Life's Little Corner Magic-System Constraint Kit

BUILD A MAGIC SYSTEM THAT CREATES PLOT INSTEAD OF SOLVING IT.

Readers do not remember that a character could do something amazing. They remember what it cost, what it could not do, and the moment the rules almost broke the hero. This 26-page kit is a working diagnostic that tells you, with a score, whether your magic is driving the story or just decorating it.

WHAT'S INSIDE (26 PAGES + EXCEL)

• The 7 Constraint Questions: source, cost, limit, tell, counter, learning, society
• A 24-point diagnostic scored out of 48 so you can see your weakest category
• 7 one-page deep dives, one per constraint: weak vs strong versions, questions to ask, twists to try, space for notes
• Hard, soft or hybrid? A decision guide so you choose on purpose
• 12 common magic-system mistakes with a fix for each
• Menus: 25 costs, 15 limits and 8 counters, with the "twist" method
• 3 fully filled systems (hard, soft, hybrid) to model yours on
• Magic by genre: what epic fantasy, progression, urban fantasy, romance, mystery, sci-fi, YA and horror readers expect
• 10 scene-pressure exercises that turn rules into scenes
• Worksheets: one-page system worksheet, 2-page rules registry, power-use ledger, progression ladder, society ripple, published-book teardown
• Fix-it playbook for any score under 40, plus an FAQ
• A 4-prompt AI stress-test pack: loophole hunter, villain from the rules, scene pressure, society ripple

THE EXCEL DIAGNOSTIC

Dashboard, auto-scoring diagnostic, power-use ledger and rules registry. It flags free uses of magic and tracks how often each rule actually costs the user something.

WHO IT'S FOR

Fantasy, urban fantasy, progression, sci-fi and any writer with a power system, a technology with limits or a "rule of the world" that your plot depends on.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE

One ZIP: Magic-System-Constraint-Kit.pdf (26 pages) and Magic-System-Diagnostic.xlsx. Instant download. Personal-use license.

PAIRS WITH the Scene-Card Kit: each "plot pressure" you find becomes the BLOCK line of a scene card.

BEST VALUE: The Complete Novelist's Toolkit ($39) includes this kit plus four more products and 7 bonus tools.

This is a craft framework, not a promise of sales or income. If you use AI tools, follow the AI-disclosure rules of your publishing platform.