As I have said on the podcast “My listeners are the greatest.” And I mean it. The emails I get are one of the most rewarding elements in my life. I also love all the questions. You can see a future superstar in advance just by finding those who are not afraid to ask questions. They are the ones who will get the answers.

Now that we have a Blog up for everyone to read, I figured we could share some of the better questions and answers with all of you. So below is one of the more recent emails I received and my answer to it. I hope you find the information useful.

If you have any questions you would like me to respond to, please email them to me at Tyas@penguinmagic.com.

Question:
Can you tell me how to come up with patter? I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Answer:
That is a great question. I am so glad you asked it because I would have never thought to bring it up on a future podcast. Before I start, I should tell you that I hardly ever use the term Patter. Magicians have a habit of calling things by what they are not. Maybe they do this to increase the mystery of it. For example they call "magic" a "trick" and vice versa without distinguishing the difference.

They use the term "misdirection" instead of "direction." You can direct someone away from what you are trying to hide. If you missed on your direction, then they would look at what you don't want them to see. This is how it is with the term Patter. The real word would be scripting. I never use the word patter and so for the rest of this document I will talk about scripting without mention of the word patter.

There are hundreds of different ways to develop scripts. I will tell you what my process is. The first thing I’ll do is decide on a message that I want to leave my audience with. For example "Anything is possible" or "Believe in the power of dreams." To me the message is the most important part of my routine. It sets to tone and provides a strong reason for the routine. I find the message in many different places, often by surprise. Movies, music, and books are usually the place I find my inspiration for the message of the routine.

The next step is to create a story that conveys that message. Often I have an experience in my life that, when told right, gets a message across. Sometimes the story is funny and sometimes it is sad. Try your best not to get stuck with only telling stories that make people laugh. Laughter is great but don't forget about all of the other emotions that humans can experience.

Once I have decided on a story I start telling it to my friends and family. Each time I tell it, I change different elements of it. If any part of the story doesn't get the response that I am looking for then I work on changing that part of the story. I also make sure that I have a reason for telling the story. I continue to tell the story until I feel that I have a strong delivery for it.

Now I take out the pen and paper and start writing out the story that I've been telling. I'm not great at spelling, and so I use spell check a lot. I also have a few people on my team who are professional writers. I will always send them my scripting and have them read over it. I take some of their suggestions and pass on others. In the end the script is my responsibility and so it is my opinion that counts.

Once I have it written out to my liking I start cutting. I cut every word that I can. I take out any words that are overused or unnecessary. You would be amazed at how much text you can cut from a script without hurting the message or delivery of the routine at all. The rule is, if it can be cut it should be cut.

Next I write in my actions on the script. This is where I put in the movements such as slights. I write them in on a different line and in a different color font. I make sure that my blocking is discussed in detail in the script. I even choreograph the movement of assistance and audience members. I add the pauses and notes on delivery in this step too.

Finally I put in all the technical notes. This is where I add lighting and sound cues. These cues are useful in many ways. They make it possible to imagine exactly what the routine will look like when performed and it gives anyone reading the script a strong idea of the outcome. I can also use these cues to teach my sound and lighting person when and where to use my cues in the show.

That is the process that I go through but keep in mind that just because this process works for me, it does not mean it will work for everyone. There are a lot of online resources for writing scripts. You would also be wise check out some books from the library on script writing. I hope that this gave you at least an idea of how to put together a script. I wish you great success.

At Your Service
Tyas Frantz
Tyas@Penguinmagic.com