Twelve Questions Answered

A few days ago I posted Four Character Sheets to the Wind about the 12 Questions Mette Harrison suggests asking yourself about your magic system. I sat down and wrote out my answers. I’m not sure I answered everything the way the creator intended, but this gives me at least some guidelines for the system so I don’t pull a fast one on myself.

Image courtesy of [digitalart] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net 

Twelve Questions to ask yourself about your magic system:

• How is it learned and executed?

Most people in the world don’t know magic exists. Children are more easily able to access magic when young because they’re creative and have grand imaginations. The sky’s the limit. Not every child can use magic inherently, but it can be taught in a limited scope to most toddlers. If they show aptitude, it can be coaxed through their school years. As long as they practice, they can keep the talent. If they lose interest, they become banal to it like everyone else. Magic isn’t often taught to anyone without a specific aptitude, especially since the majority of the world doesn’t believe in it. When one loses their sense of wonder and falls into the monotony of everyday life, they can lose the ability to cast easily.

When those with aptitude are taught, magic is executed through force of will. Using spells, enchantments, circles, etc can make it easier. Once you’re practiced enough, the bells and whistles aren’t necessary. Through force of will and thought, magic happens. Meditation can aid in magical workings, freeing the unconscious mind from mundane thoughts. When in a meditative state, the caster has a limited focus. They can work with the things they went into meditation with, but it’s harder to switch gears.

• How is it accessed?

Through the mind.

• Does it have a will of its own?

The only part of the magic system to have a will of its own would be thoughtforms. When created, they can become almost aware and can grow out of control if not checked and released by their creator. Elsewise magic is simply an ambient force in the world waiting to be taken advantage of.

• Is it restricted in space and time?

Magic is more powerful the more people who believe in it. If they were to go back to the middle ages, magic would be much easier to control. However, there is the constant threat of being burned as a witch as well.

• What does available magic do?

Available magic can do anything the caster can imagine strongly enough. If they want to set someone on fire, they can set someone on fire. If they want to turn them into a lawnchair, they could turn them into a lawnchair. The more unrealistic the spell cast, however, the more effort it takes. It would be easier to turn a human into a troll than it would be to turn them into a lion.

• How does it relate to the character, plot and theme of the book?

The characters in the story who use magic come from a magic using family. They use it to hunt demons, bind spirits and the like. Magic is uncommon but extremely useful against enemies most of the world doesn’t see.

• What is the cost of magic?

When magic is used, it is mentally fatiguing. If the mental fatigue becomes too much, physical symptoms can exhibit. To most people, it appears as dehydration and physical exhaustion. Some magic users may have the diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia. If magic users become too exhausted, they can die. As a channel for magic, the body won’t shut down as it would in other fatigue cases. They will literally burn themselves out and die.

• What can it not do?

Magic can’t bring people back from the dead as they were before they died. They become zombies.

• How long does it last?

The effects of the spell will last as long as the caster can keep concentration on the spell. In cases of setting someone on fire, the fire will burn until it no longer has fuel. If the caster continues focusing on the fire burning, however, it may not be snuffed by traditional means or it may relight after being doused.

• Who can use it?

It can be used by anyone with an aptitude who has been trained. It can be self-taught, but sometimes with questionable results.

• How do others react to it?

Most people don’t know magic is real. Those who see it will probably gloss it over and think it was a hallucination. Those with an aptitude are more open to magic being real, but if they’re groomed to believe magic is impossible, they will eventually believe it.

• Why haven’t people with this power taken over the world?

There are incredibly few magic users in the world. Those who use magic don’t want to become a test subject. They are careful to keep it hidden wherever possible. In the case of resurrecting the dead, there would be charges for desecrating graves/remains. Even if they could prove their power, they would be locked up. That, however, doesn’t apply to villains once they amass enough power. 🙂

 

Are there aspects of my magic system I may have missed? Does this make sense to you? If not, leave me a comment. I’m up for suggestions!

