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Sanderson's First Law is the first law developed by epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson for use in designing settings for genre writers. While originally created as a rule for magic systems in fantasy novels, Sanderson has specified that this law need not apply just to fantasy, but is applicable to science fiction as well.
Sanderson's First Law
- 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. In the essay he qualifies the two extremes 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". C.L. Wilson in her essay "Worldbuilding 101 - Making Magic" 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 deus ex machina decreases. Brandon classifies this as "Soft Magic". Lawrence Watt-Evans specifically advised "The trick is to be a benevolent and consistent deity, not one who pulls miracles out of a hat as needed"
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 Writing Excuses.John Brown, likewise looked to Sanderson's work in his own essay involving magic systems, noting "What are the ramifications and conflicts of using it?" Patricia Wrede likewise noted several issues on this topic ranging from magic suppressing other technologies, to how a magic might affect farming.
Notes
- 1. In the essay, Brandon clarifies, "Most writers are somewhere in the middle between these two extremes."
- 2. From the same episode, this law is also called Tayler's 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
- ^ Sanderson, Brandon. "Sanderson's First Law". Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- Wilson, C.L. "Worldbuilding 101 - Making Magic". Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- Watt-Evans, Lawrence. "Deus ex Machina and Writing Fantasy". Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- Sanderson, Brandon; Howard Tayler, Dan Wells (18 May 2008). "Writing Excuses Episode 15: Costs and Ramifications of Magic". www.writingexcuses.com (Podcast). Retrieved 10 February 2011.
{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Brown, John. "Inventing Magic". Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- Wrede, Patricia. "Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: Daily Life". Retrieved 12 February 2011.
- Wrede, Patricia. "Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions: Commerce, Trade, and Public Life". Retrieved 12 February 2011.