How to Write: Soft Magic
Magic.
Intoxicating, beautiful, and dangerous.
It is the backbone of fantasy, the cornerstone of our imaginations, and a pillar of uncertainty that once plagued our ancestors. It is a practice both coveted and feared, loved and hated. A concept that has ebbed and flowed in its collective acceptance and disdain. While in Europe witches were burned at the stake, Eastern sages were raised to the realm of legend.
And now, millennia onwards in the age of technological genesis and logic, we have begun to yearn for it in our lives.
Our modern lives are cursed by a sea of understanding, cursed by sciences to know more of the depths of our world and our universe than was ever expected. And with said science, comes clarity; with clarity, the shades of mystery die. And without mystery, the purpose of being begins to fade. Humanity, after all, was always intended to discover. To explore.
Soft magic, as coined by author Brandon Sanderson, is magic which could be defined more easily as a phenomenon, a miracle, where the reader, along with the world it is set in, remains ignorant of its true nature. The how and why will always remain an eldritch thing, something beyond our understanding. After all, soft magic isn’t written to be understood; it is written to be experienced.
This particular system of magic is most prominent in series such as A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R. R. Martin and the Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkein — both being tales in which magic remains clearly undefined.
The beauty and danger of a soft magic system is that it exists without technical limits and defined parameters. Anything and everything is possible, from the perspective of the layman. Because of that, there sits a sense of wonder and tension within the narrative. You have no idea how it works, when it will be used, or what it can even do — it’s exciting.
And it’s within that very limitless range of possibilities where the cliched plague upon fantasy fiction exists: soft magic is too often used to solve problems the author has written themselves in. Ironically, I think now, it is almost the truest form of real magic, exceeding even the narrative in which it dwells. Too often, authors use it to propel their protagonists out of an impossible situation, to unnaturally contort the direction of the story, sometimes breaking the fourth wall and ruining the reader’s suspension of disbelief.
As with many things, in the wrong hands it is simply too powerful for the average person to wield. What I’m talking about here is more commonly referred to as “Deus Ex Machina”, or “Poorly Contrived Solution”, or “BS Bad Writing”.
Let’s have a look at some ways to avoid that.
How to Use Soft Magic
While soft magic comes with a plethora of risks in its implementation, there is great reward to be reaped from a conscientious storyteller. Removing rules and limitations from a magic system makes it enigmatic and mysterious, leaving the reader to wonder what is and isn’t possible.
A general rule of thumb, in my opinion, is that for every rule and limitation omitted to make your magic system softer, the author must place upon themselves and the world an equal amount of limitations and rules. Simply put, the softer your magic, the harder and more defined your world should be.
Unlike a hard magic system, soft magic needs to be well balanced throughout the story. It can’t be used carelessly. Imagine reading Harry Potter without the chanting, the wands, and the motions. The story would become a convoluted mess in which characters would utilise the correct spell from seemingly nowhere, and without drawback, to do whatever needs to be done. Tension fails and the narrative begins to break down as the system punches holes through it.
You must be diligent about when and where to use such power.
See, the most important thing to remember when you implement a soft magic system is that you should avoid using it to solve problems.
Imagine if, in Game of Thrones, Melisandre assassinated every potential candidate for kingship with her magic. Gone would be the complex drama and intrigue that made the show so compelling (at least the earlier seasons) and gone too, most likely, George R. R. Martin’s career as an author.
George R. R. Martin spoke to Russian news outlet Meduza on why he uses soft magic:
“Fantasy needs magic in it, but I try to control the magic very strictly. You can have too much magic in fantasy very easily, and then it overwhelms everything and you lose all sense of realism. And I try to keep the magic magical — something mysterious and dark and dangerous, and something never completely understood. I don’t want to go down the route of having magic schools and classes where, if you say these six words, something will reliably happen. Magic doesn’t work that way. Magic is playing with forces you don’t completely understand. And perhaps with beings or deities you don’t completely understand. It should have a sense of peril about it.”
There really isn’t a right or wrong answer about how to write a magic system, and whether you decide on a hard or soft system depends on what story you want to tell. If you’re looking to build an intriguing, magical world shrouded in mystery write a soft system. If you’re looking to have your magic system be the focus of your story, make it a harder system. Or, you can subvert expectations and flip it around — use your discretion. You’re the storyteller, after all.
The rules laid out below are less laws and more guidelines for consistency. Fantasy is fantasy. Magic is magic. By definition, these phenomena are fictitious and exist in whatever state and realm you wish them to be.
But if you do decide on crafting a soft magic system, great! Here are 5 tips on how to implement it into your story, with some help from the legendary Brandon Sanderson:
- Can be used to create problems, but not to solve problems
- Don’t overuse soft magic throughout the story; the appeal of soft magic lies in its mystery and awe
- “You’re only as strong as your weakest link”. The limitations you place on your magic will define its strengths
- Expand upon your existing magic, don’t add new systems
- Maintain consistency with the usage of magic — remember the rules you have placed upon yourself
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