Your Story: Crackle

Today’s “Your Story” prompt is Crackle.

Image used courtesy of Sethsnap.

Locke grabbed another log and tossed it into the old iron stove. It popped as the moss from the bark met the hot coals. He grabbed the poker from the stand and stirred the grey ash into the brightly burning coals. Coils of smoke rose from the burning bark and it crackled in the heat. Locke crouched in front of the open door, the almost too hot heat welcome against the chill at his back. Maple always burned sweet. This particular log hadn’t dried long enough. He’d have to remember that the next time he went out. Two or more year dried wood smelled dry behind the particular fragrance of the tree itself and each one had its own particular aroma. This smelled slightly green.

The poker clanged into the holder and the handle squeaked as he locked the door. He tested the flue so the house wouldn’t fill with smoke and tightened the dampers before he made his way back out.

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“Your Story” is a SethSnap series in which you get to decide the story behind the photo.  You can write a story, a poem or even just one word.  You decide.  Get your favorite pencil, enter your comfort zone and go!

Monday Blog Game: Choose your Own Adventure

Since there was no Monday Blog Game over at Susan’s blog this week, Since I didn’t look closely enough and apparently can’t read what the official Monday Blog Game post was on Susan’s blog, I decided to do my own. On Tuesday. Yes, I know, I’m a slacker.

I decided to do a piece about those Choose your own Adventure books I used to read as a kid.

It looks like the books are still being made, too, if you look on Barnes and Noble.

When we would take our weekly trips in Elementary school to the library on the top floor, I would always be plopped down on a bean bag at the shelves by the Choose your own Adventure books. I went through the book multiple times, reading through each choice in order to the final outcome. Then I would flip back again and read through a second time, choosing all the options until I’d explored them all. I was always happiest when I’d come to the  best possible outcome. We made it out alive, I made a friend and my friend and I went on about our lives like nothing happened.

One by one my friends would come over and see what I was reading. By the end of the third grade, five or six of us were jammed in that one back corner. We had to share bean bags because they wouldn’t all fit. There was always an odd man out who had to use a chair. Most of the time we took turns.

Choose your Own Adventure books were a gateway to Nancy Drew mysteries. Through Nancy Drew, I found the Hardy Boys. From there, I stumbled on Agatha Christie.

When I got into the internet while I was in my last years of high school, I set up an Angelfire webpage as a choose your own adventure novel. I sometimes wonder if it’s still out there somewhere in cyberspace.

[Susan actually asked for recipes this week. If you want to pop over to her blog and do the actual assignment like a good student, you can link back to her blog using the link below. I’m a chucklehead.]

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The “rules” for the Monday Blog Game are simple – Everyone is invited to play along, and I hope you do! Here’s how: Write something about the weekly topic, either in the comments or on your blog (if you write on your own blog, link back or comment to Susan’s blog so they know how to find you!)

Six Sentence Sunday

“He’ll die if you don’t,” Meredith prodded, sensing his indecision and worry. Every second he hesitated was a precious second lost, the storm around them growing heavy and black. The sky tinted green and red and clouds drew near. She flicked her gaze back to Baby, holding onto a thin thread of patience. She had forced enough onto him, she wanted him to make this choice, but if he hesitated too much longer…

A large black clawed hand shot out with a speed that amazed her and grabbed her by her face.

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There’s an entire hop dedicated to Six Sentence Sundays. Check it out and add yours, too. Mine frequently posts to Twitter thanks to WordPress.

Editing and Memorial

My biggest problem has always always ALWAYS been editing. Since my friend and frequent inspiration Krystel Madison died a few years ago, I haven’t been able to find a good peer editor. She was always flowing with the compliments, but her critiques were solid and she was always direct but kind with them. If something just wasn’t working, she would flat out SAY SO and give me a couple ideas where to go with it. She would never completely re-write what I’d done and she would never just tell me it was “okay” or “good” and leave it at that. She didn’t give me ass-pats. She knew I wanted to be a better writer, she saw I had the capabilities to do so and she was going to help me get there, by gad! I miss her every time I get to the editing phase. I need her insight and I just don’t have it anymore.

