lindsey tyson

[lindseytyson-blog]

Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday...

I thought I would write about love because, well, you know...Valentine's Day. This was inspired by something my English professor said yesterday that made anger boil up in me like never before. 

Let me start off by saying I never, ever, never thought I would be the kind of girl who would be so attached to her boyfriend that she would want to be with him 24/7. If there's one thing I know about myself it's that I like my alone time. That's like practically the definition of an introvert (which I wholeheartedly admit to being). But in August of 2011 I met a boy. And in March of 2012 he officially became my boyfriend. Two years later I'm wondering what the heck I ever did without him. See the thing is, I love love. I turned into one of those girls. Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday. Secretly, of course, because if I said it out loud I know what I would be confronted with. 

"It's nothing but a consumer's holiday" and "That's just so cheesy" 

But that's me, I'm cheesy. Sorry 'bout it. 

Anyhow, my English professor. And everyone else in my English class for that matter.

All they could talk about yesterday was how much love sucks and how stupid Valentines day is. I was looking around the room as my face started to turn red in anger, trying to figure out if there was one other girl within our circle of chairs who's heart was breaking, just a little, like mine was. But they were all nodding along like they totally agreed with him. What?! You guys are only what, 18-20? It's too early for you to stop believing in love! Any age is too early to give up on love, in my opinion. It's depressing, really, to hear your 50 year old professor tell you with such certainty that there is no such thing as true love. That love is a bunch of BS (his words, not mine). And all I was thinking was that he just hasn't found the right person. 

Am I too young to understand? Or is he just old and jaded? All I'm saying is that being in love makes me a better person. Makes me happier. I have someone who is literally always there to support me, no matter what. He will always tell me I'm beautiful and think I'm ridiculous for the silly things I do and say but at the end of the day he appreciates me for who I am. He has inspired me to become a better person in so many ways because he is such an amazing human being himself. He has helped me find out who I really am and what I'm really passionate about because for a really long time there I was struggling with that. I still do, but it's a lot better now. He brought me closer to God and that alone has enriched my life in an endless number of ways. He came into my life just as I lost my best friends in the whole entire world over some stupid high school drama and just as I lost my grandma and my childhood dog to cancer in the same month. Just like he was there for me then he is still here for me now, two years later. People can have their own opinions - they can say we're too young to understand what love really is. They can say that it's hormones and lust and it will wear off eventually. My response to that is that it's been two years and I love him more and more every single day. 

And it's not just my boyfriend! I love people in general (most days). I enjoyed working as a cashier because I got to talk to people and peek into their lives for the few minutes I checked out their groceries. Sometimes my heart is just overflowing with love for my brothers and sisters and God and all his creatures. This is a pretty recent discovery, too. I used to think I was one of those "I hate people" people, like my English professor claims he is. But then I quit my Biology/pre-med major because it wasn't making me happy. I got another piercing in my ear and I cut my long hair off because I wanted to. I decided to become a Creative Writing major because I wanted to. And you know what that did for me? It made me happy. 

Maybe I'm just a hopeless romantic. No, that's not a maybe. I am a hopeless romantic. I feel things too passionately and I'm too emotional. But I like to think that that's what will help me sell novels one day. 

[clevergirlhelps]

Do you have any resources for time travelling? I'm having a hard time writing about it and I haven't got any clue as I never read any books about ti travelling. The movie "Lakehouse" didn't help much at all. Any help would be appreciated. Many thanks and happy holidays.

I think Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series did a good job with time traveling, if you want to read that. Then there’s HG Wells’ classic book The Time Machine, which is weird but also kind of cool.

So first you need a method:

Machine. The Time Machine and the TARDIS, for example, are manufactured things that will take you to another point in time. (Although it seems the TARDIS is a sentient entity, it appears as a blue phone box.) 

