and becoming less impulsive and arrogant.

Special powers

One of the challenges writing a chosen one poses is that it can come across as weak writing if the chosen one develops powerful abilities not because they worked for it, but because the cosmic space wizards determined they should have them.

even if a character is the chosen one, it can be important to make sure the reader feels that the character worked for their leadership skills, wizard powers, or assassin skills.

What matters most is setup and payoff. What does the chosen one need to master in order to fulfill their destiny? If it is their abilities, then it will be more satisfying to show the character working for them. If it is their mental or personal capacity, then it will be more satisfying to show the character working at those.

Character tests

Character tests are useful for framing the personal development in a chosen one story as a character has to grow to meet the character requirements or they struggle to keep the character requirements of the chosen one.

Summary

Firstly, giving supporting characters their own dramatic threads that are not reliant on the destiny-thread makes for a multidimensional climax and ensures they each independently feel crucial to the resolution of the tension.

Secondly, making the destiny-thread either an antagonistic force or morally ambiguous one can heighten dramatic tension as well as the thematic and emotional weight around how it unfolds.

Thirdly, giving chosen ones character arcs, motivations, relationships, and struggles outside their chosen-ness not only makes them more relatable, but the tension arising from those is not undermined or predictable because of their chosen-ness. However, the chosen one can still have arcs related to being the chosen one.

Fourthly, in structuring a chosen one story, these elements should be established within the first act and developed alongside any destiny-threads.

Fifthly, it is important to ask: what does a chosen one add to the story? While chosen one stories can be played in interesting ways, there are a few more pitfalls to this trope than most. If a character is made more interesting, if overcoming their struggles feel more like achievements to the reader, and their motivation is more sincere with them not being the chosen one, then chances are the story would work better without it.

PART IX HARD MAGIC SYSTEMS

Sanderson’s First Law

“An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.”

Sanderson’s Second Law

“Limitations are more important than powers.”

Summary

a softer magic system means the magic has a vague, undefined,

A harder magic system, on the other hand, has more clearly defined rules, consequences, and limitations

The more a reader comprehends and understands the magic system as an element of the narrative, the more it can be used to solve problems in the story in a satisfying way.

One issue with a vague limit of energy requirements or willpower is that because these things are unquantifiable, stories that use them are prone to power creep or inconsistency

PART X SOFT MAGIC SYSTEMS

tension is incredibly difficult to build if your reader has no idea of the capabilities of your characters.

when it comes to using soft magic to cause tension is to be consistent with that antagonist’s powers.

you can align the reader with the main character who may view magic as this mystical and unknown force in the world.

That sense of the mysterious unknown can be harder to achieve from the perspective of a person who must understand something of your magic.

Giving characters little control over their passive magic allows you to keep tension in the narrative because they still have to rely on their intelligence, ingenuity, and skill to solve problems, especially if said magic is unpredictable.

the focus of unpredictable magic should not be on its ability to solve problems. Rather, its role in the story should centre around its unpredictability and how that can enrich your story.

Summary

tension is incredibly difficult to build if your reader has no idea of the capabilities of your characters.

It is a lot easier to have antagonists with vague powers than protagonists.

be consistent with that antagonist’s powers.

Soft magic can frame the tension but not resolve it.

it will be stronger writing if unpredictable magic affects the course of the story in not just positive, but negative and neutral ways as well.

Having multiple magic systems allows your magic to be more versatile, diverse, and allows for both hard and soft systems.

PART XI MAGIC SYSTEMS AND STORYTELLING

Sanderson’s Third Law of Magic