using the word magic

[shamguy4]

so do you feel the word magic is immature?
I mean I have my own sort of magic and im still wokring on a name for it, and its got it own rules and stuff but I never use the word magic. But im feeling like what the heck why not?
would you ue the word magic? Or do you need to make a sophisticated name...

 

[Scott R. Forshaw]

For me, Magic works fine, but if overused can become too repetitive, not to mention annoying. I'd say, use another word to mix things up, but don't avoid it altogether, because it sums up, pretty easily, what you're trying to convey.

 

[Lucky_Lola]

There are certain tropic words you tend to find everywhere within fantasty (particularly). Light, Dark, magic, wizard, witch, sorcerer/ess, mage, power, source, skill, talent, gift, craft, element... I could go on.

The point is, there isn't really anything wrong with the words. I think in a lot of ways, you're better off sticking with using the term magic instead of hunting for something else. If it looks like magic and smells like magic don't call it something weird*. It will pull most of your readers out of the story. There is a certain helpful collusion that can occur between a writer and a reader when the former makes careful use of a trope. If my magical man first appears speaking of the Green Man, I make the assumption that his magic is Druidic. If your magic system resembles an existing one enough, make use of their terminology, no matter how naff it feels at first. It will make your life easier.



*I find myself reminded of a thread some time ago, discussing made-up words for everyday things. The same, I feel, applies here.

 

[shamguy4]

but like star wars uses the force...

 

[Colbey Frost]

It doesn't matter if you say he used magic, or if you make up a name for it, they're still going to know what it is and think "magic" when reading. What you can do is come up with different schools of magic. This way you're not just calling a cat a dog, you're adding depth to it.

 

[Warren_Paul]

Tropic words are used because people can quickly associate with them. I think it's more important that the reader understands what you are trying to convey, rather than changing things up for the sake of being different.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I only use the word magic about twice per novel but there are just occasions where no other word will do.

 

[TheTomG]

I'd say it depends on your world, your society and your characters. Let's take the real world as an example.

Some things are so commonplace that they are full of vernacular and "common words" Other things are specialities and full of high-falutin' sounding words that no-one else uses. However inside specialities, things become common place to those people and they may use silly names for exotic particles or complex laws.

Specialists may want to sound fancy to outsiders, so deliberately cultivate exotic words to add mystique, or self-importance.

For literary approaches, in Harry Potter for the characters, magic was commonplace so the words were pretty ordinary, even the spells were a little trivial, "occulo repairo!" or whatever - just one step away from "Open sesame!"

Others like Elric, for all it's "pulp" nature, go for making sorcery more exotic, strange, alien and weird. I don't recall the words using in "Rhialto The Marvellous" but again, the magic there felt a little more "serious"

Ultimately though all the fiction (good fiction anyway) takes its wording and approach from remembering that the characters are people in a society - how would that society discuss it? What appearance does that character want to project?

About the only other thing I'd say is I hate the word "ensorceled" or however it's spelled, heh.

 

[James Coote]

I strongly feel there should be two definitions of magic (circus style magic tricks aside):

1. Alternative laws of physics or rules that govern the universe

2. An unexpected event where for just a moment, something seemingly impossible happens

The first I'd describe as fantasy magic. Wizards, spells, magic swords etc, and that is where I think it's perfectly fine to refer to things as magic.

For the second, the whole point is that its ambiguous. Did that really just happen? I can't quite believe it! Soon as you slap the label 'magic' on, it can be rationalised, and so becomes the first definition

That is how I treat the word at least.

 

[VALIS13]

Why do you need to have a name for magic? Have your characters simply do it and other characters refer to them as 'druids' (or something).

After all, you can describe Eric Clapton playing guitar without mentioning the word 'music'.

 

[Warren_Paul]

After all, you can describe Eric Clapton playing guitar without mentioning the word 'music'.

Just had flashbacks of playing Taboo... Getting people to understand that he is playing music without being allowed to actually say music....

 

[Jake Reynolds]

After all, you can describe Eric Clapton playing guitar without mentioning the word 'music'.

