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@ALL

My goodness! Those are some crazy dreams! XD Truly and certifiably insane, some of you. XD Just kidding – I’m a kettle calling pots black. But at least when it comes to dreams, I cannot even begin to match any of those.  My dreams are so insanely boring and I so rarely remember them…

…yeah. Not even going to bother. 😛

I’d react to each one of yours individually, but I’ve been asked a question on the Question Document again(!) and want to devote time tonight to answer it as thoroughly as I can. 😛

The question is from @sarah-inkdragon again, and is as follows:

“How do you think, as writers, we should approach writing a “broken” system? In reference to an imperfect world. Let’s take Harry Potter for example. In HP, some people can use magic and others cannot. This instantly messes with the natural way people view themselves and others–because magic users are now “special”, while everyone else is still normal and at a great disadvantage to them.  The magic is something you’re born with, not something you can acquire. And since God created the world to originally be perfect, I don’t think he would have made some people different than others in that kind of way. (I know HP isn’t a Christian series, obviously, but it’s a good example). So…. as writers writing Christian novels, how do you think we should approach something like selective/genetic magic? It’s a huge part of my own novel, so it’s not something I can ignore.”

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This is a really good question, and the issue crops up a lot in fantasy, specifically. Let me see if I can break it down.

There are a few different kinds of characters that we can look at when it comes to selective enhanced abilities. Each one of them is going to bring a different dimension of storytelling, and generally plays a very different purpose from the others, so I think it’s important to look at each one in turn, so that we don’t get stuck only thinking of our magic-using characters in one dimension.

1. Divine grant. Some characters with special powers get these powers from direct contact or as a gift from a higher power. (I’m being non-specific in my language so as to allow for the greatest range of stories that may or may not include God as such.)

Because these characters are almost always used to accentuate the reality of the higher power and draw attention to their activity/grace/gift (rather than to highlight differences between human individuals), this doesn’t really raise problems pertinent to your question.  It’s still useful to consider this kind of magic-user, though, and how they are used in stories. (Example: Gandalf and the other wizards.)

2. Magic system. Some magic-users gain/achieve their powers simply based on how the magic system works. Whether they are in the right place at the right time, happen to be the chosen one, were prophesied about, or experience a ritual which grants them powers, there is nothing genetic about their ability to use magic. (Example: wearers of the rings of power.)

In terms of story function, characters like this can serve a huge number of purposes, and draw out a whole lot of points. As a general rule, however, I think it’s safe to say that they reflect the growth and development of individuals, with magic abilities creating a macrocosm in which to explore the dynamics of change/growth.

3. Secret knowledge. This category of magic-user falls the closest to real-world magic. Knowing the proper spells, having the education of years in the magic arts, etc… with this type of character, all of those are necessary in order to become a powerful magic user. For this type, knowledge is power, because there’s nothing genetic about their magic-using skill, strength, or ability. It’s in direct correlation to their knowledge and use of the magic system itself.

Again, we still haven’t gotten to the question of genetics, but we’re beginning to get closer. Much of the time, there is a genetic component to a magic system, and an educational component as well. That is to say, it’s very common for a genetically magical individual to still need training in the magic arts for a number of years. (Examples: Force users in Star Wars, wizards/witches in Harry Potter.)

Just from looking at it quickly, I feel like this kind of magic user would most commonly be used to showcase a growth arc. The mentor/student relationship is a big staple for these characters, making them great for coming-of-age stories.

The (usually close-knit) secret community of magic users can also be used to pique the longing we all have for a sense of home and belonging. If handled properly, this can move the heart and mind upwards to the ultimate fulfillment of that longing in heaven.

4. Genetic trait. Finally, we get to the people who are just “born that way” with special powers, ability to use magic, etc. – whatever the case is for your book. The genetic reason for magic ability is probably the most commonly used of the four divisions I made.

From what I can tell, ancestry has always been important to the fantasy genre. Tolkien is, perhaps, the most notoriously blatant with this. And because he’s the father of the genre, it only makes sense that it has continued to be a staple part of it. All throughout the stories of Middle-Earth, the lives of characters are almost always effected by their blood-line in some way.

To men of honorable lineage, there’s a sense of upholding the ancestral banner by fighting well, living worthy, and dying with honor; and contrariwise, there’s a special sense of shame that accompanies cowardice, dastardly living, and dying in ignominy.

And if you’re a hobbit, everyone knows that the Sackville-Bagginses are nasty folk, the Tooks are more or less adventuresome, and to be a Brandybuck is tantamount to rash and dangerous living. While it may not be related to magic use when it comes to hobbits, the importance of family ancestry and its relationship to a character’s temperaments is unquestionable.

