Creating Believable Magic
Every author that tackles adding a small or liberal dose of magic to a contemporary novel is forced to contend with a big question: How do you make that magic believable?
In my new novel, The Book of Silver Linings, Constance Sparks always says yes…when her capricious best friend needs money; when her boss gives her more responsibility without a raise; and when her boyfriend, Hayden, who is very kind but also secretive, asks her to marry him.
While planning their wedding—and struggling with anxiety about the right course for her future—Constance researches the history of her antique engagement ring, unearths the name of a man who might be connected to it and finds a book of letters in her library’s old manuscript section written by him. Constance is deeply touched by his words and leaves a note confessing her uncertainty and doubts. She’s shocked days later to find a response tucked among the pages.
As the notes continue to arrive, Constance finds herself quickly falling in love with a ghost and putting her real-life relationship in jeopardy. A bond based on letters impossibly sent from the past might derail her future, unless she discovers her voice and risks everything for the chance to somehow connect with her true soul mate.
Order Nan Fischer’s Some of It Was Real today.
Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]
So how did I write a story where readers are willing to embrace the idea of a ghost reaching through time and an impossible love? It’s a balancing game!
First, I needed to create a very real, likable but imperfect main character. Constance is a paralegal, earnest, kind, and devoted to shelter animals, especially an unwanted dog named Growler. It was vital to give her a quirk that would allow readers to understand why she is open to the supernatural. Constance’s mother was extremely superstitious, so while Constance is not a fanatic, she’s willing to consider possibilities others might not.
The next step was to give Constance flaws. She’s afraid of what people think of her, as the result of her father’s imprisonment, and hasn’t found her voice due to her mom’s abandonment. While not everyone has a dad in prison or a mother who bailed, the need to be wanted, and the fear of not being enough is universal and relatable. Constance’s quirks and flaws make for a complex character. That complexity allows readers to accept choices that might have been harder to swallow had she been too simplistic and perfect.
Finally, Constance needed to be the type of person capable of deductive reasoning. She’s great at a job that requires logic and intelligence. As a result, having her accept that she was writing letters to the ghost of a WWI ambulance driver in France becomes easier for readers to take on.
Still, that’s not enough!
For readers who will never embrace the idea of a ghost writing through time, Constance needed a foil. Someone who would say what the more cynical readers are thinking as they turn the pages. Someone to poke holes in Constance’s acceptance of a ghost. Basically, as an author I must play on both teams so that my readers don’t get frustrated by Constance’s potential gullibility. I want them to buy into the story, whether they believe or not, or the ghost will be a hurdle they can’t overcome. To make that happen, readers must feel equally represented.
Enter Mars, Constance’s best friend! She’s another complicated character with a very different background who is skeptical, smart, flawed, but also caring and determined to protect her best friend’s heart. Even when Constance is certain that she’s corresponding with a ghost, Mars’s voice is always in the back of her mind, tugging her down to earth and saying what some of my readers are thinking—get a grip! Mars would never believe that a ghost is writing Constance, but she’s still along for the ride. She’s every practical reader’s voice in the story, and the reason they’re willing to climb on board.
In the end, creating believable magic in a contemporary novel partially comes down to being subtle when possible, and having complex, trustworthy characters so readers are willing to allow for an otherworldly possibility. In The Book of Silver Linings, readers might hope for Constance’s ghostly love to be true, or look for other explanations, never letting the hint of reincarnation threaded throughout the story take root. It doesn’t matter! If there are dual explanations that allow both types of readers to feel represented, a page-turning, compelling plot and intricate characters that make readers want to go on the journey and take a leap, regardless of what they believe, then I’ve done my job!
Do you daydream about distant worlds and mythical creatures? If so, take this six-week course and transform your ideas into creative science fiction and fantasy novels. You’ll discover the essential elements of fictional worlds, how to write a science fiction novel with intriguing characters and plot, and write up to 2,500 words for your science fiction or fantasy story. You’ll take an in-depth look at How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy by Orson Scott Card and learn how to break into the field of science fiction and fantasy writing, the basics of science fiction and fantasy, tips for creating imaginative settings, and ways to develop winning story ideas. Plus, discover how to get your work published. Enroll in Writing the Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel workshop and draft an intriguing story!