Editing Sanderson's Laws of Magic
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== [[bws: sandersons-first-law|Sanderson's First Law]] == |
== [[bws: sandersons-first-law|Sanderson's First Law]] == |
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If characters (especially viewpoint characters) solve a problem by use of magic, the reader should be made to understand how that magic works. Otherwise, the magic can constitute a ''deus ex machina''. |
If characters (especially viewpoint characters) solve a problem by use of magic, the reader should be made to understand how that magic works. Otherwise, the magic can constitute a ''deus ex machina''. |
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== [[bws: sandersons-second-law|Sanderson's Second Law]] == |
== [[bws: sandersons-second-law|Sanderson's Second Law]] == |
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The limitations of a magic system are more interesting than its capabilities. What the magic ''can't'' do is more interesting than what it ''can''. |
The limitations of a magic system are more interesting than its capabilities. What the magic ''can't'' do is more interesting than what it ''can''. |
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=== Limitations === |
=== Limitations === |
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== [[bws: sandersons-third-law-of-magic|Sanderson's Third Law]] == |
== [[bws: sandersons-third-law-of-magic|Sanderson's Third Law]] == |
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"A brilliant magic system for a book is less often one with a thousand different powers and abilities -- and is more often a magic system with relatively few powers that the author has considered in depth." |
"A brilliant magic system for a book is less often one with a thousand different powers and abilities -- and is more often a magic system with relatively few powers that the author has considered in depth." |
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Brandon has, in his online lectures, described his ultimate rule as that of making magic "awesome" (in the colloquial sense), and further implied that said "awesomeness" takes precedence over exact obedience to the other three laws.{{wob ref|6227}} This rule is primarily to be understood in the sense of beginning with an interesting (i.e. "awesome") idea, and building the magic system or fantastical technology upon said idea from there, rather than to simply disregarding the previously mentioned laws - rather, those laws should bend to the "awesomeness" of the idea, and not take priority over it, thus keeping the idea behind the magic system "awesome".{{wob ref|7077}} |
Brandon has, in his online lectures, described his ultimate rule as that of making magic "awesome" (in the colloquial sense), and further implied that said "awesomeness" takes precedence over exact obedience to the other three laws.{{wob ref|6227}} This rule is primarily to be understood in the sense of beginning with an interesting (i.e. "awesome") idea, and building the magic system or fantastical technology upon said idea from there, rather than to simply disregarding the previously mentioned laws - rather, those laws should bend to the "awesomeness" of the idea, and not take priority over it, thus keeping the idea behind the magic system "awesome".{{wob ref|7077}} |
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− | + | (This refers to Isaac Asimov's Zeroth Law of his Three Laws of Robotics.) |
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== Notes == |
== Notes == |