What fascinates me is how Hemalurgy seems to dig and worm its way into the world around it, sapping away vital energies to extend and strengthen its own existence. It is a parasite draining its host to grow and thrive.
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Aligning The Viral Magic System
Today we’re taking a stab at aligning our virus-based magic system using the speed-dating exercise. We’ll still have plenty of gaps in the end, but this is another step forward.
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I Love Mistborn’s Blending of Worldbuilding and Magic
no, I’m not done talking about the trilogy, though today’s topic differs from those we’ve had before. Today we’ll look at how the magic connects to the story in a broader sense.
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Generating Deadly Ideas for Our Viral Magic System
Generating Deadly Ideas for Our Viral Magic System Part 1 of Building a Viral Magic System I’m so excited! This system has been kicking around in my head for over a year; I can’t believe I’m finally building it. This will be an awesome series, and I can already tell. Whenever I work with someone starting a new magic system, I always recommend beginning with Stage 0 to pinpoint where to
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Sanderson’s Exploration of the Metallic Arts and Why I Love It
Sanderson’s Exploration of the Metallic Arts And Why I Love It Welcome to Part 9 of Why I Love The Mistborn Trilogy We’ve already discussed the simple elegance of the Metallic Arts from The Mistborn Trilogy, their deliberate combination with Newtonian physics, why Hemalurgy makes me both scared and happy, and more besides. By this point, I’m sure you know what I’m about to say: “Blah, blah… I Love Mistborn!…
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A New Series on How to Build a Virus-Based Magic System
Did you know we’ve been talking and working on building better magic systems for over two years now? Crazy how time flies when you’re talking about something you love. We’ve covered lots of information in those years, and I mean a lot, so this year I thought we’d do something special. I’m taking that age-old writing advice “show, don’t tell,” and I’m putting it to use right here and now.
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20 Underused Subjects for Your Magic System
20 Interesting and Underused Subjects for Your Magic System Welcome back! I’m glad you came willingly and any protests to the contrary will be ignored. If you’ve been following this mini-series on subject-matter expertise, then you’re probably in a pretty good place. You know what subject-matter expertise is and the biggest pros and cons of using it. You even know how to identify, track, and extort obtain help from the subject-matter
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Disturbing Body Horror Delivered Courtesy of Hemalurgy
Disturbing Body Horror Delivered Courtesy of Hemalurgy Welcome to Part 8 of Why I Love Mistborn Today’s talk about one of my favorite aspects of my favorite Mistborn Magic System. Okay, okay, okay. I know that’s what I say every time I start one of these posts, but today is about Hemalurgy, and the horrible price it demands of its wielders. You see, every magic has a price. Every. Single.
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How to Find a Subject-Matter Expert for Your Magic
How to Find a Subject Matter Expert for Your Magic We’ve covered the basics of using Subject Matter Expertise for your magic and some of the pros and cons of its use. If you’re still reading this mini-series, then you have probably decided to build a magic system around the structure of a specific subject matter. And if you are 100% convinced you want to do this, then you are
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Feruchemy: Making Boring Objects Awesome Again
Feruchemy: Making Boring Objects Awesome Again Welcome to Part 7 of Why I Love Mistborn Symbolism is a powerful tool in any writer’s tool belt. This is true whether you’re planning your plot, strengthening your theme, or refining your world. Because of who I am and where you are, you’ve probably guessed this applies to magic systems as well. Over the course of a story, a reader comes to associate
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