Matthew B. Berg's Blog

I have a lot of hobbies beyond my writing. My family and friends joke about it. And I sometimes feel as though I might have too many myself. But I have a curious and adventurous spirit. And I can't help myself!

As but a sample of the gear I've acquired for exploring the outdoors I have kayaks for nearly every member of my family, two canoes, a stand-up paddleboard, a full set of SCUBA equipment, snowshoes, and hiking and camping gear sufficient to fit out a small summer camp! (And that is by no means a complete list!) In previous posts I've talked about the fact that my writing is heavily inspired by nature. Even a walk on the trail behind my house refuels my imagination. Watching a goshawk streak after its prey into a stand of pines. Finding a set of tracks that seem too big to have been made by a dog. Was it a bear? A bobcat? Or just admiring what the changes in season reveal. Moss covered streambeds. Mottled bark and hollow trees. Exotic mushrooms sprouting up after a rain. And the anticipation of the first green shoots of spring. So much to inspire!

As far as working with my hands is concerned, I have been a home brewer and mead maker since 1994. I love to cook and to experiment with different foods and spices. I enjoy making bread by hand. And I also like to create things of a more permanent nature. I took a welding course at a local vocational school and built my own coal forge. I have all sorts of woodworking tools and equipment which have served as strong inspiration for Breeden's magical talents! (Along with my father and maternal grandfather having been involved in the businesses of boat and ship building respectively!)

Then there are the ways that nature and crafting come together. I love to create hardscapes on my property that work with nature rather than ignoring it or working against it. My boys and I dug a firepit into a hilltop that evokes a sacred space that might have been made by druids in the iron age. I've placed stone steps in different spots throughout my woods that follow the natural contour of the landscape. And I built a minimalist tree deck that blends into the background and overlooks the wetlands adjacent to my house.

My next investment in the area of crafting is going to be a five-burner gas forge so I can try my hand at some of the more demanding forging that I have thus far avoided attempting with my coal-fired forge. (Can you say hand-crafted swords?) But I've made a promise to myself that I will not buy the forge until book three is published! Because while I do get a great deal of motivation from working with my hands and creating things that only ever existed before in my imagination, I also want to wrap up the trilogy and bring home the tale that started with Breeden hauling in those herring as the sun rose on that spring morning so long ago.

Okay. That's all for now. Until next time . . . Thank you for reading!

I discovered Scrivener and Vellum (discussed below) through Mark Dawson’s Self Publishing Formula. If you are a writer, or an aspiring writer, and you don’t know about the SPF community . . . I highly encourage you to check it out! But I found my way to these other tools on my own. So I thought I would share the bounty with anyone checking out my blog!

The first piece of software I use is called "Plottr". I only started using it recently, for my forthcoming third (and final) book in the trilogy that began with The Crafter's Son. But I'm already in love with it! It is a very visual program that lets me build out multiple plot lines, assign characters and locations to the scenes I place on those timelines, and then drag and drop the scenes around, as needed. I can filter the view so it only shows me the scenes with a given character present, or scenes in a given location. Etc. In short, it's a highly flexible--if fairly simple--tool for managing a story that has multiple plot lines with an epic scope like The Ranger King! And I very much look forward to using it for future books down the road!

Next up is Scrivener. Scrivener is a word processor that is designed to give an author the multi-chapter support they need to easily "chunk up" their writing in a way that is both self-contained within a single project file, and also separate enough that it lets you visually jump from chapter to chapter and scene to scene as needed. (Contrast with MS Word, for example, which requires you to either split up your work into multiple documents or deal with a single monstrosity of a document that can become unwieldy at novel lengths.) On its own, Scrivener can do it all, and has many of the basic functions that Plottr gives you, albeit in somewhat less elegant and functional ways. And it can even output your document to an ePub or print format, too (like Vellum below)! If you are just getting started with writing novels or other long-form works (e.g., non-fiction), Scrivener is a great place to start.

There are many, many editing tools out there, from Grammarly to ProWritingAid--to the integrated grammar and spellchecking functions of MS Word. I've evaluated a number of them. And my new streamlined process for performing ongoing editing during the drafting process is to use MS Word's built-in checker and ProWritingAid. Ultimately, from my evaluations, the main area where ProWritingAid distinguishes itself from Grammarly is that it caters to authors in a way that Grammarly does not. Grammarly is great for everyday writing and business writing, but it lacks some of the nuance or targeted feedback ProWritingAid provides that is especially helpful to novel writers.

