It's a Kind of Magic

Still, it's kinda only suitable for geeks and readers.

Now that baby and I are beginning to develop a routine, I find that I do have some free time during my day.  If I'm not slavishly clicking "next episode" on Netflix, that is.  Or if I'm not meeting up with another chick for a mommies' coffee date.

So, that means one of two things.  Housework...or writing.

I'd be lying if I said that writing always wins, to be honest.  In fact, lately, a less cluttered house has really helped my mental state, so even if I'm only accomplishing a single load of laundry or washing just the pots and pans in the sink between feedings, cuddlings, and pumpings, it's worth it.

But I miss writing, and it's time to return to it.  I have two beloved casts of characters in two completely different novels just itching for me to tell their stories (I know they are itching because they live in my head, after all, and believe me - they itch).

The first novel I began for NaNoWriMo two years ago and, to my credit, got further than I've ever gotten with any writing project (other than a collection of mediocre poetry).  It's a fantasy story that centers on a group of bards-in-training and other servants belonging to a wealthy lord, and that lord's relationship with the King and his family.  It is a basic good-versus-evil story geared towards young adults and borders on being a Christian allegory, but nothing so majestic or sweeping as "The Chronicles of Narnia", for example.

I have much of the plot strung together, but here is where I'm looking for the advice of YOU, the geeky, intelligent reader.  

Magic.  Yes or no?

There is a double-edged sword to creating your own realm.  You make up all the rules!  Is magic practiced there?  Is it effective, or just a "sham religion"?  How does it work?  Who wields it?  Does a person need to work on spells, or possess a talisman, or be born with a special gift?  

Marvel's Infamous Loki.  En.wikipedia.org.

As of now, the story has been plotted and written without mention of magic.  It would not be difficult to add it in as a factor, but I'm not sure if I want to.  

I'd like you to weigh in!  Does magic or other supernatural phenomena in literature entertain you or frustrate you?  Is it too much of a deus ex machina for your clever, solution-seeking mind, or do you enjoy the escapism?  What works for you and what does not?  Try to think about the different ways magic is used in film; examples are as dramatically different as Highlander and Disney's Aladdin, Lord of the Rings and Supernatural.  Consider your favorite fantasy, supernatural, or sci-fi flick, book, or series.  What works for you?  What has always grated on your nerves or rang "untrue"?  That's the kind of info I am looking for.

You can comment here or on my Facebook page.  Thanks in advance for your input!

(And...by the way...there are no vampires or werewolves - glittery or otherwise - in this novel, thankyouverymuch.)