Magic. Think summoning circles or rituals. Many of these magic spells need an element of the point in time you want to travel to, like an old disco ball if you wanted to travel to the 1970s. Gabaldon used magic circles: stone circles infused with a never-fully-explained magic. If you wander near them, poof you’re in 1740s Scotland.

Obviously, machines tend to be used in sci-fi and magic in fantasy.

If you’re going back in time, you also need to decide what affect (if any) going there will have.

Destiny Trap. Nothing happens. Going back in time enables the events of the future to take place. Movies like Terminator are like this. Doctor Who also tends to follow this rule.

Can’t change it. Related to the destiny trap. However, even if the characters change something, the outcome will be the same. For example, they save Abraham Lincoln from assassination, but Lincoln dies ten days later from a burst appendix.

Very little changes. The characters being in the past has altered something, but when they return to their own time, very little has changed. For example, in one Supernatural episode an angel unsank the Titanic. In the present, the boys drove a different style car, there were more people on the planet, Celine Dion was really poor, and two people who had died were still alive. It didn’t result in something dramatic like nuclear winter.

Don’t touch anything. Anything you do will affect the future. Ex. a character throws a snail back into the water. The snail is eaten by a gull who otherwise would have starved. The gull flies into the turbine of an airplane and everyone dies in the resulting crash. In England, a man in informed his fiance has died in a plane crash. He remarries and their daughter is the next evil dictator. All because someone saved a snail.

You’ll also need to justify or correct a few things:

Language barriers. Not a big deal if you’re going to Shakespeare’s time, but what if you wanted to visit Chaucer or Sun Tzu? Language will also change over time, so going too far into the future will also require a translator. 

Culture. The time traveling characters may know the culture of, say, 1100s Ghana, but they may be accidentally sacrificed in the Aztec Empire. The modern era seems to be moving over acceptance of the weird - which might let them slide in the future - but past cultures treated strangers with suspicion.

Atmosphere. Hint: your characters will not be OK breathing for long alongside pachycephalosauruses. If they go to an alien planet - unless it’s been terraformed - I want to know why they aren’t doubled over gasping for breath. You can make them wear oxygen masks or justify it via magic or science.

Affects. Is it a Narnia or a Gabaldon? In a Narnia Situation, you enter a different place as a child and grow into an adult there, but when you return to your time, you are the child you were when you left, except you have the mental memory of your adult years. In a Gabaldon situation, you enter a different time as a child and grow into adulthood there, and when you return to your time, you’re still an adult.

[aenigmaticdays]

Writing post-apocalyptic fanfic

A small collection of links I’ve amassed for a small idea I’m currently nursing:

Writing Apocalyptic Stories Top 10 Tips: Writing post-apocalyptic fiction How to Write Post-apocalyptic Fiction 6 Resources for Post-Apocalyptic Novelists

After the end: A guide to post-apocalyptic fiction What is the Difference Between ‘Dystopia’, ‘Apocalyptic’ and ‘Post-Apocalyptic’ Novels? Defining Genre: Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic

[writerswritecompany]

[yeahwrite]

Learn it!

[thatfrenchhelper-blog]

This guide has been written to help people who wish to write historical fiction. It can work for novels, scripts or even, yes, roleplays. I tried to think of tips and ideas that would help anyone, no matter what they’re planning on writing, though if you have any other...

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

In my novel, one of my characters goes to therapy, but I've never been to therapy myself and have no idea how to write those scenes? For example, how does a therapist talk to their patient?

Answered here. I’ll expand on more here:

Therapists have to figure out a way to talk to their patients over time. Some patients just start talking and don’t stop. In that case, the therapist may not talk too much. Other patients won’t talk unless the therapist talks first or if the therapist asks a question. The therapist’s main job is to figure out how to help their patient. Once they come up with theories or a possible diagnosis, they talk to their patient about it and offer advice to help them navigate through life, especially if they have a mental illness or disorder that makes everyday life difficult for them.

