I've got a special guest writing for me this week, Em Shotwell, author of Blackbird Summer, talking about magical systems and the challenge of writing "realistic" urban fantasy.

Making Magic

Hi guys! The amazing Joshua Bader is letting me take over his blog today to talk about where the magic happens. No! I am not talking about that. Get your mind out of the gutter!
I am talking about magic on the page. I am talking about wizards, like in Joshua’s FROSTBITE. I am talking about unexplainable “gifts” like in my BLACKBIRD SUMMER. I am talking about the many other magic systems crafted by your favorite authors that flow seamlessly into the worlds they create.
Fantasy is a huge genre with a lot of sub-genres. Magic plays a big role, and each book has its own set of rules for its story to follow. Even the word wizard can (and does) mean something completely different from book to book.
So what makes it work? Why are we as readers, so willing to suspend our disbelief?
Let’s take a look and see what makes good magic.
There is only one unbreakable rule writers must follow when it comes to creating a believable magic system. You can do whatever you want, but you cannot break the rules you set in place. In other words, consistency is key. In BLACKBIRD SUMMER, eighteen year old Delia has the “gift” of charm. If she can get a person to look her in the eye, then they will want nothing more than to make her happy. However, Delia’s gift doesn’t work on people who possess their own powers (including her older sister Tallulah, who is very thankful for this fact). Eye contact and limited use are two of the rules for Delia’s magic system, and as long as I don’t break them, then I can use Delia’s powers to get her into all kinds of trouble.
Magic should serve a purpose for the story—or at the very least make it more interesting. It shouldn’t only exist as a quick fix or to plug a plot hole. No saying “Well, this makes sense because magic.” That doesn’t work. If I am reading a book and suddenly everything is wrapped up neat and tidy because one character abruptly has the power to make everything better—this will throw me out of the story faster than anything. At the very least, it is jolting. The magic should flow through the writer’s created world—so natural that it is almost becomes a character itself.
Sometimes plot holes are unavoidable. No matter how much an author tries, how many notebooks they fill, or how many post-its they stick on the wall above their desk, sometimes when creating a magic system there will be a contradiction. As the story grows, it becomes nearly unavoidable. (Even real life is full of plot holes and contradictions, if you think about it.)
BLACKBIRD SUMMER has a very large cast of characters who each have their own gift that comes with its own rules. Keeping them all straight while crafting the plot was an event! I worked diligently, adding rules and refining them to make sense for each character, and you know what? There is still one tiny part that one reader asked, “Why didn’t ___ just use her gift?” Guys, it slipped right by me! (But that is okay—there will be an explanation in the sequel, lol). For the most part, if the system is well developed, the characters believable, and the story intriguing, a small misstep can be forgiven. (This happens often in super-hero stories).
What are some of your favorite fantasy stories? What makes their magic system work for you? Is there a book whose use of magic really doesn’t cut the mustard? Let me know in the comments!

About Em Shotwell
Em Shotwell is the author of Blackbird Summer (City Owl Press, 2016). She lives in South Louisiana with a husband who spoils her and two mini-superheroes who call her mom. Em think the most interesting characters are the ones who live on the sidelines, and that small towns often hide the biggest secrets. She is inspired by tall tales and local legends.

When she’s not writing about magical misfits and oddballs, Em enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, and debating Doctor Who facts with her obsessed ten-year-old.

Check out her website!