Crafting Rules of Magic

Magic and magical powers fuel many Paranormal and Fantasy tales. The best stories have logical cause and effect. When worldbuilding, here is a list of questions to consider.

1. Where did magic originate? Has it been around since time began or was there a point of origin? Was it a natural occurrence such as a meteor strike, sun flare, etc.? Perhaps a deal with a paranormal entity such as a devil, demon, or god? Is it a genetic mutation or gained through exposure to a toxic element such as radiation or alien artifact? 

2. Is the magic possessed by individuals to wield at will, channeled through specific objects, or energy drawn upon by spells, incantations, or rituals?

3. Who can wield magical power, only certain individuals or is it accessible to anyone with the right knowledge or objects? What prevents other people from gaining magical powers?

4. Is the power passed down through generations via genetics, reproduction with magical beings, transferred between individuals in some manner, gained by ritual, or inherited by other physical or mystical means?

5. Is there a hierarchy or controlling body such as a tribunal, coven, chosen leaders, etc.?

6. What can individuals with magic do and how does it work?

Control the elements of fire, air, water, earth
Grow or wither people, plants, or nature
Move things with the mind, wave of the hand, or incantation
Transport/teleport things or people
Telepathy
Mind control
Move through time and space 
Interpret omens or magical objects like ouija boards, runes, bones, sigils
Kill, maim, or make others ill
Heal wounds, regenerate, or reanimate
Enhance senses sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch
Provide superhuman powers such as excessive strength, speed, agility, intelligence

7. What are the limitations or rules of use?

8. Do magic beings have a weakness or vulnerability?

9. What is the physical, mental, or spiritual cost of using magic to the individual, group, or world at large?

10. What types of magical characters exist in your story world?

11. Who knows about them? Everyone everywhere? Certain groups or places? Are they hiding in plain sight? Be careful about pushing the boundaries of credibility. Think about your setting. How easy would it be to keep things a secret?

In the upcoming weeks we will look at crafting specific creatures.

Further reading:

Worldbuilding: Myths and Legends

The Fantasy Skeleton

The Horror Skeleton

You might also be interested in:
Story Building Blocks Build A World Workbook in print and ebook,
Story Building Blocks Build A Plot Workbook Fantasy in print and ebook
Story Building Blocks Build A Plot Workbook Horror in print and ebook

Crafting Fictional Languages

Fictional Languages

One of the challenges I faced while writing Mythikas Island was to avoid modern technical words, slang, jargon, idioms, expletives, and exclamations. Set in 3500 BCE ancient Greece, I had to develop a list of things characters would say when angry, surprised, etc. such as infant, hag, shrew, nag, son of a whelp, and pig's swill. In retrospect, I could have studied Greek and developed a richer vocabulary.

Several Fantasy and Science Fiction authors chose to construct an entire language.

J. R. R. Tolkein created an Elvish language for The Lord of The Rings. 

James Doohan and Jon Povill came up with the idea of the Klingon language for the Star Trek franchise. The language was further developed by Marc Okrand.

George R. R. Martin created Dothraki and Valyrian for Game of Thrones.

You don't have to develop an original language. Just adding a few original expletives, exclamations, tech jargon, flora, fauna, and every day items enrich your story world.

Your aliens and paranormal characters may have words and phrases unique to their species, which means making more than one reference list.

Magic spells and incantations are another opportunity to use constructed language. You can craft your own spell book or rely on Latin. 

J. K. Rowling developed spells and incantations for Harry Potter.

Rather than start from scratch, you can draw from ancient languages such as Egyptian, 
Greek, Hebrew, Latin,  Old Norse or the many Native American languages.

Create a glossary and refer to it as you write. It may be easier to put in *English word* placeholders and get creative during revision rounds.

As discussed last week, readers skip over words they don't understand. Unknown words act as speed bumps, interrupting the flow. It is essential to ensure the words are understood through context and description. Your goal is to keep the reader immersed. While constructed language is fun, it should not be confusing or make the reader flip back and forth to a glossary to understand what is happening. That is not the kind of page turning to aim for.