A therapist can also talk to whomever the patient wants them to, but the therapist and the patient usually go over what is okay to talk about and what is not okay to talk about. This is extremely helpful, even for adults, when the patient has trouble communicating or when a therapist can put a situation into words better than the patient can. These meetings may happen once every few weeks or as little as once in a life time. It’s up to the patient (with the exception of young children).

During these meetings, it’s up to the patient if they want to be present. They usually talk about the meeting during the next appointment, but they don’t have to. Children usually have no idea there was a meeting. Most of them don’t realize they’re in therapy.

[wordpainting-deactivated2023071]

I had a teacher I liked who used to say good fiction’s job was to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. I guess a big part of serious fiction’s purpose is to give the reader, who like all of us is sort of marooned in her own skull, to give her imaginative access to other selves. Since an ineluctable part of being a human self is suffering, part of what we humans come to art for is an experience of suffering, necessarily a vicarious experience, more like a sort of “generalization” of suffering. Does this make sense? We all suffer alone in the real world; true empathy’s impossible. But if a piece of fiction can allow us imaginatively to identify with a character’s pain, we might then also more easily conceive of others identifying with our own.

David Foster Wallace; A Conversation with David Foster Wallace By Larry McCaffery (via wordpainting)

[peashooter85]

What fighting like a girl was all about in Georgian Era Britain —- Elizabeth “Lady Bare Knuckles” Stokes

Think that women’s boxing or MMA fighting is a recent development in fighting sports?  Think again.  From the 18th to early 19th century it was not uncommon for women to fight in the ring as well as men.  Back then boxing was not the boxing of today, not by a long shot.  Venues tended to be saloons, pubs, small arenas, or even open streets and back-alleys.  Rules differed from venue to venue, but for the most part fights were done bare knuckled, and many fights were a no holds barred type setup.  Some fights even included deadly weapons such as clubs, swords, and staves.  Needless to say, injury and death was common.

One of the most famous female fighters in early 18th century Britain was Elizabeth Stokes (born Elizabeth Wilkinson), a mother and fighter whose career lasted mostly throughout the 1720’s.  In 1722 she was challenged by Hannah Highfield for a prize of three guineas.  Stokes accepted the challenge by offered a counter challenge,

 “I, Elizabeth Wilkinson of Clerkenwell, who had earlier had some words with Hannah Hyfield, ‘challenged and invited’ her adversary to meet her on the stage for three guineas. Each fighter would hold half-a-crown in each hand and the first to drop the money would lose the battle”

Elizabeth won after a 22 minute fight, giving Hannah Hyfield a savage thumping that caused her to drop her coin.  Later in the evening she won another fight against a woman named Martha Jones.

After the fight with Hannah Hyfield Stoke’s career took off, making her the most popular female fighter in Britain and earning her the name “Lady Bareknuckles”.  After marrying her husand James Stokes, the couple often fought in paired and tag-team matches.  Incredibly Stoke’s even fought men on a number of occasions, something that was rare in bareknuckle boxing.  Even more incredibly, she trounced them every time, beating the crap out of them with her swift and powerful fists.  Not only was she a master pugilist, Stokes was also skilled with weapons as well.  She was known to be particularly skilled with the cudgel and short sword.

By the mid 19th century women’s fighting had come to a close as professional organizations, rules, and Victorian Era prejudices against women drove the sport underground and turned fighting into a gentlemen’s sport.

