Magic In Common – interview with J S Moran
What’s the best thing magic can add to a story? How many different meanings does the paranormal have for writers, and readers? This week I’m launching an ongoing exploration into what might be my favorite part of fantastic fiction—the fantastic.
Used right, there’s nothing like magic to give a tale mystery, or excitement, or heart. It can:
- be a direct consequence of a world’s history, or sometimes the clear cause of it all
- make unforgettable characters who know what it’s like to incinerate foes with a finger, or grow up half-aware of some greater truth
- blast open a story with the sheer geeky fun of how to use power to face different challenges, and how much can go wrong with each
There’s no part of storytelling that magic can’t influence. Not that every writer makes the best use of all its dimensions… or wants to, or that every fan looks for the same thrill. So I’ve decided to open the question up by interviewing other writers about the subject, and hope it sparks a few conversations, comparisons, and some musings of my own.
J. S. Moran on Magic
This week I’ve interviewed a favorite of mine, whose books have given me hours of pleasure: J.S. Moran, author of the Twinborn books and the Black Ocean series. You can find his answers on http://www.jsmorin.com/2016/02/ken-hughes-interview/, and his own blogs about his different systems.
What you”ll find there is a fine picture of an author who considers everything from game-detailed magic rules to Tolkien’s famous vagueness about what wizards do, and then settles in to create his own challenges with it. (And when a wizard keeps starships flying by winning arguments with the laws of physics, you can tell how much creativity goes into it.)
–And I do have to say, I’m glad Jeff has been the first author to help me on my search here. Not to be too subtle about it, but one of the many things I appreciated about the Twinborn books was their sheer wish-fulfillment. Pick up Firehurler and watch the dedicated but sheltered Kyrus (a professional scribe, no less!) begin to dream of his other self and use that knowledge to bring magic into his own life… then see how it brings him into conflict with two worlds of dragons, pirates, warlocks, ancient secrets, and several fascinating ladies. And flying warships, of course.
I’ve never been a fan of omens, except the foreshadowing I write in myself. But for a study of how many doors magic can unlock, it’s a good place to be starting.