Before we move on to document formatting, I should also mention that my final edit, before I publish, is always performed by a human being! I found my editor (who has, thus far, edited both of my full-length novels as well as my two novellas) on Reedsy--an online author's marketplace--where you could also find someone to produce cover art for you, perform translations, help you with marketing, etc.! But, as for my editor, she is fantastic (send me a note if you want her name/info). And I would never trust myself, or any automated tool or software program, to provide the level of feedback about my writing that an experienced editor like mine can provide!

Finally, there is Vellum. Vellum is a program that specializes in helping you to create beautiful books. It won't help you create the cover art. But it will help you do everything else you need to format your book with beautiful, readable fonts, chapter headings, tables of contents, etc. Again, Scrivener can do most of this too. But Vellum just takes it to the next level--and has some very nice features that Scrivener lacks. One caveat, however: Vellum is only available for Mac--not Windows PCs!

For the active writers among you, I hope you found this list helpful. If you have discovered other tools that you love, or find invaluable, I encourage you to reach out and tell me about them! And, for everyone else, I hope you enjoyed a little visibility into my process!

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

Patrick Rothfuss - An extremely talented writer, first and foremost. With refreshing prose that doesn’t resort to shortcuts or dip too deeply in the well of genre stereotype. The Kingkiller Chronicle’s take on fantasy is decidedly non-derivative. I especially love the scenes where Kvothe is playing music! If Rothfuss can close the deal with book three, he may go down as one of the all-time greats. But for now, he is merely GREAT!

Brandon Sanderson - Just enough of the familiar trappings a fantasy reader is looking for, with twists that make his world- and magical system-building unique and special. Mistborn—magic fueled by the consumption of metal! Stormlight Archive—magic powered by the mysterious phenomenon of an energy-storm that regularly passes across the land. And characters that are generally interesting and distinctive enough that you can keep them straight in your head—despite any shifts in point of view.

George R. R. Martin - He writes gritty and grown-up stories. Perhaps he leans a bit dark, thematically. But then, there is a place for that on my nightstand, too. One cannot subsist on dessert alone, right? His prose is clean and enjoyable. And his stories are replete with the Medieval/Renaissance backdrop fantasy readers want. He is not so much revolutionary in his creativity when it comes to magical systems or creatures. But he is a tapestry-weaver of human conflict on a scale that brings to mind writers like Tolstoy.

Terry Brooks - The first three Shannara books are so good. They still rank among my favorites in the genre. A tattered copy of The Sword of Shannara has been handed down and around in my family for years. At one point, it was replaced. And the second copy is now equally tattered. First and foremost it’s the characters. And not just the tier one characters. Even the secondary/supporting characters are wonderful. Panamon Creel. Balinor Buckhannah, Menion Leah, Keltset, Hendel! Next are the settings and descriptions. Brooks includes an abundance of detail about the world around these characters but stops short of being Dickensian. And finally, his plots always start out appearing as straightforward contests between good and evil. But Brooks adds enough internal dialogue, doubt, and depth of characters, that things rarely turn out to be too black and white. Finally . . . ELFSTONES!

Stephen R. Donaldson - His works are not easy. His prose is dense. And his stories require commitment and endurance. Add to that the fact that his anti-hero protagonist, Thomas Covenant, is a horrible person on many levels. So why read them? Because nestled inside his morally challenging, sometimes ponderous storylines are moments of exultation. And some true heroes, to provide even more contrast with the questionably motivated Covenant: Bannor of The Blood Guard. Saltheart Foamfollower. Even Vain! Donaldson’s tales are ultimately not for the faint of heart. But his stories will challenge you if you are willing to expend the emotional energy to work through them.

Piers Anthony - So prolific. So creative. A true visionary who is not afraid to run with his flights of fancy. From the Adept Series to Incarnations of Immortality, to his dabblings in SciFi (like the masterful post-apocalyptic Battle Circle). And, of course, there’s Xanth. I’ve read dozens of Anthony’s books. And they have opened my eyes to what is possible in SciFi and Fantasy tales. Based upon what I see in his writings alone, anything goes!