She died in 2006. I hadn’t realized it had been six years until just now. God I miss her.

Anyway– since I’m rambling… if there are any writers out there who aren’t put off by horror, urban fantasy, erotica and the like, I am looking for someone to step up and help me out. I just need someone to read things over, tell me what isn’t working, ask me questions and make sure things are ready for submission. If you can catch rogue commas, awesome. If not, I don’t care. I just need a couple of people I can say “I have this writing gig coming up, here’s the document, GO” and have them actually read and critique. I don’t want to get another “have a friend or two or three read over this before submission” letters again. I DID have people read over it. They just… didn’t have what it took to tell me what needed fixed, apparently.

Strange Blessings

I am thankfully blessed with a job that allows me hour long lunches while working as a therapist and allows me to read during my time spent manning the front desk. Despite the times I’m interrupted by my coworkers’ chatter or the phones ringing, I am blissfully able to read, write and blog during my time on the clock.

Before you ask, my boss is aware. He even has software set up so he can log on and monitor what we’re doing while he’s miles and miles away. He might even be watching me write this right now. (*waves* Hi, Ray!)

Regardless, I am blessed with the ability to be able to do pretty well whatever I want as long as the clinic doesn’t blow up and I’m actually doing my job so my coworker doesn’t drive the ten miles from her location to mine and beat me with a brick. Not that she would really do that. She would probably just call me up and chew my ear, but that’s beside the point. I can listen to crazy piano renditions of Taio Cruz and Nirvana while I cruise through an advance reader’s copy of a book. I can write scenes that pop into my head while I’m taking crazy phone calls or after I get off the phone with a needy customer. I can sit here and write out blog posts to keep people reading (hopefully) about my strangeness. I can catch up on my housework when I get home instead of trying to wrangle my schedule to allow me more time to do things I want to do.

Or need to do. Like the gym.

What about the rest of you? What do you guys do to squeeze in another half an hour of writing or be able to update your blog? How do you people smash time for the treadmill without a Tardis? I am in awe of what you do and if you have some words of wisdom to impart, please do.

… I think I would have a lot more time to do other things if I wasn’t hooked to WoW for three hours a night. I know where my vices are.

Fanfiction

I write fan fiction. That’s right. I said it. I write fanfiction. I take other people’s characters and write cheesy stories about them doing things they most likely would never do with people they probably would never do it with and I do it all with relish. I enjoy borrowing other people’s characters and drooling all over their creations to make a wet, sloppy mess. When I eventually publish my books, I know other people will do the same thing with my work, especially if it ends up being popular. Even without being popular, some artists have already done fanart of my characters and the works aren’t even openly available yet. Hell, I’ve even done fanfiction of my OWN work and stuck my characters in stories and situations they would never have been in. I’ve taken characters of mine and dropped them into other people’s worlds. I’ve taken their characters and had them interact with mine. I’ve taken other people’s characters and my characters and put them in worlds that are completely off the charts unbelievable and done it all with a grin. For awhile I even had people who wanted to publish my fanfiction with their illustrations and make money from it.

That was where I drew the line. I was completely flattered that anyone thought the work we were doing was anything publishable or even by any means good. I was flattered that they wanted to draw illustrations to the story. I would have even been okay with them forming it together so it looked like a book for us and them and anyone who wanted a free copy. It was the making money part of it that bothered me. Yes, I wrote it. Yes, they drew the pictures. But that is someone else’s intellectual property and making money off of it would have just been wrong. If I were the creator of said characters, I would be a little upset at someone making money off of my brainchild. I would probably be irritated if they did a spinoff and made money off of it. It’s just not right. More than that, it’s the law.