[cinquespotted]

#THIS IS FREAKIN COOL AS SHIT #can we just note the last paragraph #’victorian era prejudices against women drove the sport underground’ #you’re saying ‘turned fighting into a gentleman’s sport’ but all i’m seeng is VICTORIAN LADY FIGHT CLUB#WHERE ARE THE NOVELS? GIVE ME NOVELS #MAKE THE LADIES KISS#MAKE THE LADIES TELL THEIR HUSBANDS THEY’RE OFF TO SEE THEIR SISTERS FOR TEA #MAKE THE LADIES SWAP TIPS ON HOW TO BANDAGE THEIR KNUCKLES AND CONCEAL BRUISES WITH POWDER #MAKE THE LADIES PASS EACH OTHER FLASKS OF BRANDY WHILE THEY’RE SITTING ON THE SIDELINES TENDING THEIR INJURIES AND WATCHING THE NEXT FIGHT#MAKE THE LADIES WEAR LOOSE BREECHES AND PRACTICAL RIDING BOOTS#MAKE THE LADIES COME FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE; MAKE A PICKPOCKET STRIKE UP A FRIENDSHIP SLASH RIVALRY WITH THE DAUGHTER OF A COUNTESS #MAKE THE LADIES KISS!!!!!!!!!!!!! #i’m fine. i’m fine. #history (via marthur)

[thatfrenchhelper-blog]

Hello lovely anon! First, I’d suggest for you to read my rules, I tend not to answer request that don’t start with ‘Hi’ and end with ‘Please’. Or at least have these thrown somewhere in here.

Anyways. I won’t write guides on subjects I’ve never lived myself, first or second hand, and I’m not disabled. But. I asked my little google friend and typed ‘Write a disabled character’, and I found these little links that could help you.

How NOT To write disabled people

How to write disabled characters

Writing About a Disabled Character: Living with Paralysis

Four things to keep in mind when writing a character with a disability

Great characters with disabilities in YA and MG + The Don’ts of writing a disabled character.

The transcontinental disability, four ways to do it right

Writing my first wheelchair bound character has been enlightening

Special Lesson Characters

Writing realistic disabled characters

Writing about disability

On The Handling Of Disabled Characters

Why movies about disabled characters stink

How to play a disabled character (For Cantr, but you’ve also got some more general things)

Why aren’t we writing disabled characters? (Script Writing, but a really interesting reading)

It’s simple. Do your research and I’m sure you won’t need any how to. Doing your own research and reading things from different point of views is actually better than a ‘simple’ how to, which are often inaccurate.

[thedancingwriter]

Hey, Tumblrites. I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything useful, but I have been busy with trying to get The Stars Are Infinite, sequel to When Stars Die,done on a deadline so that way it can be published some time next year. I’ve also been busy with publicity...

[anagnori-deactivated20201123]

I’ve finally built up a nice series of essays on writing asexuality and asexual characters in fiction. Here they are, all together in one place. They’re intended to be useful for asexual and non-asexual writers alike. They are also meant to be inclusive of gray-asexual and...

[yeahwrite]

Copyright & Posting Your Writing on the Internet

A guest post by sastielliciousdeville. Thank you so much for sending this in!!

While I’m not specifically in the publishing industry I did a bit of digging on the copyright issue because as both an author and a graphic designer copyright infringement is something that we have to keep in mind and deal with regularly to ensure that clients don’t try to use our work without paying the proper fee’s first. The one thing you have to realize about posting anything you create on the internet is that while it is technically under your own copyright (in that copyright is defined as anything you create) you run the risk of it being stolen.

Copyright infringement is a pretty serious deal but it’s a complicated system.

Read More

[yeahwrite]

The Back Cover Synopsis: Writing Your "About the Book" with Copywriter Carly Hoogendyk - Book Country Blog

Use Berkley/NAL copywriter Carly Hoogendyk’s tips to write a persuasive back cover synopsis or “About the Book” on Book Country.

My roommate wrote this! She works for Penguin! SHE IS AWESOME!

This article is super useful not just for writing back covers, but for writing any kind of synopses where the purpose is to get someone to read your story.

“Grammatically speaking, you’ll observe throughout this post my copywriter’s love affair with my favorite persuasive punctuation: ellipses, colons, the Oxford Comma, and—perhaps my favorite—the EM DASH.”

^And she is definitely one of us.

