Nature-based magic systems appear all over the fantasy genre, but creating something truly unique and specific to the story I’m telling is part of the fun in being a writer. I’m going to walkthrough my approach to creating a nature-based magic system, in the hopes that you understand the world I’ve built a little better, and maybe find takeaways for your own creative work.

In the coming months I’ll be working on a first draft for book 3 in the Heart of the Forest series, and wanted to share a bit of behind the scenes for my writing process. This will be my fifth full-length novel draft, and my approach to writing has evolved a lot through all that writing–to the point where I finally feel I have a process to share in the first place.