Storytelling and Why You Suck at It

Bizarrists love to tell stories. The trouble is, most of them suck. I've talked with magicians like Brad Henderson and Rick Maue who know bizarrists, are friends with them, but don't like their acts because it's just masturbation. The sad thing is that they're right. Most of the stories bizarrists tell are too long, have no point or purpose, and when the actual magic happens the transition from narrative to magic occurs with the sickening *griiiiiiind-thunk!* of a car's transmission falling out.

It's completely avoidable is what kills me. Learning to tell good stories isn't that difficult, it's just a shame that not enough people actually try. But that's only half the equation. Incorporating the narrative with magical effects is a bear. As live magic (usually) endeavors to be an interactive experience, I liken it to video games in part. Games are also an interactive medium, and trying to tell a story through them while also providing a fun game is difficult at best. On the one hand Portal did it well, but on the other hand Indigo Prophecy went absolutely bonkers in the second half of the plot with some of the most absurd and ridiculous plot points in the history of unintentional comedy.

So where do you find a solution? Well, first of all start with the magic. What's the effect or routine? Does it stand on its own? Could you perform it with stock or generic scripts? If the magic doesn't stand on its own effectively, then no amount of stories about vampires and time travel is going to make it better.

This isn't a silver bullet, but it certainly helps. The routine needs to be able to stand up without the story you're planning if you want it to be effective.