Spells, basic organization and structure

One of the most important subjects in the whole wizardly field of study, spell structure and the organization of spells into major types and scholia is potentially a lifetime's work (and indeed many research wizards do almost nothing else. An article of reasonable size can do little more than sum up the high points.

(basic structures)

Most spells fall more or less neatly into two halves -- the part during which a wizard speaks to some part of the universe, convincing it to do something for him or her, and the part during which he or she (having won the agreement of the being or object being spoken to) strongly suggests the best ways to do what's needed. These two major elements of the spell are the persuasion and the instigation.