Magic Routine Creation Process

How do magicians go about it when they desire to cause something to appear mysteriously? To perform magical creation? To accomplish apparently miraculous production? At present, there are three general expedients.

He may have three choices. First, he can go through his personal magic library manually and search for ideas. Second, he can create one himself. Third, he can buy someone else's creation. With the help of the internet and YouTube and stuff, the process becomes easier.

Of course, the deliberate decision to add an effect of a definite nature is not the usual way the average magician adds to his routine or repertoire. The usual trick is added by the run-of-the-mill magical enthusiast simply because something in the number appeals to him. It might be the appearance of the apparatus. Or the apparent profundity of the method, the deceptive feature. Or the comedy potentialities. Or any of a number of other factors. I'm convinced this is not the correct way to add program material. It seems far better to me to add material from the viewpoint of its importance in adding entertainment value to the performer's routine.

First method magicians would use when attempting to add an effect to his routine, is to search for the tricks or gimmicks that achieve the general effect. Taking production as an example, there are thousands of tricks that provide such effect. But the trick being chosen usually determines what kind of object is used. Like the raven, it is only suitable for vanishing small magnetic objects. After deciding what object to be used, the magician then modify it to suit his use.

The second method is to decide what kinds of object to be used in the effect first. Do I need to produce some cards, a bottle or some roses? After the object to be used to achieve the effect is determined, the magician will start his search. But he searches more specifically. The performer knows what object he wishes to produce in his performance. He only looks at the tricks that are limited to using the targeted object. If there is no such trick that is suitable for use, he would have to consider another object to replace the original one and do the search again.

So try creating routines of your own using the above methods!