[shackleboltrps-deactivated20191]

Because Filipino stories are scary and just yes.

[shackleboltrps-deactivated20191]

Filipino Mythological Creatures

Philippine Urban Legends

Philippine mythical creatures

Philippines Legends and Myths

Top 10 Scariest Filipino Monsters

Filipino Ghost Stories

Ghosts in Filipino culture

[nmmnick-blog]

Formatting your Manuscript

If you’re planning on one day turning your manuscript in to literary agents and publishing houses, you need to make sure it’s formatted correctly. In many cases, your manuscript will be skipped over if it isn’t done to industry standard, so here’s the basics that you’ll need if you don’t want to be ignored. Before I get started, please know that this is aimed specifically at fiction manuscripts. If you’re writing non-fiction or a memoir, the expectations will be different, so it would be wise to Google what you need.

The Basics

Make sure your font is 12 point Times New Roman, Courier New, or Arial. These are the only three fonts you are allowed to pick from.

Your spacing should be 1 inch on all sides of the text. This is the default on most word processors, but double check your settings just to be sure.

Your text should be double spaced.

All of your indentations must be a half inch. Do not press indent. Instead, drag over the top arrow on the ruler to have every new paragraph automatically indent.

The Title Page

The top left-hand corner of your title page will have all your personal information. They want to see your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, the novel’s genre, and word count.

Your novel’s title is allowed to be between 20-24 point font if you want. Bold is also an option, but not necessary.

The title will appear halfway down the title page.

“A novel by [your name]” will be about three quarters of the way down the page.

The Next Pages

If you have a dedication, it will be on its own page.

If you have some sort of verse or quote, those will also need their own pages.

Do not include a page for acknowledgements.

The Chapters

Chapter titles will be 12 point font. No bolding or italics.

Chapters will start from one quarter to halfway down the page.

An easy way to format chapter headings is to press enter five or six times

Make sure you always start your chapters the same way every time.

When you start a new chapter, make sure you use a page break to bump the new chapter onto a new page. This will keep it in place so that it will never budge, no matter how much you cut out or add to the previous chapter.

Page Numbers

Page numbers will start with 1 on Chapter 1 of your manuscript. Page numbers will not appear on the title page or dedication page.

Page 1 will be labeled in the footer of Chapter 1. It should be centered.

Page 2 will be in the header of the next page.

From page 2 onward, your headers will be labeled like this:

If you insert a section break after the title and dedication pages, it will make it easier to insert the page numbers.

For the most part, this is the most important of what you’ll need to know for formatting your manuscript. I used this video as reference, so I’m trusting everything it says is true because it was made by an author who has several novels published, and because it was uploaded this year, it should be up to date.

But just remember, whenever you go to turn in a manuscript, make sure you check the website of the agent or publisher you’re trying to contact. They might have specifications that differ with the ones stated in this video, and you should always do whatever you can to abide by what they want.

[embracing-hallows-end-deactivat]

Reblogging aggressively. Some publishers will throw your manuscript into the slush pile or, worse, the trash if you don’t follow their desired format. Spec fic publishers are especially strict about manuscript formatting.

[yeahwrite]

Also reblogging aggressively.

[erikkwakkel]

Medieval world 1000 feet below the surface

Every now and then you read a story about medieval times that you are sure is made up. Here is one, but it’s not. At 1000 ft below the surface, no more than ten miles from the Polish city of Krakow, lies the Wieliczka salt mine. It’s a labyrinth of chambers and lakes, but also a place with stables for horses, a chapel (with chandeliers made of rock salt), a salt-sculpted hall seating 400, and an amazing frieze with a scene of the Last Supper, carved in a wall of rock salt (top pic). A total of nine levels contain a combined 300 kilometres (186 miles) of tunnels and some 3,000 rooms. The most astonishing thing? The mine dates from medieval times: the structure was completed c. 1280 - although the sculptures appear to be much younger, including from the 19th century. A world buried below the world: am I the only one thinking Mines of Moria here?