But you can't describe the result of his actions without using the word 'music' or associated terms. I can describe someone casting a spell without using a word for magic, but it's pretty difficult, over the course of a novel, to not speak of the results of their actions.

Mankind categorises everything; it is how we make our way in the world. "He's got more money than me." or "She's prettier than me.", or "I'm a warrior, he's a mage."

Any society would have a name for such a thing that is so intrinsic (if your magic replaces technology), important (if your magic replaces medicine) or just so gosh-darned rare and fantastic (if your magic is anomalous).

Mankind's favorite thing to do is name things, after all. Well, that and kill each other for meaningless reasons.

 

[VALIS13]

Jake is correct of course, so just call it magic and have done with it.

Or 'silver'.

Or 'vnorgatron'.

Don't let Rowling ruin the use of a perfectly good word with her Potter connotations, let's take the word back! Power to us all!!

 

[stephen.samuels]

Essentially I think we are all describing magic to some degree (if your WIP includes the manipulation of supernatural forces) but, I personally feel that personalizing magic by inventing your own lexicon is a better way to go. I feel that it shows you've thought about it, and it helps distinguish your work from that others.

 

[nubins]

I never have any issue with things like that. If it looks like magic, sounds like magic and does magical things.. then.. it's magic.

The word can sound a little high fantasy at times and there are some words I prefer now (I like arkane, the arkane arts, arkane abilities etc.) but I don't think it really matters.

 

[James Coote]

But you can't describe the result of his actions without using the word 'music' or associated terms. I can describe someone casting a spell without using a word for magic, but it's pretty difficult, over the course of a novel, to not speak of the results of their actions.

Mankind categorises everything; it is how we make our way in the world. "He's got more money than me." or "She's prettier than me.", or "I'm a warrior, he's a mage."

Any society would have a name for such a thing that is so intrinsic (if your magic replaces technology), important (if your magic replaces medicine) or just so gosh-darned rare and fantastic (if your magic is anomalous).

Mankind's favorite thing to do is name things, after all. Well, that and kill each other for meaningless reasons.

But it's like TheTomG and Valis have already mentioned. If you say "He played his guitar softly" the readers are going to assume what he played was music. Eric's guitar doesn't literally start shedding salty water.

Likewise, you can't cast a spell that isn't a magical spell, so if you leave the 'magic' bit out, readers will correctly fill it in themselves without pausing to think

 

[Toby Frost]

Funny you say this. When writing fantasy, I was very careful to steer away from what seemed like fantasy words: Dwarf, Elf, Rogue, Wizard etc - basically, anything that could be found on a D&D character sheet. But sometimes it creeps in, and I find constructed terms even more glaring somehow.

 

[Jake Reynolds]

True. I initially started with all these wonderful terms to explain what was essentially the force. In the current versions, many people refer to practitioners as sorcerers and their 'work' as witchcraft (if they're being puritanical), purely because I went full circle and realised I needed at least one term that readers would identify with.

 

[stephen.samuels]

Funny you say this. When writing fantasy, I was very careful to steer away from what seemed like fantasy words: Dwarf, Elf, Rogue, Wizard etc - basically, anything that could be found on a D&D character sheet. But sometimes it creeps in, and I find constructed terms even more glaring somehow.

I think the use of generic descritives can be quite useful in terms of keeping the pace going, but, variations on classical terms can serve as happy middle ground. Rothfuss use of 'Fae' springs to mind.

 

[chrispenycate]

The basic use of language is communication; all the aesthetic details are grafted on later. If a word carries too much baggage, like "fairy", then, by all means misspell it, or find an alternative.
But 'magic' has the advantage of conveying a concept, of not being too specific, of not being limited to a particular genre (romance books, war stories, even biographies can have magic moments, too; the essential concept is dug deep into human culture), so why reject it outright, when it can carry an entire substructure with it, saving hundreds of words of explanation.

You wouldn't try and avoid the word 'woman' and use continuous equivalents if you were writing romance literature, would you?