Further Reading:

Worldbuilding: Communication

Fictional Film and TV Languages You Can Learn

Create A Language

Fantasy Language Generator

Fake Word Generator

Vulgar Fantasy Language Generator software

Language Creation Society

Magic Generator

Alchemical Texts

Check out Story Building Blocks Build A World Workbook available in ebook and print.

Handling Foreign and Made Up Words

There are times in your novel when you may wish to insert foreign or made up words or phrases. When a reader does not recognize a word or name, they skip over it. Too many speed bumps and they may stop reading. When in doubt, opt for clarity.  You can keep their attention in a number of ways. 

1. If your POV character understands the language, he can translate through internal narration.

My Russian was a bit rusty, but it was clear Vlad wanted Nikolai to stand down.

2. He can translate for another character:

Dick whispered to Jane, "Vlad is telling them to stand down."

3. You can show context through action tags.

Vlad grabbed Nikolai's gun and shouted, "Prekrashcheniye!" His men stood down.

4. If the POV character does not comprehend the language, use narration to say so.

The men waved their guns around and shouted in a guttural foreign language. They didn't look happy to see each other.

5. Context is critical.  If you sprinkle in foreign or made up words, give them context within the sentence. If it is a noun, describe it. 

Ang held the makami carelessly, but I had no doubt the curved blade could cleave a man in two with one stroke.

Persephone plucked calendula, stuffing the bright yellow petals in her pocket. They could be used later to treat wounds.

6. If you use foreign or invented expletives or exclamations, use body language and action to convey the emotion.

"Mein Liebchen." Gunther hugged Nadia. She struggled out of his embrace and moved behind her desk. "I'm not your love. Why are you here?"

"By Camulos, what have you done?" Darien covered his face with his hands. "Do you realize the depth of the hole you've put us in?"

Constable Lyrik yanked on the chains holding the prisoner. "Get up. You're headed for the dungeon you nasty, fae-loving cerpet."

Especially in epic Fantasy, it may be useful to have a list of name pronunciations in the back matter. You may even provide a glossary. However, the goal is to keep the reader immersed in your story. You don't want to lose them to searches.

If you have tips for how you handled this situation, leave a comment.

Foreign Translation Editions

Deborah Crombie

Many traditionally published books are translated into other languages.

If you self-publish, is that option entirely out of reach? Not necessarily. There are foreign rights agents: difficult, but not impossible to connect with.

Another option is to pay for a translation. This is tricky. If you are unable to read the language, it is impossible to know if they have done a credible job of translating your fiction. Cost is one factor. You can expect to pay a good literary translator ten to twenty-five cents a word. Cost versus benefit is another consideration. How much would you earn?

It is crucial to hire a professional translator. Do not rely on Google translate. Artificial intelligence translators lack nuance. It's fine for a blunt instrument such as product instructions, but not poetry. In addition to a translator, you might also require a new cover design. It is possible to keep the original cover artwork and change the title. If you did not design your own cover, however, the changes can lead to additional expense.

When I traveled Europe, I found most book stores carried American novels and our best selling lists were represented there, especially Young Adult, Mystery, and Thriller.  In most stores, the books were  in English rather than German or French.

Switzerland Book Store Shelf

With those cautions, here are resources and articles on the topic:

Selling to Foreign Language Markets (Which languages?)

Kindlepreneur: A complete guide to finding the right translator for your book (and your budget!)

Foreign Rights Agents: Everything You Need to Know 

Foreign Market List

Selling Books Internationally by Jane Friedman  

Trident Media's Foreign Rights Department 

Publishing Interviews, The Foreign Rights Agent

The Creative Penn: Translations

Translating Your Self-published Book (additional resources to contact)

Translation services you can contact directly: 

Alconost To get a binding quote for the cost of translation please send your material to alpha@alconost.com.

Altalang

Mnemosyne

My Translation Service

The Translation Shop

Ulatus.com

Upwork