David Eddings - Pawn of Prophecy’s colorful characters are larger than life. Almost caricatures of archetypes, if you will. The bear. The weasel. The grouchy old man. The enigmatic wise woman. Layered on top of those figures are digestible plot lines. A wholesome underlying morality. And an immersion into a world of medieval trappings where the challenges of modern life are absent, and Garion’s choices feel uncomplicated.

Ursula LeGuin - She wrote clean and powerful stories. In contrast to the others on this list, hers were the most subtle. Her Earthsea books were light enough to be accessible to children. But they were also heavy with meaning. Parables, rather than the lavishly painted eddas and operas of some of these other writers. These were among the first fantasy books I ever read. And their approachability and her light touch served as a perfect entrée to the world of fantasy.

J.R.R. Tolkien - A lover of words and language. A sampler of culture and a builder of new worlds from old mythologies. An academic, but with a creator’s soul. Like so many of the others on this list, much of what he presents to his readers is not truly original. But what he shared in his stories has become an entire genre of writing that did not exist before he came along. Without him, there would have been no one to inspire the other works that have had such an influence on me. The fantasy genre he launched has been an escape and a sanctuary for me for most of my life. And for that, as much as for his own works themselves, I am forever grateful to Professor Tolkien.

Thanks for reading!

I am sometimes asked if my characters are based on real people. For those who know me well, and travel in my circles, they might see someone they know in one of my characters. But the reality is, and this isn’t just a legal disclaimer, these characters come from my head!

Yes, sure, a given character might share some traits with “real” people walking about on our planet. But most similarities people notice are probably narrow rather than multi-dimensional—since I would likely sample only a single personality trait from a given person. Rather than try to base one of my characters on the heterogeneous complexity of a particular human from the real world, the “types” of personalities I’m exploring in my writing are more universal than specific. Archetypes, if you will, rather than attempted copies of real people!

For example, a wizard in Book Two seems incapable of grasping the fact that everyone else doesn’t know everything that he knows. As if the fact that he knows a particular thing should make that knowledge obvious to everyone. You may not have encountered people in your life like that . . . but I certainly have!

And then there are the visual inspirations. There is a man who takes my train—who is probably 6’ tall. But his face, hair, nose, beard, eyebrows and mustache . . . make him look like a classic Tolkienian dwarf! It is a perfect resemblance, in my mind. So much so that I think of him when I write about my dwarf characters!

As the post-pandemic “return to my day job” milestone approaches for me this fall, I will be taking the train into Boston again. I’ve lost touch with my dwarven-featured fellow passenger—and many of my other train acquaintances. But I look forward to seeing them again. And as much as there is some uncertainty around my new commuting routine, I do look forward to people watching, and the inspiration I’ve always taken from it!

Among the elves, and within the ethos they pass down to their human adherents among the Fardach Sidhe, trees are considered sacred. The egalitarian elves might not wish to admit as much, but trees are elevated even higher than animals and other plants. Trees are nearly the equal, in their most sacred teachings, of the rocks and soil of Erda itself.

The reasons for this worship of, and affinity with trees, need not be captured in words and written down for the elves to understand. Trees are of Erda. Connected deeply to the soil through their roots, they draw from Erda’s sustaining essence. The tallest trees also reach upward to the sky, far above the heads of man and elf. They therefore serve as a bridge between the tangible world of our daily existence and the spiritual world beyond us.

There are uncountable varieties of trees—beyond the ken of most humans. Even as the elves would acknowledge that there are greater and lesser creatures of the wood, from the hart to the vole, there are also trees of differing stature. Some trees have the bearing of owls and project a sense of wisdom. Other, fast-growing, shrub-like trees bring to mind mice. In the darkest depths of the most ancient forests, there are even trees that seem to lie in wait like wolves or weasels.

But it is widely accepted that the noblest of all trees are those that comprise the elven city of Aoilfhionn. Taller than the highest cathedral tower built by man. The spread of each tree's branches as broad as a small city. And they are old. Tales of their green and grey bark exist from the personal retellings of Mirren, as he described his first days on Erda, coming down from the mountains to discover what had lain hidden in the mist.