Developing a sense of genetic heritage lends a broadness to your worldbuilding that cannot be achieved if you assume that each individual is completely unique. Similar people will share similar characteristics – and very often, those people will be related by blood and/or location.

While it hurts me to bring Rowling into this conversation right after talking about Tolkien, she did the same in Harry Potter by dividing the ancestry of magic users at Hogwarts into four families with distinct differences between all of them (Slytherin, Ravenclaw, etc…).

It’s not that characters shouldn’t be unique, and should instead simply be typecast into different roles depending on their ancestry – but it seems to be a quick way to fill the world in with broad strokes. Don’t have time to describe each individual of the Southern City? Give them a recognizable earmark: none of them have any sense of urgency and do everything at a slow, even pace. Have a character who pops up and is from the Southern City? Congratulations, you now have an outline already established that you can personalize and fill in!

Of course, you can always play against stereotypes and make that a feature of a character’s individuality by contrast with all the others (we’ve all seen this in it’s simplest form: “My dad was a blacksmith, and his dad before him, but I want to be a traveling minstrel…”).

I’m tackling the question from the perspective of ancestry before getting to the magical part because I think it’s at the heart of how this kind of character is used in fantasy. The focus is not so much that these people are genetically special and everyone else is just a dumb normie (although that may factor in if you want to specifically address that theme), but generally, the focus is on the heritage, tradition, and the expectations that come along with the genetic ability.

You may be special if you have magic powers genetically, but that usually means you’ve got a special role to play on the world’s stage, too. A role that is intended to showcase some truth(s) larger than itself.

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“You’re a wizard, Harry!”

The famous words spoken by Hagrid to a young Harry Potter seem to spark with a sense of gift. Even though it means that Harry was born with the genetic DNA necessary to become a wizard, there’s no sense of inevitability or ‘right’ when he learns about his heritage. It’s much more of a gift being given to a boy who was always downtrodden and ended up believing himself insignificant.

‘This is your true identity, Harry: More than you ever dreamed.’

Notice how this takes a genetic reality and turns it into something which Harry is excited about. It’s like a waif on the streets learning that he is the son of the king. It was true all along, but there’s a sense of gift, joy, and the realization of an identity that is greater than you ever imagined.

(Note: I am not hereby endorsing Harry Potter.)

Let’s pause and consider how this can be interpreted as a Christian reader. My mind immediately goes to the fact that I am a child of the one true King, my identity in Christ is far more than I can ever imagine, and the things I am capable of through the power of the Holy Spirit go far beyond the scope of my short-sighted ideas of usefulness. Imagine discovering all of those truths at one time.

Pretty amazing, huh? In a refractory way, that’s what it’s like to find out you have magical powers.

Do we need to take readers on a journey to directly ponder the theological truths I mentioned above? I don’t believe so. But what we can see is that the story version has some tendrils in it which smell strongly of heaven’s truths. As long as there is some effort to cultivate this kind of truth-grounding, I think genetic magic-users as a story element can be a source of encouragement and fascination.

In this way, the focus isn’t on the fact that most people can’t use magic, but on the fact that some people can. It’s the lessons that you showcase in the lives of those people which can serve as an imaginative sounding board for our own lives when we return to our reality.

Our stories aren’t meant to directly replicate reality. They are intentional excursions into secondary realities which take us on a journey to experience specific truths and beauties along the way. It’s the way we package our story elements that will influence how they are perceived.

If you think long and hard enough, you realize that all those non-magic users have really gotten the short end of the stick for centuries in the fantasy genre. But in a story about the cosmic struggle between good and evil, drawn out in larger-than-life lines, the disparity between magic users and non-magic users really isn’t the point of having a magic system in the first place. That is not the truth the story was written to showcase, so it’s not the truth we should take away with us.

As writers, we need to be careful that we know which truths we are seeking to encase in beautiful storytelling – and then intentionally craft our stories so that those are the most prominent. It doesn’t always have to be that way at first, in fact, it probably won’t be – there’s definitely a knack and an art to… well, art. So don’t let this consideration hold you back from simply writing.

But keep it in mind:

We don’t write stories to recreate the reality we see. We write stories to showcase specific truths, ask specific questions, and present specific experiences of beauty – so that we return from the secondary world with our sight of the primary world enriched in specific ways.

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If you were able to follow that mess of a ramble in any way and glean an assorted collection of answer-tidbits, then I’m glad.

Follow up questions are more than welcome, and further answers from all the voices that I know are lurking on the edges of Erekdale are also welcome. Step into the light and offer your input! We can all learn from one another, and that’s exactly why we are gathered together in a guild. 😀

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