In the United States, copyright is pretty strongly enforced by those who have the money to do something about it. If you rip off something from Rowling or Meyers, you better believe you’d have it taken from your hot little hands before it ever made a single dime or, if they didn’t catch you in time, you would be required to pay restitution. That money would go to the original creator. We are allowed to create derivative works based from other’s work, but in the end, if someone has the money to come after you and does? I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes.

I’m just happy that I can borrow other people’s characters and play with them for awhile and then give them back without a lawsuit. You really just need to play fair with other people, in my honest opinion. It goes back to when we were kids. I don’t go to my friend’s house, take their dolls to play with and then claim them as my own. I don’t try to sell them to the neighbor kid down the street as my own dolls. I play with them, grateful for the opportunity, and then I give them back in the original condition I got them in. We learned these lessons in Kindergarten. Or should have. That is why I have never sold any of my fanfiction. As a matter of fact, I’m damned glad the makers of said characters don’t come down and smack the shit out of me for writing their characters in homoerotic situations. (Or worse.)

If my stories become popular, I will be very happy to know people like my work enough to write stories and draw pictures of them. I would be tickled pink to see videos made of them. I would be super stoked if people sent them to me as prints because, to be quite honest, I don’t think there is a bigger honor than having my work honored in such a way. If there aren’t stories on Y-gallery about Baby and Maki, I will be so seriously disappointed. I will probably cry. Literally. I wish I were joking. Fanfiction is how you know you’ve made it into the mainstream and I would love to get there.

I’m Stuck!

So… writerly friends… I have a story I’ve been trying to pull together for literal years. I started writing it for a friend when he had a bad run of luck and have never finished. The premise of the story is when you’re dating someone and fall for them, they can potentially take a piece of you when they leave. You can have people walking around without arms or legs or sometimes entire halves of their bodies and you have people walking around with trunks full of parts they carry around. So it’s making allegory of “losing yourself” when someone leaves you or “carrying baggage”. I have a pretty happy-go-lucky main character and his significant other leaves him for someone else. I’ve explained the basics of this whole “parts exchange”, I just don’t know where to GO with the story. I wanted to have the main character start a “parts donation”, so to speak, but I don’t even know how he would go about it. Help? Suggestions? I have no idea where to even go here…

Anyone? Anyone?

Bueller?

Word Counts

I have been researching to find out how many words a chapter should contain in a book.  There is no real hard and fast rule, but guesstimates have put an estimate between 4,000 and 10,000 with the average novel length for a first novel being 90,000 words and some of the higher end novels being 120,000 words.

The way to figure word counts is generally to count pages and then multiply by 250, which is the average word count on each page.  Harry Potter’s chapters are around 21 pages long, putting the counts for a chapter at around 5,000ish.  So I wouldn’t be too far off having Baby’s first chapter being somewhere around 6,000.

I believe I have the first chapter written and it needs editing.  I’m just not sure who to give it to for an edit.  Most people won’t want to hurt my feelings or don’t have the technical knowledge to give me what I need.

Damnit, Krystel.  You’re dead when I need you.  🙂  I miss you a lot when it comes down to things like this.  I don’t have your genius, your editing help or your sense of humor.  You will never be there to see me be published, nor will you be here to get the first autographed copy of my book.  I suppose I will have to just give you a dedication.  God I miss you so hard right now it’s not even funny.  Sometimes I wish death wasn’t so limiting to those still living.

Tarot Drabble

Guns and Pocky on Y!gallery posts drabble bits in his journal every now and again to get us up and running on creating.  This is one I picked up and ran with.  It actually might make its way into Maki and Baby’s story.

Baby sat at the table and deftly turned the card with only his thumb and forefinger, placing it back on the table as he looked over it intently. His eyes turned up as a small smile crept over his lips. He watched the dark haired man as he slowly strolled in, rounding the corner of the table to look over the younger boy’s shoulder. “The Wheel of Fate,” he vocalized, catching Baby’s attention with a slight dip of his head. “What’s it mean?”