Before entering the forest surrounding Aoilfhionn, elves leave an offering of herbs for the sentinel trees which mark the edges of their territory. The herbs, which grow and die off in a single season, symbolize the transient. Just as even the long-lived elves exist for but a passing moment in the lifetime of Aoilfhionn's trees. The offering is an acknowledgment of the elves’ insignificance. An act of humbleness and respect. And a sacrifice made to the trees for their forbearance in permitting the elves to live among them.

Book Three of The Crafter Chronicles brings the reader back to Aoilfhionn. To the famed city-among-the-trees. Where we will soon learn the fate of your favorite characters.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

I have a new (old) resource in my bag of tricks. To help me in my life and in my writing. It's Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. It's a fairly meaty little book. And, like another favorite book of mine that I see as its modern counterpart, The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz, its material ranges from the pithy to the abstract.

In the case of Aurelius' Meditations, you can follow along as he explores ideas that are important to him. Testing them out in his journal. Trying to find universal truths among what are essentially stoic tenets. For Ruiz, he positions his work as having been derived from ancient Toltec wisdom.

If you are pained by external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your own judgment of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now.

In short . . . Aurelius reminds us that it's not the rock in your shoe, a late train, or a querulous family member who is causing you grief. It's your reaction to those external events. This is pretty heavy. But it ultimately lays at your feet the ability to choose how to respond to a given situation. Very similar to Ruiz's admonitions "Don't take anything personally" as well as "Don't make assumptions". Like Aurelius before him, Ruiz urges you to accept that the words and actions of others shouldn't affect you. He takes it to the extreme, "Even if someone got a gun and shot you . . . it was nothing personal." The point here is that you aren't responsible for the actions of others. So you shouldn't occupy your thoughts with them. In perhaps a more practical context for your daily life: don't assume you know the intentions of others, or carry someone else's baggage.

Marcus Aurelius believed that there was a universal morality, accessible within all cultures. And he continually stressed the importance of living a life of virtue.

Put an end once and for all to this discussion of what a good man should be, and be one.

Aurelius argues that when you act justly, and live honestly, you will carry no regrets. Similarly, Ruiz would say "Always do your best". He acknowledges that we all have moments of weakness and moments of strength. But he would also argue that making it a habit to do our best in every given moment will lead to a more fulfilling life, where we do not give ourselves, or others, any reason to judge us critically. Over time, our relative best will improve. And through regular practice we will become more consistently virtuous. 

Aurelius would say that pursuit of the truth is essential to living a just life.

If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.

Ruiz would say, "Be impeccable with your word." Only speak the truth. Your words are a manifestation of your intentions. So be sure that they represent your truth, what you stand for. Ruiz felt that this lesson was the most important of the agreements. Because it sets the stage for everything else in your life. If followed with rigor, a person of such integrity can live a life carrying no regrets.

These lessons, from authors writing thousands of years apart, carry many similar themes. That commonality supports Aurelius' notion of the universality of morality, and that they have survived so long demonstrates their inherent value. But these practices also require the work of a lifetime to achieve. When life is especially full of personal and professional responsibilities, many people seek escape in the latest episode of their shows on Netflix. I certainly do the same on many an evening. But I also fall back on reading works like Meditations, The Four Agreements--and others. And I urge you to do the same. Spend some time with a thoughtful and introspective book. Or perhaps write out your own thoughts in a journal. There's something more tangible about words on the written page. There's a reassuring permanence to them. Proof of that is the fact that I'm sharing the journal of a man written nearly 2,000 years ago with you right now. And his musings stand the test of time.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!

Sunbeams filtered through the canopy. The air was warm and heavy with the rich smells of loam and vegetation. A fecund day! Legorel had to run at a jog to keep the bugs from biting. But it didn’t stop them from finding their way into his eyes—or his mouth when he forgot to breathe through his nose. He recalled the tale of the human who’d come down with a fever after falling into a swamp. He had lain in bed for a week, so the story went, until green things began to sprout from his nose and ears. He lived a few more days, they said, and then the swamp finally claimed him in his own bed.

But Legorel was too careful to stumble into quick mud. No self-respecting elf could live that down. Elves were born with woodcraft ingrained in their blood, right?

Legorel smiled. He was an able woodsman. But he was no scout. He preferred the bard’s lute to the hunter’s bow, and the poet’s quill to the soldier’s sword.

