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'''Sanderson's Laws of Magic''' are several ] developed by epic fantasy author ] for use in designing settings for ]. While originally created as rules for magic systems in fantasy novels, Sanderson has specified that these laws need not apply just to ], but are applicable to ] as well. <ref name=SFL>{{cite web ||url=http://www.brandonsanderson.com/article/40/Sandersons-First-Law |title=Sanderson's First Law |author=Sanderson, Brandon |accessdate=10 February 2011 }}</ref>
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== The Laws ==
# {{Anchor|Sanderson's First Law}}An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic.
# {{Anchor|Sanderson's Second Law}}Magic doesn't happen in a static white box.

== Sanderson's First Law ==

This Law was originally defined in Brandon's essay, "Sanderson's First Law" located on his website.<ref name=SFL/> In the essay he qualifies the two extremes{{ref|a|1}} of design as being:

# Magic/technology has well defined rules that the audience understands. As a result, one can use this to solve conflict more easily as the capabilities are cleanly defined. Brandon classifies this as "Hard Magic".
# Magic/technology has unclear or vague rules, or none at all. This allows for a greater sense of wonder to be attained for the reader, but the ability to solve problems without resorting to ] decreases. Brandon classifies this as "Soft Magic".

== Sanderson's Second Law ==

Sanderson's Second Law was set down in Episode 14 of the podcast ].<ref>{{cite podcast|url= http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/05/18/writing-excuses-episode-15-costs-and-ramifications-of-magic/ |title=Writing Excuses Episode 15: Costs and Ramifications of Magic |website=www.writingexcuses.com |host=Sanderson, Brandon; Howard Tayler, ] |date=18 May 2008 |accessdate=10 Feburary 2011 }}</ref> In summary, when a certain technology or magic exists or is created, it changes the world around it as a result.{{ref|b|2}}

== Notes ==
:1.{{note|a}}In the essay, Brandon clarifies, "Most writers are somewhere in the middle between these two extremes."
:2.{{note|a}}From the same episode, this law is also called ] First Law. "If the energy you are getting from your magic is cheaper than letting a donkey do it, your medieval economy just fell apart."
== See Also ==
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== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External Links ==
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Latest revision as of 00:13, 24 April 2023

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