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Force a card to a spectator. Then try to guess it by asking them red or black. Watch their facial cues. Then Hearts or Diamonds (or Spades or Clubs) and then number or picture card and then run through the numbers or face cards. You know what the card it but it gives you a good opportunity to...

The problem is that the magic is out of context. It is the old Fitzke (or was it Nelms) saying that making a sandwich appear is interesting, but if your buddy say's I'd love a hot bacon cheese burger and you made it appear THAT is magic. If we could actually do magic, we wouldn't be doing...

We are conditioned to think like magicians and to add complexity to effects so that we can fool magicians. That is how the magic industry makes money selling you effects -- if you don't know how it is done, it seems more magical and you're willing to spend your money. Often, we think that a...

Why have them shuffle? It doesn't make the effect seem any more difficult. Better to use a deck in a series of effects showing it shuffled and then do a deck switch. Alternatively, there is a great effect in Roberto Giobbi's Card College Light that allows you to use the deck in an effect...

Teller isn't completely silent, but instead he communicates non-verbally. Doing that is just as hard as communicating verbally. You need to improve your speaking skills. Start by reading out loud to yourself, standing up. Then move to reading standing up in front of a group - maybe your...

It was awful. Blaine's presentation sucks the joy and beauty out of magic. His presentation lacks any interest and his character is, well, boring. I know it's his persona, but I personally don't like magicians who don't get excited about their performance. Now you don't have to be Henning or...

If you are starting off, get Scarne on Card Tricks -- it is around $13. The effects don't require sleight of hand, only a little thinking and presentation. I'd also recommend Mark Wilson's Complete Course. It is around $15 and is an amazing book. The Card College books are a little more...

How about a magic club? Look online for a local SAM or IBM club.

I'm also very introverted. My idea of a good time involves either a book with a glass of Jack Daniels with Honey or a couple of close friends sharing a good dinner and bottle of wine. However, if I'm in a performance situation you would never guess that I'm an introvert. After the...

Check out Greg Wilson's On the Spot DVD and his Pointless Gimmick.

It is a little more complicated than that. I'm saying that you should develop a character that is based on various parts of your personality and then magnify those parts of your personality. I have an active imagination and a playful side, I love accumulating knowledge and I have a great...

What does the magic say to you? What does the effect remind you of? What does your heart feel seeing the effect? My presentations are as varied as my magic. Many of the stories I use are mine: A story about tending bar in law school when I do a cups and balls with stainless steel cups and...

We measure our lives not only by our successes but by our failures as well. What matters is that we learn equally from both.

When you think about it, we act differently around different people. Our parents, our friends, our significant others and our coworkers. We each have multiple personas that when combined make up the whole of our personality. In performance, your persona is a selection of your traits and an...

I'm still around and glad I could help. There are two ways of doing the dribble force -- one using sleight of hand and another using a gimmick. Let me know if you don't have both methods. I like the second one when I'm performing a show because I don't have to do anything with the cards...

The shaking is from a lack of feedback from the audience. It isn't a fear of screwing up, it is a fear of will they like you and your performance. A primal reversion to the times where is something didn't like you, it would eat you. Nobody likes to be eaten. In all seriousness, it is the...

If you can afford it, get the first two books in the Card College Series. They were originally written together as a two volume "complete course" and then the next three volumes were added to further expand the series. If your budget is limited, get Royal Road to Card Magic by Hugard and...

I suspect the method is the same as the method for a dribble force except done horizontal rather than vertical. If you don't know the method for a dribble force, shoot me a PM.

What grade are you in? What books and DVDs do you have? How long do you have to prepare for the show? How long do you have to perform the effect? Do you have experience in acting, speaking or performing? What is your budget for purchasing the secrets and materials?

Create magic. The starting point for creativity should be the effect -- what you want the audience to see and experience. Then you figure out a method to get there. Starting with a method or plot is backwards. It sounds like you are creating just to create something. Typically, when I see...