| Revision as of 19:29, 12 February 2011 editColtonlg (talk | contribs)59 editsm deleted superfluous summary← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 00:13, 24 April 2023 edit undo2804:431:f73d:e5c0:c43b:e81:6fc0:a2c0 (talk) ←Changed redirect target from Brandon Sanderson#Hard and soft magic systems to Brandon Sanderson#Sanderson's First LawTags: Redirect target changed Mobile edit Mobile web edit | ||
| (19 intermediate revisions by 15 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ⚫ | #REDIRECT ] | ||
| '''Sanderson's First Law''' is the first ] developed by epic fantasy author ] for use in designing settings for ]. While originally created as a rule for magic systems in fantasy novels, Sanderson has specified that this law need not apply just to ], but is 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> | |||
| {{R to 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. | |||
| 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". ] in her essay "Worldbuilding 101 - Making Magic"<ref>{{cite web ||url=http://blog.clwilson.com/2008/03/worldbuilding-101-making-magic.html |title=Worldbuilding 101 - Making Magic |author=Wilson, C.L. |accessdate=12 February 2011 }}</ref> advocated this method of creation, stating, "...create your rules, then follow them." | |||
| # 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". ] specifically advised "The trick is to be a benevolent and consistent deity, not one who pulls miracles out of a hat as needed" <ref>{{cite web ||url=http://www.watt-evans.com/playinggod.html |title=Deus ex Machina and Writing Fantasy |author=Watt-Evans, Lawrence |accessdate=12 February 2011}}</ref> | |||
| == Additional information == | |||
| Since the creation of the first, Brandon has developed a rudimentary second law: | |||
| * Sanderson's Second Law. Magic doesn't happen in a static white box. | |||
| 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>{{ref|b|2}}], likewise looked to Sanderson's work in his own essay involving magic systems, noting "What are the ramifications and conflicts of using it?"<ref>{{cite web ||url=http://johndbrown.com/2008/07/inventing-magic/ |title=Inventing Magic |author=Brown, John |accessdate=12 February 2011 }}</ref> ] likewise noted several issues on this topic ranging from magic suppressing other technologies, to how a magic might affect farming.<ref>{{cite web ||url=http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions-daily-life/ |title=Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: Daily Life |author=Wrede, Patricia |accessdate=12 February 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web ||url=http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions-commerce-trade-and-public-life// |title=Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: Commerce, Trade, and Public Life |author=Wrede, Patricia |accessdate=12 February 2011 }}</ref> | |||
| == 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 == | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| == References == | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| == External Links == | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
Latest revision as of 00:13, 24 April 2023
Redirect to:
- To an embedded anchor: This is a redirect from a topic that does not have its own page to an embedded anchor on the redirect's target page.
- An
{{anchor|(anchor name)}}or{{visible anchor}}template, a HTML element withid="(anchor name)", or an|id=(anchor name)parameter might be installed at the beginning of a paragraph, in or near a section header or within a table. The anchor might also be an old section header that has been edited and is anchored within or near the new header to prevent broken internal and external links. - Even though section headers of the general form
==(Header name)==are themselves a type of anchor, use {{R to section}} instead.
- An