Journals – Again?
Journals, Journals, Journals
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. You need to keep a journal. My latest book, 793.8 is about 70% from my journals.
When I was ready to write the book, I went through my journals and read every entry. If I felt it should be in the book, I simply wrote (in an MS Word document), “Journal Entry #71” or whatever. After I had completed going through my journals, I had a Word document that was several pages long with a list of journal entry numbers and nothing more.
Step 2 was to go back through the journals and type out, word for word, what I wrote in the journal. When that was completed, I had a dozen or two pages that listed every thing that I wrote in my journal that I was planning on publishing.
Then I grouped the material. Some of it was based on stuff already in my repertoire; some were crazy out-there ideas; others were simply essays, concepts, presentational ideas for existing effects and/or new effects. Once that was done, I took the time (several years) to flesh out the details of each journal entry. Etc., etc., etc.
The point is, without my journals, I wouldn’t have had the book which is now one of my best sellers.
Root:
Let’s Remember Our Roots. The Root: Ideas. Books are not the only thing to come out of my journals. I’ve also created effects, presentations and entire shows from my journals. I’ve developed marketing ideas from my journals that have helped me get gigs. Almost everything in magic that I’ve done started as a journal entry. The majority of the articles written in this magazine are from my journals.
Branch:
Let’s Build Our Branches. Your Challenge: Keep a Journal. If you don’t already own a journal go out and purchase one now, and start writing in it. You might remember that in January 2014 I gave you this same advice in the How to Create Magic article. I’ve given it before that as well. This is a critical part of growing in the art of magic: ideas. They are everywhere.
Now go study the classics and go discover your true magical self.
