The Parts of Magic

There are at least two really, really important parts to a magic trick, magical effect, or magical illusion  (These terms all mean the same thing – something magical that you perform for someone.)

1. The first part is the secret.  What makes the trick or illusion seem like you are doing something impossible.  You know that that ring REALLY can’t float up and down the wand.  But it is.  You know that a red silk or a dime or penny or salt REALLY can’t disappear into thin air, to be produced from someone’s elbow or shirt collar.  It is the SECRET that makes it seem that way.  The SECRET and the second part of magic.

The secret is important.  Magic takes more than just the secret, but the secret is important.  That is why the first rule of magic is, “Never tell the secret.”  That is why magic tricks sometimes seem expensive; we are not just buying the materials, we are buying the secret.

2. The second part of magic is just as important.  Without it, the secret would just be a fun trick or gag.  With the second part, the secret really becomes something magical.  The second part is the STORY (magicians call it “patter”) – it is the talking that goes with the trick.  With the story or the patter, we make the secret more than just a trick or a gag.  When we tell a story, or talk about something, our audience can IMAGINE what we are saying.

And when we tell a story, or talk about something like static electricity or fairy dust, they are more likely to see what we tell them they are seeing.  They imagine that static electricity is holding the wand to our hand.  They imagine that the ring or the dollar is floating.

The second rule of magic is: Practice, practice, practice.  This rule applies to both the secret, the way that we actually do the trick, and the story we tell or talk we give with the trick.

Together, the SECRET and the STORY or PATTER or TALK makes a marvelous magical illusion.