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When Ron breaks his leg in J K Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” Remus Lupin casts a Ferula spell, creating a bandage and a splint to bind Ron’s injured limb. It is thought the name for the spell originates from the Latin word “ferula”, which means “a stick”. Magical spells are an important tool for many fantasy stories, and the topic of this month’s newsletter.
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A spell is defined as a ritualistic formula which, when cast, are intended to bring about a specific effect. Spells can be spoken, written or physically created and built using certain ingredients, much like a recipe. There are many different reasons for using a spell, ranging from a simple desire to help someone – as in the case described above – to wreaking vengeance upon an individual.
The failure of a spell to work may be attributed to many causes, such as failure to follow the exact formula, unfavourable conditions, lack of magical ability or outright fraud. Spells are an excellent tool for a Fantasy writer. They can be used to enrich your story line, your characters and the environment by introducing new sets of challenges to solve. A spell can also be used to add new dimensions to conflicts or quests.
However, as in any magical for fantasy world a spell must be used with caution. Do not cast a spell into the story as a simple solution to a problem, because you will risk turning your spell into a cliché. This will turn your story into an even larger cliché. Magic is not a panacea, and a spell must never be used as a crutch to solve any problems faced by any characters. When applying a magical spell to your story you need to establish and apply rules. Creating a fantasy story isn’t easy, and if a spell could be used as a simple solution then there’s no need to write the story, because the hero wouldn’t need to undertake a quest, and a villain could rule an empire without worrying about any opposition. A simple spell could get rid of all the good/bad characters… so what would be the point in writing a story?
Here are a few guidelines to follow when using a magical spell in your story:
Apply rules to your fantasy story. Magic and spells must always follow rules, and the rules must be understood by your readers. These rules should be in place at the beginning of the story. They need not be spoken or written in law for the characters to understand – they are implied and understood and a basis for your story. Your characters need to rest, sleep and eat. When they are injured they need time to recover from their wounds. Should an individual need to ride a horse or a unicorn the creature needs to be rested and fed periodically. Spells are a tool to enhance your story and your writing, but they are not a cure for everything.
There must be balance. The antagonist probably has just as much right to the use of magical spells as the protagonist. When the good characters are aided by spells while the bad characters are only able to use spears and clubs it is a sign of weak writing. It is a sign of weak writing if the good guys always get powerful spells and the bad guys just have clubs. Maintaining balance of power creates very interesting stories.
Be creative. Magic can be a wonderful and innovative element in a fantasy story; a way to add great detail to the fantasy world and for creating issues to be overcome. There’s a simple rule to follow here: the use of magic always brings something unexpected or unwanted. There could be hidden implications, unwanted side effects or even a form of payback to the use of any spell.
There is a price to be paid. When a character uses a magic spell there is a price to be paid – this is a very effective way of managing the use of magic in a fantasy story. The payment could be something as simple as draining a character’s strength so he/she need to rest for a time. Perhaps there’s a need to blood to be drained, with the rule that the more powerful the spell the greater the amount of blood required. Perhaps the person using the spell has to retrieve an object in order to use the spell, and the retrieval can become part of the story. These requirements are effective ways for limiting the use of a spell in writing.
There may be consequences. Sometimes a character may use a magic spell early in the story without realising its full implications. The spell could grant the gift of great power, so he/she reaches great heights and achievements… only to discover there are dire consequences because of the lack of knowledge. For a writer this is a wonderful tool to develop a character as he/she monitors the use of magic. Your character may be naïve when the spell is first used, but as the story develops and a more thorough understanding of the spell is realised so the individual gains wisdom and understanding.
Corruption of a character. Absolute power corrupts – this mantra can be applied in fantasy writing. The more magic a character uses the more corrupt and immoral he/she becomes. Again, this is a very effective way of developing a character.
Sacrifice and loss. Using a magic spell could bring the loss of something or someone. Perhaps the price to be paid is the loss of physical strength or an emotion like love or empathy. Sometimes the use of a spell could cause a friend or loved one to desert the protagonist, and this will introduce conflicts to your story because a character must weigh us the pros and cons of using the spell.
Remember – the use of spells should introduce problems and solutions. If you use magic to solve a character’s problems your reader will feel cheated. Next month’s issue will cover ideas for creating and casting spells.
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sultry
Another great and informative NL, Sarah. It's a piece of cake coming up with names for general characters, but, so often, I am at a loss when it comes to naming fantasy characters. Then there are times when a name just falls into your lap.
A fine example of this is my character from "D is for Dragon"; Durian, my enigmatic fairy dragon, a name I just pulled out of the air. Thanks to Just an Ordinary Boo!  , she informed me that durian is a large melon-sized, spiny green fruit from the Philippines. The husk is very hard and can only be removed with a machete or very sharp knife. The fruit itself also has a very strong, unpleasant odor much like Limburger cheese. If one can get past the husk and the smell, they're rewarded with the sweet, savory fruit within.
I've seen durian in the Chinatown produce market and it would definitely remind one of a miniature dragon. Coincidence or Kismet? Whatever it was, the name is fitting.
Interesting story, and this just shows how many different ways there are to find names for characters. The links for the word “Durian” are very interesting, because you could add the taste aspects from the melon (sweet/kindly natured) to the dragon’s character.
Lauriemariepea
Hi, sarah--
How interesting, where Tolkien and Lewis found their character and place names. I'm sure they felt so right because of these word roots and historical references. Good ideas in there, for the rest of us writers. 
Thank you! I’ve always found this kind of information very interesting indeed, because it indicates part of the writer himself and his life is woven into the story.
Erik Stark
Hi Sarah! Good thoughts and ideas for names. I believe they are very important too. As a young man, I enjoyed many a fantasy novel, but as I grew older I became impatient with fantasy simply because many of the fantasy character and place names were all too unpronounceable. This is a fantasy story, but please, don't make such a fantastic name it can't be read easily enough. Some are okay, but when the writing is rife with such made up words I am sure there are others who feel as I do - it's a pita. Unfortunately, this put me off from reading as much fantasy as I might otherwise have read. I do still enjoy a good fantasy book, however. I just have to peek a little into it looking for too many of those unpronounceable fantasy names and places.
Great newsletter, thanks for the read!
Erik
I think (and hope) this is an aspect of writing most of today’s fantasy writers now consider. I admit I too don’t like having to try and pronounce some lengthy name, and when I was younger I use to skim over the names or give them my own pronounciation! Another way to look at it is to give the character a long name, but use an abbreviated version in the story. The long name could be used to enhance the character…
Smee 
A thoroughly good read, on the subject of character names. Thanks for going through the research.
Personally, I just sit and type random characters on the keyboard until I hit something I like. In the past this has generated such names as Targh, Trengin, Brahnos, Roah, Tarak.
I will be on the look out now for other possibilities that perhaps include a bit more depth.
Cheers and keep up the great newsletters.
Thank you for the compliment and yes, that is a unique – and probably very effective - way of arriving at a character name!
egypt20
Thanks so much for yet another GREAT newsletter!! Keep up the good work!!!
On naming characters, I personally use a baby name book. It's been very useful for me and I've been using it ever since.
Good idea about the baby book! And thanks for the  !
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Fantasy: March 26, 2008 Issue [#2296]
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