041 Integrating Magic Systems Without Stalling

Published: Feb. 4, 2020, 11 a.m.

The guys discuss their magic systems thus far, and how they're integrating them into their stories at this early stage. Sure, this podcast is all about avoiding excessive worldbuilding, but there inevitably comes a time in the story plotting process when you need magic to do its thing...which means you have to know what that thing is, at least in general terms. How do you integrate your magic system into your story without using it as a crutch to simply get characters out of bad situations without considering the wider implications of its use? And how do you keep yourself from getting bogged down in tweaking the finer details while your story languishes on your hard drive? Plus, what are the guys drawing creative inspiration from right now? John is reading The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding and Vito is diving back into the multimedia universe of The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski.