what to write about when you’ve got no idea what to write about. part 2.
Theme: Planning a magical school
Imagine a character responsible for building a magical school.
Where would this school be? A magical castle in Scotland? An alternate dimension? Floating in the clouds? Find pictures or art for inspiration. Describe the architectural style. If you’ve decided to put your school in the basement of an industrial building, how do people get there? Is it hidden or does everyone know where it is?
Who would teach there? Eminent wizards and witches? Eldritch beings? Intelligent dragons? Random apparitions and the spirits of the dead? Make a teaching roster.
What would be taught there? Alchemy? Necromancy? The Dark Arts? Light Magic? Elemental Magic? Technomancy? Make a list of subjects. Imagine you have to justify this list of subjects to… someone. Maybe a Board of Trustees, maybe your fellow magicals, maybe to your students. Maybe you are the supreme overlord and don’t have to justify yourself to anyone. Just how wacky could you make the curriculum then? What doesn’t get taught? Why?
Who are your prospective students? What are their ages? Their species? Are they all human? Do they need to have magic or do you accept everyone with academic interest? Do they need special accomodations? Make a profile for each type of expected student. Make provisions for dealing with unexpected students.
What level are students expected to reach? Is this a magical university? A magical kindergarden? Maybe you don’t sort students based on age but on ability. Maybe there are different certifications for different tracks. Maybe you don’t care for certifications at all and students graduate with a trial by combat. Maybe students never graduate at all and this is a “you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave” kind of deal. Maybe you think each student is the best judge of their own progress and don’t apply exams at all.
What is the schedule like? Is this a boarding school? A college with dormitories? Do you provide live-in accomodations for students and teachers or do people have to live elsewhere? Does the school operate year round or only during specific times? Is it always open? Does it only open for a couple of hours after noon. Write down the schedule.
How do you get funding? Are you infinitely rich and so don’t need to worry about money management? Do you have rich patrons? Do students pay tuition? Is the school self-sustainable, providing for everything it needs by itself? Do you use your own students as a labor pool?
What supplies do you need? Do you provide a roof, shelter, protection, food, etc, for your students? Do you have a library? What books does it contain? How would you organize it? Does the internet exist in this scenario? Do you store any information in computers? Can you direct your students to internet-based magical communities? Base your supply list on your curriculum. If you teach Necromancy, for example, you’ll probably need dead bodies. How do you get them? Is it legal? Does it go against any taboos?
Are there any other magic schools in your story? Is yours the first one? Do you have competitors? How do people learn magic if they don’t attend a school? Do they learn from ancient tomes? Is there an apprenticeship system? Place your school in context. Why is it necessary or why do you want it to exist?
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