Article on Magic here at Mythic Scribes

[acapes]

Hopefully this isn't redundant of me to post this here (and apologies if that's so), but I'm really happy to see an article I wrote right here on Mythic Scribes - love to hear what everyone thinks!

It's on the role of 'soft' magic systems:

‘Soft’ Magic Systems Still Have a Place

 

[CupofJoe]

Myself, I'm a fan of soft magic. there I admit it...
I like the wiggle room it gives you to do or not do stuff.
I try to write small magic. I rarely have Great Wizards riding dragons and blasting mountains and armies with a single thought. I try to make my magic users more personal, let their magic be rare, organic and low key.
Personally I think D&L Edding [few rules] and JRR Tolkien [not really explaining it at all] are the best approaches unless your story is about the limitations of the magic... I'm usually more interested in the repercussions of its [non-] use than the mechanism for its existence.
With any hard or soft magic the chance/risk of the deus ex machina is going to be there. The "with a bound our hero[ine] was free" is the pitfall you can leave yourself open to. I try to make the stumble a few times if they try...

 

[acapes]

Personally I think D&L Edding [few rules] and JRR Tolkien [not really explaining it at all] are the best approaches unless your story is about the limitations of the magic... I'm usually more interested in the repercussions of its [non-] use than the mechanism for its existence.

Hey CupofJoe - I agree and I love the very simple set of rules on Eddings' magic system, very neat, huh?

With any hard or soft magic the chance/risk of the deus ex machina is going to be there. The "with a bound our hero[ine] was free" is the pitfall you can leave yourself open to. I try to make the stumble a few times if they try...

Me too, and the stumbling's part of the fun I reckon - and it's probably more realistic too, more in maintaining suspension of disbelief.