The Aspects of Magic

Lofty title for a post....

In beginning work on my alternate history/fantasy, one of (many!) problems immediately came to fore, specifically what will the nature of magic be in the story?

Will I want transmogrification? Will I want talking animals? What sort of magic will be needed for transportation? Will food be created out of thin air, a la Harry Potter? Will magicians need to study incantations, cast spells and hexes, will they need wands, OR will magic be kind of a strange branch of physics, and machines will need to be constructed to carry out magical functions?

I still don't know yet, because obviously I want the most organic and effective approach to the use of magic as possible. And that hasn't quite occurred to me, though I mull these problems constantly.

As enamored as I am of the steampunk subgenre of fantasy, I am inclined to think of magic as being Science's odd cousin, powering all kinds of ornate doo-dads. This is in the same vein as Martha Wells world of Ile-Rien, or Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials books. Perhaps even that of Oz, come to think of it. However that all works out, I'm pretty sure I won't be using magic the way Tolkien did, or J.K. Rowling either.

All I know is that I have to establish a consistent framework for the use of magic, and then make sure I DO NOT have a character use magic in a way that violates my own framework. I will NEVER be a writer like that!

But even with all the contemplation and frustration, the main thing is that this is kinda fun!