Not Calea
by Timothy Deal
May 3, 2013
Since we had a request for some spoiler-free insight into the world and magic of Children of the Wells, I will talk a bit about how we developed our system of magic for the series. Of course, if you’ve read the latest chapter, you may think the timing odd, but bear with me. After all, this discussion may shed some light on previous or upcoming flashbacks (hint, hint, tease, tease).
One of the trickiest things when it comes to fantasy world-building is setting up a system of magic. If your world is going to feature magic at all, the writer typically needs to establish some rules for how it will work. Even the TV show Once Upon a Time — which follows fairy tale convention where spells can or can’t do things according to the needs of the plot — always follows at least one underlying principle: in the Enchanted Forest, magic always comes with a price. The price varies according to the power of the spell (and again, the needs of the plot), but the price is always there. Consistently following this rule helps the writers keep the fairy tale magic a bit more grounded and believable within the context of their story. (more…)
