Introducing the Magic
One of The Unique Challenges of Writing Cloud Bear
The more I write, the more I realize every story comes with its own challenges. For Cloud Bear, one of these challenges was introducing the magic.
Now, before I continue, think about your favorite fantasy book or series. Once you have that, think about the main character and their story arc.
All right. Ready?
Most fantasy stories have their main character learn magic over the course of the first book. Some drag this out longer, like Wheel of Time, but learning magic over the course of the middle of the book seems typical.
Some fantasy stories have main characters who have been doing magic for a while without knowing what they’re doing, like in Wheel of Time, Howl’s Moving Castle, or Harry Potter, and then over the course of the book or series they learn to perform magic properly.
Some fantasy stories have main characters who don’t even realize they live in a magical world at first, a description that once again fits Harry Potter, but also the likes of Inkheart, The Blue Sword, many Roald Dahl books, and a surprising number of fairytale retellings.
Some stories have main characters who know magic exists, but only as an esoteric subject or the like before they learn to use it themselves. This last one fits a lot of fantasy stories—even a few of the ones I’ve already listed above—but I’ll confine myself to mentioning The Bartimaeus Trilogy and The Lunar Chronicles.
Is your favorite like any of these? Or not?
These options are nice ways to introduce the magic. The reader is new to the magic, and so is the main character, and thus reader and character learn together.
Not so with Cloud Bear. In Cloud Bear, Cyrus has been using his Blessings—Cloud Bear’s magic—since he was eight. Zaris has been using Blessings since she was six. Everyone else has been using Blessings since they were twelve. All the characters have received formal training prior to Chapter One.
When the characters talk to each other about Blessings and Benison, they all understand. There’s no novice who needs explanations, there’s no novice going through the motions for the first time.
How then, to explain Blessings to the reader? How to explain Benison and the intricacies of their world? Annette eventually comes into the story and does need explanations, but there is a lot of story to read before Annette starts asking questions about Benites. This was a challenge.
What to do, what to do.
For one thing, I tried to be very careful and deliberate with my exposition. Exposition is a challenge in and of itself, as any writer will agree. Another thing is the Glossary. While I tried to write Cloud Bear in such a way it can be read without the Glossary, the Glossary is included for those who like extra lore, but also as a safety net for those who may be confused about the various terms.
It’s not all challenge and struggle, though. One nice thing about having formally trained, extremely competent characters out of the gate is it adds a sense of legitimacy to their victories. There are no novices winning against villains through the sheer power of plot armor or inexplicable, overwhelming, untrained talent.
This also means Cloud Bear’s Benites are more likely to be calm and in control when they find themselves in dangerous situations. Not always, of course, but they have the experience and knowledge to keep from panicking every time something unexpected happens. I would say more on this subject with examples and such, but I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn’t read it yet. If that’s you, you’ll just have to take my word for it. If you have read Cloud Bear, I’ll say cabin, Lucidus tree, Well, and climax for my examples. You understand, don’t you?
Despite the challenge, it’s a lot of fun for me to write characters who start the story already knowing and skillfully using the magic. My hope is it’s just as fun for you to read about them.