4 months ago
8
I recently read a fantasy book, and in the first chapter, the main character “used their magic to cast a spell.” This sentence got stuck in my bonkers mind, and it took a while to figure out why. After a walk, I concluded that the word magic was not being used correctly. Allow me to provide some examples.
Let’s say a character needs to fix something. “He tightened the bolt.” Logically, readers would understand what had occurred and fill in the technical aspects. Yet, I could have stated, “He used mechanics to tighten the bolt.” That is what I am getting at. “He used baking to add the cinnamon.” “She used driving to turn the steering wheel.” “They used art to paint pictures.” Yikes, what awful sentences.
In magical stores, wizards cast spells, and witches brew up potions. How? In that universe, it is possible to break the laws of physics, which makes the impossible possible. Still, in real life, we do have magic that follows the physical rules. For example, a magician can use sleight-of-hand to make a card magically disappear. A worker can get a job done very quickly, and when people ask how, they respond “magic.”
My hang-up is that in a book where magic is possible, the term should be invalid. In that alternate world, waving a wand to lift a person into the air is just another skill, and no big deal is made. The same could be said of a blacksmith or a cook. But does this really matter?
The goal of a writer is to bring readers into a story. It is a careful dance, and once a reader gets hung up, there is no turning back. And that was precisely what happened. I got hung up on a single word. Still, it is excellent to use the word in a book description and as a general term in the same way that “baking” covers a broad range of skills. Thus, I am not going to end this article magically.
You’re the best -Bill
January 24, 2026
Hey, book lovers, I published five. Please check them out:
Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.
Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.
Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.
Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.
Pushed to the Edge of Existence. Just when Kim, Gabe, and Emma’s lives start returning to normal, a mysterious government organization orders them to use their telepathic abilities, and then they travel to an alien planet.
These books are available in softcover and in eBook format.
