: Re: Powers with unknown limits vs ones full of rules, limits and reasons? I'm in a dilemma: I don't want my characters to have flawless, limitless and bad-consequence-less powers, but I also don't

I am in favor of rules and coherence. However, also remember that you do not have to show all your work.

Just because you as the writer/creator know how magic/powers work doesn't mean you have to tell readers. Mercedes Lackey has a widely developed magical universe and only once, sort of in passing, mentioned where magic "comes from" or how people can access it. The rest of the time it just is. Poeople are inborn mages or they aren't.

One of the benefits of rules is that it forces you to think about consequences. What happens when you break the rules? What happens when your character runs up against a limitation of powers?

In David and Leigh Eddings' Belgariad/Malloreon series, sorcery is essentially limited to the Will and the Word: if you want something badly enough and say it, it will happen. But: You cannot unmake something with sorcery. "Be Not" is one of the few checks on ultimate power. The backlash is that the sorcerer/ess explodes. Why? "The universe gets offended." No more than that. Where does magic come from? Dunno. It just appears if you will it hard enough. Will is enough of a barrier to overcome that not everyone is a sorcerer.

Having a powerful character thwarted by "Captain, ye cannae change the laws of (magical) physics" creates conflict, and conflict is how your story becomes interesting. Two all-powerful whatevers bashing away at each other is a flashy spectacle on screen, but it becomes boring and unbelievable after a while (and faster so on the page).

Embrace rules and restrictions. They will force you to think more creatively, and therefore increase the conflict your characters have to overcome.

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: How difficult will writing a novel be for someone without formal training? I almost asked the question "Can someone without formal training write a novel?", but the answer of course is yes.

@Debbie451

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: Is representing distorted voices via different typefaces, and different languages represented by enclosing brackets an advisable thing to do? In the current draft of my book, the evil dictator

@Debbie451

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: What should I do if I know the antagonist but too many options for protagonist? I have decided on my antagonist for my first novel. They are pretty much being brought back to power by traitors

@Debbie451

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: I wouldn't just use fire and ice. The classic Four Elements (earth, air, fire, water) have been used for mythological and magical structures for many stories. Look at the Avatar: The Last

: Re: Powers with unknown limits vs ones full of rules, limits and reasons? I'm in a dilemma: I don't want my characters to have flawless, limitless and bad-consequence-less powers, but I also don't

More posts by @Debbie451

: How difficult will writing a novel be for someone without formal training? I almost asked the question "Can someone without formal training write a novel?", but the answer of course is yes.

: Is representing distorted voices via different typefaces, and different languages represented by enclosing brackets an advisable thing to do? In the current draft of my book, the evil dictator

: What should I do if I know the antagonist but too many options for protagonist? I have decided on my antagonist for my first novel. They are pretty much being brought back to power by traitors

: I wouldn't just use fire and ice. The classic Four Elements (earth, air, fire, water) have been used for mythological and magical structures for many stories. Look at the Avatar: The Last

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