Do you write fantasy fiction? This book is a resource for authors. Crammed with information, tips, and plot ideas, it helps you create stories about magic and magicians which are believable and exciting.

Learn about power-raising, ritual, training, initiation, love spells, sex magic, costuming, equipment, correspondences, magical weapons, healing, protection, miracles, spells, amulets, talismans, curses, hexes, illusionists, charlatans, natural and ceremonial magic, witchcraft, shamanism, alchemy, necromancy, ethics, conflicts, secrecy and more.

Draw up a psychological profile for your magician, invent fictional spells that work, avoid blunders, and create trouble for your characters.

This book is part of the Writer' Craft series (Writing Fight Scenes, Writing Scary Scenes, The Word-Loss Diet, Writing About Villains etc.), and is especially useful for writers of high fantasy, urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

British English.

CONTENTS:

1. MAGICIAN CHARACTERS. Personality Profile. Food for Thought. Assignment

2. MAGIC SYSTEMS: Pick a System. High Magic and Low Magic. Black Magic and White Magic. Ceremonial Magic. Natural Magic. Religious Magic. Alchemy. Traditional Witchcraft. Wiccan Witchcraft. Necromancy. Shamanism. Ancient Egyptian Magic. Folk Magic. Voodoo. Invent a System. Terms, Definitions, Spellings. Blunders to Avoid. Further Reading. Food For Thought. Assignment.

3. TRAINING AND INITIATION. Training Opportunities. School of Magic. Apprenticeship. Self-Study. Part-Time Study Informal Learning. Candidate Selection. The Daily Grind of Learning. Examples from Literature. Initiation. Blunders to Avoid. Food for Thought. Assignment.

4. RITUAL AND POWER-RAISING. Structure of the Ritual. Casting the Circle. Invocation. Altering the State of Consciousness. Raising Power. Speaking the Spell. Dismissing the Spirits. Closing the Circle. Grounding. Keeping Records. Resting. Fiction Ideas for Power-Raising. Blunders to Avoid. Food For Thought. Assignment.

5. LOCATION AND CIRCLE-CASTING. Choosing the venue. How to Cast the Circle. Choosing the Time. Plot Possibilities. Food for Thought. Assignment.

6. COSTUMING AND EQUIPMENT. What the Magician Wears. Equipment. Plot Possibilities. Further Reading Food for Thought. Assignment.
7. PHRASING THE SPELL. How to Write A Spell. Sample Spells. Further Reading. Food for Thought. Assignment.

8. CORRESPONDENCES. Using Charts. Correspondence Topics. List of Colour Correspondences. Further Reading. Food for Thought. Assignment.

9. LOVE SPELLS. Rituals. Clients. Conflicts. Does Your Magician Perform Love Spells? Conflict - Plot Possibilities. Consequences - Plot Possibilities. Further Reading. Food for Thought. Assignment.

10. SEX MAGIC. Power-Raising. Structure of the Ritual. Variations. Plot Possibilities. Further Reading. Assignment.

11. MAGICAL WEAPONS AND WARFARE. Material, Size and Shape. How it Works. Charging and Cleansing. Plot Possibilities. How to Defeat a Magician. Magic in Warfare. Assignment.

12. HEALING AND PROTECTION. Healing. Protection. Guarding Against Harmful Magic. Hexes and Curses. Protection Against Magical Attacks. Talismans and Amulets. Further Reading. Food for Thought. Assignment.

13. ETHICS, CONFLICTS, SECRECY. Ethics. Villainous Ethics. The Wiccan Rede. Secrecy. When Mages Make Mistakes - Plot Possibilities. Outer Conflict - Plot Possibilities. Inner Conflict - Plot Possibilities. Food for Thought. Assignment.

14. ILLUSIONISTS AND CHARLATANS
Illusionists. What They Do. How It's Done. Psychological Profile of an Illusionist. Charlatans. Psychological Profile of a Charlatan. Religious Charlatans. Blurred Lines. Plot Possibilities. Assignment.

15. MAGIC IN THE FUTURE. Future Magic Scenarios. Food for Thought. Assignment.

16. FICTION SAMPLES. Short story 'By Your Own Free Will'. Excerpt from Storm Dancer.

FURTHER READING Useful books for further research.