Despite the smells of damp earth, he was leagues from the the swamps of the Geornlice Delta, east of Shenn Frith. So he was in no danger of becoming fertilizer. He was here to visit one of his sweethearts!

Ysabella had lost her husband a year before to an accident while he was felling a tree. Unlike many of his people, or the Shenn Frith, Legorel was indulgent about humans harvesting trees. Or at least men like Ysabella’s late husband. He’d taken only the trees he needed. And he’d been selective in a way that reminded Legorel of the elven huntsmen culling the weakest harts from the forest to keep their line healthy.

Legorel had known the man before he’d died. And the man’s darling wife. After the woodsman had passed, Legorel had begun his courtship innocently enough. Checking on her to make sure she had everything she needed. Helping her with simple chores. Splitting wood and digging out a dried-up well. She had plied him with bread and sweet pies to thank him. Eventually, many months after her husband’s death, when he had run out of heavy work to do for her, she had asked for his help with her baking. He had never had to cook for himself before. But she was a frail thing. And kneading tired her out quickly. In little time he came to match her skills in the art of achieving a flaky crust! He smiled again. And he slowed his pace. He would reach her clearing soon.

Her late husband had chosen his spot well. Their cottage backed up against a ridge in the woods. He had dug a shallow cellar and built part of the home’s rear into the side of the hill. The earth surrounding half the building would keep it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. And it was only a short walk to a small brook nearby. Legorel followed the course of the water and its gentle murmur as he walked the last several yards before entering the clearing where Ysabella was trying to grow some vegetables. In the warmth of late summer, the small garden should have been lush and full. But there weren’t enough hours of sunlight here in the woods for her plants to flourish properly.

He’d put off telling her as much, but he feared she would not be able to manage this small plot in the woods for very long without her husband. Legorel’s efforts, such as they were, had been but a delaying action. He thought once again about suggesting she might move to a city, and find work that could sustain her better than her hopeless efforts here in the forest. She was a fine baker. Surely she could find work in the city.

He frowned. Perhaps better than the city, he thought she might be taken on at a country estate somewhere. That would suit her. He caught himself becoming saddened at the prospect. And he forced himself to smile as he approached her cottage.

It happens fairly often. And I have learned to welcome the moments and just run with them. I'm talking about the disconnected thoughts that rise, unbidden, to my mind, while I am writing. In the early days when I was trying to establish momentum with my writing habits, these distractions would take me out of my groove. I'd be sitting down to work on a chapter involving the enigmatic Huntmaster Aelric and, instead, my musings about his background would spin me off in an unexpected direction. What kind of childhood did he have? What influence did his parents have upon him? What was it like to grow up as a half-elf, never feeling fully a part of either human or elf society?

Sometimes the answers to these questions just pop into my head, because I have a feeling for what the character's role will be in my stories. And what background would best explain their behavior and motivation. But sometimes the answers aren't easy. And they require a deeper dive into the character's background. So I can more completely explore the nuances of their individuality. What made them who they are. What made them act as they do.

Before I even sat down to write A Monk's Tale, I already had a very strong sense of who Cedric was. The adventures he'd had and the life he'd led before he came to Ridderzaal. So much so that the first draft took me maybe five days to write, start to finish. That said, even with Cedric--one of my more fully formed, if fairly complex, characters--the act of getting it all down in A Monk's Tale was immensely helpful in polishing book two and charting his path in book three.

The Lay of Legorel is a bit different. It's a story about Aelric's father, ostensibly. But, at its core, it is also my deepest dive into a back story on a character yet. It begins at a time before Aelric was even born. And it introduces you to his parents. It shows you a glimpse of their nature as they struggle with challenges as both individuals and as a couple. As such, it sets up the world in which Aelric is born and raised.

An added bonus for me (if not for the overly curious among you!) is that by taking this approach with Aelric's back story, it allows his inner voice and his own experiences to remain closed off from the reader. Yes, you will know more about where he came from. But you will still be left wanting more about the man himself. Every story needs a little mystery. Forgive me!

In my next newsletter (scheduled for May 14th!), look for an excerpt from my forthcoming novelette, The Lay of Legorel, to give you a taste of what I mean.

That’s all for now! Thanks for reading!