Pics: the Frieze in the Wieliczka salt mine (I’m not sure about its date) is from Wikipedia (here), the rest from tourist websites. More about this fascinating site in a recent CNN article, here; and on the United Nations World Heritage website, here (but don’t touch the pics).

[nimblesnotebook-blog]

For the fantasy writers who want to include magic in their story.

Origins:

So you have magic. But where did it come from? Do you know where it really came from while your characters have some other explanation? Is there a scientific explanation? A religious explanation? Do your characters not want to know? Are they looking for the origin? How long has magic been around?

If you’ve created a mythology and your characters don’t know how long magic has been around, the creation of magic or the gift of magic (whatever you want to call it) may be included within a myth or a creation story.

Knowledge:

How much do your characters know about magic? How much a person knows about magic, how it works, its laws, its limitations, and its origins will depend on what they believe the explanation is, how they feel about magic, and how much the world knows about magic in general. Have your characters figured out exactly how magic works? Do they have theories and laws of magic? How long have these theories been in place?

If your characters have extensive knowledge on magic, there will probably be written records of this knowledge. If there are records, how available are they? Are there text books about it? Or is the magic incorporated within religious text? Or is it forbidden to know about magic?

Limitations:

There should be limits on the magic in your world. If there are no limits, everything will be too easy for your characters.

How often can they use magic? How much power do they have? Do they tire after using a lot of it? Does it deteriorate with age? Or does it become more powerful? Can someone gain more magic? Can they lose it? Are they able to kill? Can they only use a certain amount each day? Making a list of what magic can’t do can sometimes be more helpful than making a list of what it can do.

Laws:

There will probably be laws about magic. What are yours? Who can use magic? Who cannot use magic? Is there an age requirement? Do you have to pass a test? Are there certain types of magic that are not allowed? Are there certain situations in which magic is not allowed?

How are the laws integrated into the government? Is there a separate government for magic? Or just a separate department? Or is magic integrated with other laws? Who makes the laws? Who enforces them? What are the punishments for breaking them?

Population:

Think back to the origins of your magic. This will affect how much of the population has magic. Who has magic? If they’re born with it, how is it passed on? Is it genetic? How many people have that gene? Is it learned? How many people are able to learn how to use magic? How many people actually know that magic exists?

Ranks and Orders:

What are magic users in your world called? Wizards? Witches? Warlocks? Sorcerers? Do any of these titles have negative connotations in your world? Is there a rank of magic users? Are there any offensive words that refer to magic users? Are special titles used (Sir, Master, Madame, etc.)?

Is there a hierarchy of magic users? How are they treated? How are they thought of? Are there different types of magic users who are seen as equal? What are those types? Can magic users move throughout the hierarchies and ranks of magic? Are there different levels based on power or skill? Do these users wear anything that signifies what their rank is?

Types:

There are several types of magic, some which may be put into the category of science in some worlds. What do your characters call magic? Here are some types of magic:

Forms of Divination

Stone/gem/crystal Magic

Herb Magic

Alchemy

Color Magic

Conjuration

Evocation

Summoning

Banishing

Manipulation

Transmutation

Mimicry

Transformation

Power Primer: Elements

Power Primer: Mind

Linguistic

Transportation

Astral Projection

Candle Magic

Tree Magic

Moon Magic

Necromancy

Morality:

Is magic even allowed to be used? With most things, there will be differing opinions on the morality or ethics. There may be a majority opinion on the morality or the opinions could be evened out in terms of quantity.

What about certain types of magic or certain people using magic? Is it unethical to use certain types of magic? Is it taboo or looked down upon to use certain magic? Is it immoral for religious leaders or government officials to participate in types of magic? Is it shameful to die from magic? Or an honor? Or is there nothing attached to magic and death?

