Magic systems are the foundation of fantasy fiction. By design, removing magic from a core fantasy story means the world and the plot fall apart. From elemental manipulation, runes, wand work, and bending light into physical form, we’ve seen countless magic systems and spellcasters over centuries of fiction. As authors, how do we make our magic unique, believable, and captivating?

Enter Clark Rowenson, aka the Magic Engineer. Clark turned his background in the sciences to creating a practical, analytical system. His methods break down magic systems, design new ones, and strengthen existing ones.

Author of “The Magic Systems Blueprint: A Fiction Writer’s Guide to Building Magic Systems” and “Restrictions May Apply: Building Limits for Your Magic System”, Clark is an industry leader in magic systems. In addition to a wealth of free resources on his website, and his YouTube channel The Magic Engineer, Clark also offers one-on-one consultation services.

In Part One, We Discuss:

Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”
Clark’s background in engineering and chemistry
The integration of magic in storytelling and making stories dependent on magic and fantasy themes
Getting started: finding intersections in worldbuilding and deciding on which core elements to include and how to connect them
Implications of magic in the larger world: how does magic change or impact your characters lives, social and government structure, and environment?
Getting through the weeds: the art of presenting new terminology and concepts, and how to determine what to include in your manuscript and what’s a side quest
Uses of magic to highlight and contrast different aspects of society, and how to get it to enhance

Resources and Guest Links:

https://crrowenson.com/

https://www.patreon.com/crrowenson
The Magic Engineer on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw4TcDjakQUUFyGXTm7ZF1Q

Join us in thanking Clark! We met Clark through the writing conference circuit, and he’s a great friend, writer, teacher, and all-around person. Magic systems are so nuanced and exciting, and Clark was on our short-list for Worlds Asunder while the podcast was in its pre-recording phase. We hope everyone has enjoyed this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it.

Host Links:

H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/
David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/

Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed)

Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay

Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,

Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay

Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim,