Composing Magic

“Like a modern Saraswati [the author] leads us through the brainstorming for a topic, rhythm, meter, poetic form, self-editing, and ritual literature.” —Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D., author of Pagan Every Day You’ve attended rituals that took your breath away. You’ve borrowed spells out of books. You’ve read splendid Pagan poetry in magazines. Now learn to compose all these types of magical writing yourself! Composing Magic guides you through the exciting realm of magical and spiritual writing. You’ll explore the process of writing, its tools and techniques, individual types of composition, and ways of sharing your work with other people. The book shows you how to write: • Basic and advanced forms of poetry • Spells • Chants and rounds • Prayers • Blessings • Solitary and group rituals Each type of writing includes its history and uses, which cover diverse traditions. Step-by-step instructions lead you through the creative process. Examples demonstrate finished compositions of each type, while exercises help you develop your skills by practicing what you’ve just read. You’ll discover that magical writing has more impact when it comes from the heart. Anyone can develop the skills needed to create effective compositions, but the most successful writers reveal their souls. Composing Magic will also show you ways of deepening your craft through performance and publication. Whether you practice solitary or in a group, this book will help you write with more power, more beauty, and less effort. “A smart, well-crafted book.” —Kenaz Filan, managing editor of newWitch “Composing Magic blends the craft of poetry and the Craft of magic in one dish.” —Chas S. Clifton, author of Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America

Fairy-tale master Gail Carson, the bestselling author of Ella Enchanted, guides writers of all ages on how to develop their craft, with practical advice and heartfelt encouragement. In Writing Magic, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine shares her tricks of the trade. She shows how you can get terrific ideas for stories, invent great beginnings and endings, write sparkling dialogue, develop memorable characters—and much, much more. She advises you about what to do when you feel stuck—and how to use helpful criticism. Best of all, she offers writing exercises that will set your imagination on fire. With humor, honesty, and wisdom, Gail Carson Levine shows you that you, too, can make magic with your writing.

Whether a side-street skirmish or an all-out war, fight scenes bring action to the pages of every kind of fiction. But a poorly done or unbelievable fight scene can ruin a great book in an instant. In Fight Write you'll learn practical tips, terminology, and the science behind crafting realistic fight scenes for your fiction. Broken up into "Rounds," trained fighter and writer Carla Hoch guides you through the many factors you'll need to consider when developing battles and brawls. • In Round 1, you will consider how the Who, When, Where, and Why questions affect what type of fight scene you want to craft. • Round 2 delves into the human factors of biology (think fight or flight and adrenaline) and psychology (aggression and response to injuring or killing another person). • Round 3 explores different fighting styles that are appropriate for different situations: How would a character fight from a prone position versus being attacked in the street? What is the vocabulary used to describe these styles? • Round 4 considers weaponry and will guide you to select the best weapon for your characters, including nontraditional weapons of opportunity, while also thinking about the nitty-gritty details of using them. • In Round 5, you'll learn how to accurately describe realistic injuries sustained from the fights and certain weapons, and what kind of injuries will kill a character or render them unable to fight further. By taking into account where your character is in the world, when in history the fight is happening, what the character's motivation for fighting is, and much more, you'll be able write fight scenes unique to your plot and characters, all while satisfying your reader's discerning eye.

Learn how to apply practical magic and writing techniques together to achieve consistent results that transform your life. In the Magic of Writing, I show you how writing can become a potent magical tool that you can use to achieve consistent results. Best of all you don't need to be a an author or writer to use writing magic. All you need to do is pick up the pen, paper, or keyboard, and start creating writing that allows you to embody your magic and generate real results that change your life. In this book you'll learn the following: How to create definitions that you can use to program your magical workings How to change time and space using writing How the design of writing can help you influence the way people read your writing. How to create enchantments with metaphors. How to use the power of story to rewrite your life and experiences How to get results with your writing magic that transforms your life. The Magic of writing will introduce a whole new set of techniques and tools to your magical practice that will enable you to get amazing results that change your life.

Write Your Own Magicshows you how you can use the incredible magical power of words to make your dreams a reality. This guidebook presents the three magic steps essential to manifesting exactly what you want, for dreams both big and small. There is no limit to what you can ask for as long as your requests hurt no one. For instance, you might want: ·vibrant health ·a fulfilling relationship ·greater happiness ·more money ·a better job ·stronger faith ·increased creativity and intuition All of this, and much more, can be brought into your life when you follow the step-by-step instructions in this magical guidebook. Write Your Own Magic will show you how to create original white magic spells that make your hopes and dreams come true. First, you'll learn how to determine your life's purpose. Next, you'll find out how to write magic that makes your dreams come true in six important areas-physical, spiritual, mental, financial, social, and intuitive. Finally, you'll discover how to use the hidden power of words-sacred names and secret writings, magic diaries and dissolving ink, along with other simple white magic techniques-to make your desires, hopes, and wishes come true!

Discover unique perspectives on the magic of life’s journey with Llewellyn’s 2018 Magical Almanac. Inspiring all levels of magical practitioners for more than twenty-five years, this almanac features nearly three dozen compelling articles, exploring a variety of topics, such as creating a well-stocked magical cupboard, dealing with invasive spirits, evolving a ritual circle, and using keys and handkerchiefs as magical objects. Also included is a helpful calendar section—shaded for easy “flip to” reference—featuring world festivals, holidays, and the 2018 sabbats. Filled with practical spells, rituals, astrological information, and incense and color correspondences, this almanac will empower your magical work all year long. Explore the history and lore of garden creatures? • ?Use dowsing in your daily practice to divine helpful information and find items •? Fuel your inner fire by working with the Goddess of the Eternal Flame? • ?Connect with nature and transform spiritually through a ritual for inner healing

This book presents a selective, introductory reading of key texts in the history of magic from antiquity forward, in order to construct a suggestive conceptual framework for disrupting our conventional notions about rhetoric and literacy. Offering an overarching, pointed synthesis of the interpenetration of magic, rhetoric, and literacy, William A. Covino draws from theorists ranging from Plato and Cornelius Agrippa to Paulo Freire and Mary Daly, and analyzes the different magics that operate in Renaissance occult philosophy and Romantic literature, as well as in popular indicators of mass literacy such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and The National Enquirer. Magic, Rhetoric, and Literacy distinguishes two kinds of magic-rhetoric that continue to affect our psychological and cultural life today. Generative magic-rhetoric creates novel possibilities for action, within a broad sympathetic universe of signs and symbols. Arresting magic-rhetoric attempts to induce automatistic behavior, by inculcating rules and maxims that function like magic ritual formulas: JUST SAY NO. In this connection, the literate individual is one who can interrogate arresting language, and generate “counter-spells.”

Once upon a time... A kind sister and a cruel one. A charming prince. A spiteful fairy. A hundred-year snooze. A pea under a pile of mattresses. A kiss. All the familiar ingredients, but why is the punished sister happy? Where did that extra prince come from, and what does a flock of balding sheep or a fleck of tuna in a chocolate cake have to do with anything? Gail Carson Levine has waved her magic wand over three well-known fairy tales, and presto! They are transformed -- and sparklingly funny-in these delightful retellings: The Fairy's Mistake The Princess Test Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep Happily ever after has never been so hilarious!