Teaching and Learning:

If magic is widely used, it will need to be taught and learned. There may be some who are self-taught, but more organized magic systems and worlds will require some sort of training.

Public Education: In this setting, the knowledge of how to use magic would be passed on from instructor to student in a public setting. This could be a school, just one class, a club, or any other gathering that would either be free or cheap so that it is available to the public. These settings are far less selective for who is allowed in and may allow everyone to participate. Where does this take place? In a school? A classroom? Another building? A special magic center? Outside?

Private Education: This setting would be similar to the public one, but it would be more selective in who was allowed in, more secretive, and probably more expensive. These settings would be more ideal in worlds where magic is not widespread.

Private Mentor: This would be someone who is hired specifically to teach one or a few students. This is often expensive. Does this setting take place in your world? Where does it take place? Someone’s house? A meeting place?

Generational Knowledge: Knowledge of magic and how to use it can also pass down through generations. Do the old teach the young? Do parents teach their offspring in private? Do certain people of a community teach the younger ones?

The Mentor: Who is the teacher? How do people become teachers and instructors? How are they chosen? Do the students choose their instructor? Are students assigned to one instructor? Is there more than one, each of which handle one type of magic?

The Student: How old are students of magic? How long does it take them to learn? Do they choose to learn or are they forced? How competitive is it?

Attitude:

With most things, there will be a general attitude toward magic. What is that attitude? Is it welcomed? Feared? Respected? Do your characters talk about it openly, or is it whispered about in secret? How do people feel about magic users? Is there discrimination? Think back to how much of the population can use magic.

Use:

Now you come to one of the more important aspects of putting magic in your world: its use. Why do people use magic and what do they use it for? How is it used? Are there certain objects that can channel magic and make it more powerful, such as a wand? Are there appropriate settings for magic and inappropriate settings?

Magical Objects: Can magic be applied to objects to give them magical connotations? How are these objects used? Are they popular? Can they be bought, or do magic users prefer to make their own? Are objects used to channel magic? Or can people use magic without them?

Everyday Life: How does magic affect a person’s life? Short people may have no problem with grabbing high objects if they have the power of telekinesis. Glue may not be needed if a magic user can stick objects together with magic or mend a broken object. If they can conjure light, they may not need any lamps (electrical, gas, oil, etc.). What about jobs? Is a person able to do more in one day at work because of magic? Are they allowed to use magic?

Transportation: Magical transportation is probably more effective than other forms of transportation, especially in a world with little technology. However, this can also be seen as lazy writing if your characters are able to teleport anywhere in the world at any time. Add some risks to this. Are they only able to travel like that once a day? Does it deplete their magic? Can only really powerful magic users do it? How is it learned? Are carts, wagons, and carriages pulled by magic or by animals? Or both? Are there portals? Are certain magical objects needed to transport through magic? Is there a possibility of ending up in the wrong place? What about flying?

Communication: Communicating between long distances with magic is much easier than snail mail. How do your characters go about this? In one of my stories, the extremely wealthy and government officials are able to use tablet-like devices in which what they write on that tablet (it’s sort of like parchment wrapped over thick cardboard) will show up on another’s tablet thus allowing communication. Think of limitations for the communication, like how the tablets in my story are quite expensive. Who is able to communicate through magic? Are there many forms? Are some faster than others? Can symbols be used to communicate?

War: Is magic used in war? Does the military have a special task force filled with magic users? Or does everyone use magic? How does the use of magic change battle tactics? Are there magical weapons?

More:

Describing Magic and Supernatural Powers

Witches and Magic Systems

Magic Prompt

Writing Magic

Types of Magic

When Magic Goes Wrong

Magic-Like Psychic Abilities

Science and Magic

Creative Uses of Magic

Thoughts on Creating Magic Systems

Defining the Sources, Effects, and Costs of Magic

Coming Up With a Magic System

Using Magic in Horror Fiction

World Building Basics: Magic

Let’s Talk About Magic