: Re: Realistically obfuscating world truths--what should people know? One of my favorite parts of The Kingkiller Chronicle is the way that we learn world truths and history. Rothfuss will have different

Here is how I would start looking for your answer...

Start a never-to-be published scene in a crowded bar or other public venue. Have a naive person (your pov character for this exercise) asks the crowd how magic works. Then let the verbal conflict begin...

a farmer stands up and starts talking about demons
a scholar interrupts him, explaining that there are no demons, just Numena which are neither good or evil.
a minister takes offense, demanding that his divine master is distinct from the Numena and is most definitely good.
a shop keep brings up the little girl who recently performed a miracle using soul energy then died.
the scholar and the ministers both start talking at once trying to explain what happened.
A school teacher starts talking about life energy and how the little girl must have used hers up. Others agree, adding that she might have made a great wizard if she had been trained earlier.

Take the argument in as many directions as you need to, to fully explore your magic system. Have the people in the room rearrange themselves so that like minds and opinions are sitting together. Take note of which belief systems cooperate with each other and which ones immediately conflict.

This is a thought experiment being performed on paper (or in a word document) to help you mature your magic system and its place in the world. You may end up with dozens of pages before trends start to emerge, but along the way, you we meet your people and find out what they believe.

When you are done, write up a quick summary of your conclusions and store the rest away for future reference. Keep in mind that this bar scene will never be included in any published work. It is just a way for you to find the beliefs and believers which surround the relatively unknown facts of your magic system.

Keep Writing!

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: Re: Realistically obfuscating world truths--what should people know? One of my favorite parts of The Kingkiller Chronicle is the way that we learn world truths and history. Rothfuss will have different

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: First time authors face different challenges in both writing their works and getting them published than established authors. This tag is meant to collect those questions, giving first time authors

: Will the publisher/agent tell me what to write? I recently read this answer, which suggested that an author's first novel will be rejected, and the publisher will instead get the author to write

: When should a supporting character be scrapped? So I'm wondering if this supporting character, who I use for exposition purposes, can be made more vital in some way. When does a supporting character

: Hint to murder in a dramatic monologue? I am making a dramatic monologue for a school project in this my character has committed a murder and during talking to his brother lets it slip but

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