What rules should we be aware of when using 'magic' in stories?

When 'magic' appears in a story, it is possible to create depictions and developments that would be difficult to achieve using human power or the physical laws of nature. On the other hand, magic has the ability to make the impossible possible, so if you make it 'anything goes,' it becomes difficult to control the story. Former New York Times editor and author K.J. Delantonia talks about what to be careful about and what rules to set when introducing magic into a story.

Magic to Serve, Not Solve, a Story: KJ Dell'Antonia on Magical Rules in Literature ‹ Literary Hub

https://lithub.com/magic-to-serve-not-solve-a-story-kj-dellantonia-on-magical-rules-in-literature/

In the process of reviewing and revising his own work, Mr. Delantonia seems to have experienced many cases where he was troubled by plot holes and character behavior that he had created. Delantonia describes his feelings at that time: ``During the revision process, I was convinced that I would be seriously damaged by this revision. I felt like it was coming,' he says.

Furthermore, in the work ' Playing the Witch Card ' published by Mr. Delantonia in September 2023, a woman faces the magic handed down in her hometown and reevaluates her life, but the magic involved is , which was a factor that made the revision process even worse. The magic that Delantonia devised had an internal logic and was useful for both the main character, Flare, and the story, but it didn't work at first, and 'the magic ruined the whole story.' said Delantonia.

Drawing on his own experience, Delantonia says, ``If there's one rule in literary magic, it's that it has to serve the story, not solve it.'' To do this, it is necessary to set 'limits' to magic. Rules called limits act as obstacles for the protagonists to overcome in the story. If this rule is interfering with the author rather than the main character, you may have set the wrong rule.

Setting limits and rules clarifies how the characters who follow those rules have lived their lives, and makes it clear what choices they will make in the future. Mr. Delantonia expresses, ``Rules, limits, and laws are the boundaries that create life and stories.''

Also, Mr. Delantonia seems to think that what writers should do is not to forcibly move the characters, but to create a route for the characters to move. 'The writer's job is to create rules that force our characters to do different things. We create rules so that doing something is not only possible, but that the choice is inevitable. 'The trick is to draw vivid characters,' he says.

In the end, Mr. DeLantonia explained his failure as ``I forgot not only the fact that I had created the rules, but also why I had created them. 'That's what I was doing.' When you find yourself cornered by the rules you've created, it's important to reconsider the rules of magic.