How to Write Magical Realism

written by: Serena Montoya, Humming Hearts Publishing.

Magical realism has always given me a sense of wonder, almost ethereal, like a warm wind. What this genre so often brings to light for me is the extraordinary within our ordinary world. Miracles occur. Winks and whispers from the divine touch our lives as we’re all mixed into this great mystery. Magical realism reminds us that life is enchanting. And like some kind of foreign sorcery, crafting these stories can also feel beyond our understanding. So, the question is: how do we uncover the mechanics of magical realism? How can we imbue that mystery into our craft so that our stories feel as familiar as our lives? In this guide to writing, I’ll showcase extraordinary techniques I’ve discovered in various literary works for this genre. 

What is Magical Realism? 

Magical realism is a combination of two genres: fantasy and literary fiction. This genre feels most akin to a fairy tale. The stories are universal, tangible, and yet mystical. When writing these kinds of books, you’ll utilize the ordinary world and commingle a strand of the surreal. Something within your story will stand out as otherworldly. Stories are our greatest teachers of the craft, so let’s uncover a variety of ways to imbue magical realism into our storytelling by investigating various book examples. 

How to Write Magical Realism Stories 

The magic must be essential to your theme. The otherworldly wonders of this genre are subtle. They are not heavily focused on as bizarre occurrences, rather a mystical embrace. These books feel more like a mirage, like two realities existing at once. Your characters may wonder how such things are possible, but they’re more accepting towards the oddities within your story. These magical occurrences are unlike high fantasy elements such as trolls or wizards. 

This book is the perfect modern day case study on the genre: What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. 

The historical fiction novel explores time travel. It’s the only magical element exceptional to this world. The concept is specific to this book. If you were to put it inside any other story, it wouldn’t fit the same way because it furthers the exploration of this book’s themes. Those of which are: grief, romance, war, and time.

The magic within your world needs to be intentional. It must further your theme and the protagonist, otherwise it’s unnecessary to the story, as outlined in the example above. 

Incoming Spoilers…

This novel specifically pulls from an Irish folklore: the tale of Niamh and Oisín. This legend between characters is explored at the opening of the novel, adjusting readers’ perceptions. In doing so, it helps the audience accept that something magical is going to take place in this book. The author is essentially setting a tone, which is vital to implement for reader experience and expectations. As we move through the story, the two main characters fulfill the folklore legend. This book could not exist without the time travel elements associated with this folklore. The same must be said of your magic if you’re adding it to your novel. 

You don’t have to use folklore within your book, but it’s often used within magical realism books to help ease the reader into the oddities they will encounter throughout the novel. Legends tend to act as a springboard for the themes an author explores. This is why I’ve expressed this genre feels most like fairy tales because they are often inspired by them, or are imbued into the narrative. This isn’t a rule or standard, but a story choice by the author. 

Ask yourself: How do I connect an ethereal element that I want to explore in my world or through my character that fits within the theme? 

Another story example of magical realism: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. 

In the novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures, the octopus is personified. The sea creature helps our protagonist uncover the truth about what happened to her son, so she can come to terms with her grief. The octopus, Mercelle, gets his own point of view, but doesn’t directly speak to the main character. Instead, he leaves clues for her and is tied to the plot. Everything else is set within the limits of the real world. 

Magical Realism Oddities Have Rules and Limitations 

What makes magical realism different from fantasy is that the magic happens within the real world. Whereas, fantasy explores an already fantastical world outside of reality. The author isn’t inventing a new world when writing magical realism. So when crafting this genre, your world must abide by the rules of ours, apart from the ethereal mystical element you add to it. However, since they exist in your book, they must have a set of their own rules and limitations. 

For example, in Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber, the pie is significant. It’s not simply any pie that’s special, but the blackbird pie. These are the rules and limitations within that book: when people consume this specific pie, they reconnect with the deceased through their dreams.

How to Blend Magic in the Real World When Writing Magical Realism 

Magical realism books grapple with the unexplainable, while never establishing high magical concepts. Instead, they use mundane or familiar objects, places, or people within our world to make something extraordinary. And thus, the concept will further explore the theme. 

Find a tethering point or an anchor. This will act as a thread that connects our world to the ethereal one. This anchor point will pull the protagonist from the regular world, shattering their beliefs of dimensionality into a more mystical worldview of it. Your protagonist will see the ordinary world with a new perspective because the illusion of reality has been broken. However, it must be subtle because the two worlds need to blend. 

Ask yourself: Does your story call for an unveiling of reality through a setting, object, or a person? 

For example, back to our case study of, What the Wind Knows. “The Loch” as mentioned in the story is a setting in Ireland, specifically propelling two characters through time. It’s a lake that allows time travel. However, not everyone who enters it travels because the author connected the folklore to this book, so only the protagonist and her love interest travel through it. 

Another example: The Picture of Dorian Gray. The painting is the magical anchor. Everything else in the novel is set within reality. The painting of Dorian is an exploration on the theme: vanity. The portrait is an outwards portrayal of Dorian’s soul. As it grows more corrosive, so does the appearance of the painting that hangs within his home that haunts him. 

Remember the pie from Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe? The tethering object of this story is the blackbird pie. When consumed, it carries messages from the deceased, which is central to the theme. It also propels many of the character arcs within this book. 

This tether acts like a string connecting the magic to the ordinary world. All your character has to do is pull on it. This oddity moves the plot and characters to a deeper understanding, which is why most of them are metaphorical. 

Metaphor in Magical Realism 

This leads into the next point. Oftentimes the magical component of your story will be a metaphor woven throughout the entire theme of your book. There’s a reason these elements connect to your theme, they are an exploration of a deeper meaning. Writers who create magical realism stories are trying to comprehend what’s mystical about life. They do this through various literary devices such as: metaphors, symbolism, and motifs. Your magical element is the connective tissue, linked to these devices, which is used to express the extraordinary within reality.

Conclusion

Magical realism has been my favorite fiction genre for many decades. To me, the genre feels most akin to fairy tales. Where the writer reveals the magic that already exists in our world. They are simply putting a spotlight upon it through storytelling. Some magical realism books are more fantastical than others, but nonetheless, they impart wisdom through themes that are universal to the human condition. For me, sometimes these stories feel closer to reality than others. 

Now that you know the essence of writing magical realism, it’s time to write one! If you still feel out of your element, experiment with a short story. 

Remember, when writing narrative, start with a theme and a character. The rest will fall into place. 

Below is the list of book recommendations mentioned throughout the article.

Magical Realism Book Recommendations List

• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Edition 2015, New York, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc. 
• Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allan Published by St. Martin’s Press August 30, 2022
• Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber Published by Forge Books July 16, 2019
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Published by Ecco, May 3, 2022
• What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon Published by Lake Union Publishing, March 1, 2019