“The Wheel of Fate means change. What goes up must come down. It means that although things are good now, they can always change or, vice versa, what is bad can always turn back up.”

“It’s unfortunate that the Wheel may turn very slowly.”

Baby nodded, making a sound of agreement. “Sometimes. Mine’s been four years.”

Dark eyes shaded black, turning away from the boy who watched him very intently as he rounded the table again and put quite a bit of distance between the pair of them. He took a breath to steel himself and regain the bearings the simple comment had knocked away so easily. “Surely your time here hasn’t been so bad, has it? You’re well fed, clothed and housed. You’ve gotten your GED and you’re attending classes for college. So far your grades have been excellent and you’re doing well at a part time job. It seems to me you’re doing quite well for yourself.”

Baby smirked and let his eyes fall to the table once again, turning over the next card. A woman bearing a set of scales was presented and the boy’s smile grew as he tapped the card, his fingernail clicking against the plasticized card. He drew a breath to speak and said nothing, waiting for Maki to give him the definition of the card he knew was coming. It took him awhile, but eventually, with a sigh, Maki gave in and sat on the stool opposite the expectant boy and turned his eyes to the card again.

“Justice. You will have a favorable outcome in legal matters.” He knew that wouldn’t sate him, but he still looked into the blue orbs as though he were finished.

“And…?”

“If you know, why are you asking me?” he teased, a faint laugh barely kept in check as he leaned away from the table and Baby who had been leaning into him.

“It also means a return on an unfavorable action. The wrongs committed against me will be righted.”

“And what wrongs have been done against you since coming here, hm?”

“I don’t think you want me to answer that, do you?” Their eyes met and locked, holding for a long time as Baby put his intent into his stare and Maki resisted pulling away. Baby could see the wheels turning in Maki’s mind before their gaze broke and one long finger gestured at the last remaining card.

Baby turned it over, looking at it himself before he finished turning it over. “All Major Arcana,” he commented lightly as he placed The Lovers very carefully on the table.

“Very powerful,” Maki returned, staring holes through the card and the table to the floor.

“The Lovers. Passion. New love and new beginnings.”

His eyes flicked up, meeting Baby’s with a warning. “Baby, The Lovers also means choosing between duty and your heart.”

“It also means if you choose your heart, things could be better. Choosing duty means it all stays the same.”

“It means intense temptation in the face of one’s morals.”

“It also means a change to happier times. Maki, you’re miserable. You deserve–”

“Happier to what end? If it defies my morals, Baby, then I cannot. It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly agreeing ‘neither to harm nor be harmed’, and it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life.”

Baby scowled at him. “One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.”

“Don’t throw quotes back at me, Baby.”

“You’re only upset because I’m right. How long are you going to ignore this?” His fingers flicked over the table and the three cards laid out before them with meaning.

Maki rose from the stool, not meeting Baby’s eyes as he turned to leave. “Until you get over me,” he replied, taking a card off the top of the stack that was tossed down as he turned and walked out. Baby watched him go until he was out of the room and only then did his eyes drop down to the card he’d laid down.

Baby laughed when he was greeted by The Chariot, tracing the man in the golden cart with his finger. “So we both think we’re gonna win, hm? Well, if we both keep going, one of us is going to win, but which one?” He let his index finger rest over the top card on the stack and took a deep breath to decide rather or not he should turn over the other card. “It could mean Maki’s being insecure, which certainly fits and I have self confidence in spades, so…”

Flirting with it for a moment, he turned over another card and put it atop the other. “Hm. So asking for the wrong reasons, am I? Okay.” Baby took a deep breath, letting it slowly slip out through his nose. He wasn’t happy about the results, but he would accept them. It was time for a new journey, but not so much for Maki. Scowling deeply, Baby reached over for another card and, after several moments fingering the top of the next card, he withdrew his hand and rose with a final long look at the cards and wandered out.