In a post on Writer Unboxed, Vaughn Roycroft discusses how he uses magic and spirituality in his writing without relying on the traditional fantasy element of magic systems and rules. “I like magic to have an unknowable quality to it,” he says. “I like magic to be just beyond the grasp, of the characters and thereby of the reader.”
Roycroft also prefers to use magic to reveal something about his characters, create conflicts, add nuance to the story, and portray character development and growth. Generally, he boils this down to creating a sense of wonder. “Can astonishment exist without mystery, novelty, uncertainty, or doubt?” he writes. “I suppose rapt attention can be gained without them, but to me they feel like excellent tools to use in seeking it.”
Roycroft says that writers diminish the sense of wonder when they present magic or the supernatural without leaving room for questions. “On the other hand, if I’m experiencing the story’s world from the characters’ shoes, with a grasp of their beliefs, uncertainties, and doubts, my attention is more likely to be rapt,” he says. “I’m more likely to be led to astonishment. I’m more likely to gain a sense of wonder.”