Food doesn’t appear very often in The Crafter Chronicles. I put food elements in my stories somewhat sparingly. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love food! (Follow my Instagram account and you’ll see what I mean!)

But when I do include food in my writing, you can be sure it will be something memorable! Here are just a handful of moments in my stories where I’ve included mention of something special in the world of culinary excellence!

There’s a scene in A Monk’s Tale (this is not a spoiler) where Cedric and his companion, Ydenia, are enjoying an impromptu meal of fresh bread and mushrooms all toasted together over an open fire with melted cheese. That meal is an homage to a street vendor’s panini I had while walking alongside the Circus Maximus in Rome (not far from the Colosseum). The original sandwich from which I drew my inspiration was made with fresh sage and local mushrooms, along with a generous helping of fontina cheese. And butter. Butter to spare. It represents one of those foods and moments that together created a memory I will carry with me for the rest of my days!

If you’ve ever been to a really good Thai place and ordered their chicken or beef satay, you know that the art form can be elevated above the typical “catered” satay you may have had at a function—especially when served with a similarly exceptional peanut sauce. That’s not just Kestrel’s favorite food. It’s also one of mine!

In Book Three (ultra-mini-spoiler), there is a scene where a dwarf introduces Cedric to a new spirit the monk has never tried before. It is made from the berries of a local evergreen bush that grows on the side of the Dvargheim Mountains. For those who’ve been on my newsletter for a while, you may recognize Cedric’s “aha” moment when he first tastes the dwarven spirit as a parallel to the first time I tried Stonecutter gin!

All of this musing, of course, makes me wonder if there was a bakery somewhere in Birmingham where they made a godcake so etheric that it inspired Tolkien’s lembas bread!

That’s all for now! Thanks for reading!

Magic doesn’t dominate my plots.

It’s in there. And it plays a role. But it’s not some deus ex machina crutch in my stories. I’ve tried to create a magical “system” that is a believable extension of a realistic world much like ours.

I’ve heard from some people that they like the way I handle magic—because it makes my stories more accessible. But I’m sure that people who love wizards casting fireballs on every page are not my biggest fans.

So why do I employ magic at all? Why not just write more “mainstream” stories without all the magic?

I believe that magic fulfills something inside fans of fantasy-like me. (And SciFi people have their “future tech” fulfilling a similar role.)

So what is it that magic is fulfilling, exactly?

I think the answer is bound up in our beliefs. In our faith, or our search for enlightenment. In our desire to believe in something beyond our everyday experience. And, in the process, to escape.

Is attempting to escape a bad thing? Does it mean we are avoiding our “real life”? To hide away from our lives in the pages of a book? It certainly doesn’t have to.

Stories have been helping people to learn things about themselves, or how to cope with the real world, through the vicarious adventures we’ve experienced in their pages, for thousands of years. And even in the spoken word stories of pre-literate civilizations. Every bibliophile can relate to that. And anyone with a subscription to Netflix. No matter what their favorite genre or subject matter might be.

So what is it that makes us, we fans of fantasy writing, of Tolkien, Eddings, Sanderson, Rothfuss, and Jordan, love our fantastic tales of worlds where our earthly rules do not apply? Or at least, our rules cannot explain the whole picture?

Some people have posited that the reason we gravitate toward stories like The Lord of the Rings is because they paint a world in which good is clearly good and evil evil. A digestible and straightforward world that feels more comprehensible than our own. But what of Boromir and Gollum? Or, for fans of science fiction, what about Darth Vader? Not one of these characters is entirely good, nor entirely evil. There are innumerable other examples. Want a more current one? Consider many of the characters from Game of Thrones!

No, it’s not a simplified world we seek in reading science fiction and fantasy. I would suggest that a well-crafted fantasy tale includes much of the complexity we feel exists in our own lives. Deceit, shame, internal turmoil. Nobody wants to read about perfect people who live uncomplicated lives. That would be unbearable.

But magic . . . magic is something we don’t get to experience first-hand. We seek out magic because it is so far removed from our daily lives that it requires us to suspend our disbelief. Forces us to have faith in something beyond ourselves. Magic is a tool. That much is true. But, if used properly, it is not a crutch. But rather a vehicle to transport us to another world. A magic carpet, a starship, or a dragon . . . take your pick.