A note on making sense (making sense of your notes)

So many ideas. Well what to do with them? There is no simple one way. But in this post ill run over a few process of developing notes in to ideas.

First up. You make a few notes on a page. Then later you’re flicking throw your note book and you see your old notes and build on it. You might also hit a dead end so write a question on what to do next. Or something you need to research. The idea will slowly develop.

When I was working on a coin routine using a purse frame I had lots of lists.


-Effects with four coins,
-Patter about coins
-Options other than coins,
-Ideas and diagrams of pocket management.

I then just pick out what I want. So a story line. Then a pick of effects from the list of effects. So your trying to get a begging a middle and a end. A coin routine using four coins  with a story of street cons. And a routine using bottle caps. Came out of this.

Next up is something I use more for the development of our science in a van shows. I call it the brain. It’s a A2 board. The image below is of the brain I used for our material show for schools.

First up across the top is aims of the show. Then i marked areas for the intro and other sections in the show. Then I wrote down all the material based demo I could find along with information notes. Then I started to re-sort the info into a show format. The benefits of this is you can have a brain dump of ideas the stick them at the bottom a there when there needed, if needed.

This I a quick intro in a few ideas of how I have developed puzzlement and wonder.

Notes and Books.

Weather you’re working a new trick, story line, routine, and joke or developing your charter a note book is something to consider. In this post we look at recording ideas. I hope that it helps you as you work on ideas.


 First up the note book. This comes in many forms. Whatever form it need to be easy accessible. I buy well bound note pads about an inch thick. These stand up to begin carried around in a bag and beaten up a bit. They last me about 8 months which is good as you will refer back and develop ideas. You can use digital format or even just audio record your notes.


Whatever you chose make sure you use it. Record all ideas and thoughts. It does not matter how much or how little you put in. Also what you write now might not be much but keep going over it and thinking about it. Your notice your idea grows.


When I have a gig I write down what the client as requested. Then draw up a set list around that. I make notes of any changes needed to set routines. And after a gig I write down how it went good and bad.


I have lots of list which are drawn up from thinking sessions. Tricks that need no re-set and do not need a table for example. Don’t be afraid to stick things in to your note book. Also does not matter how bad they are draw in there. I have drawn out patter for mirror boxes construction in mine which later got built and worked well.


So use your note books to plant future puzzlement and wonder. Next up we will look at developing ideas more.

Nuts and bolts.

In the next few post I plan to cover some of the ideas and thought process I use when I put a routine together. I will also look at how I have developed my charter. This by no means is a definitive on this. This post is to give a little back ground as I explain other ideas and routines later on.

I have been fascinated by magic and juggling from a young age. I grew watching the great like Tommy copper and Paul Daniels. The Paul Daniels show always act of all sort firing me up. Also we always went to the circus when it was in town.

First up I see magic as an art form and a way of communication For more on this read my earlier post why I love magic.

A note book is important to collect those ideas. Ideas develop and slowly become routines. Finished routines are recorded on Word and stored digitally.

My charter is just an extended version of me. I do draw on my interest of the early Victorian magicians and scientists for inspiration. Also I play up on being from the east end of London. This all mixes well and a little splash of steam punk rounds if of nicely.

I like my magic to be every day with a twist. For example I do a routine with a purse frame and bottle caps. The purse frame is something everyone knows but it’s odd that there is no fabric. The caps are every day and at the end I squash one flat in my hands.

So this is just a start to the thinking behind puzzlement and wonder next time I look at how to record ideas and work them in to routines.

6 month update.

So my wife and I spent two months back in the UK over Christmas. It was great to spend time with family and friends. Whilst in London I went to a friends comedy night called Comedy Hoopla. It’s a great night in a bar in South Kennigston in London .The guy that runs it loves magic. He had me up to do a 5 minute slot. It went down well and a did a bit of close up in the break. It was nice to be able just to get up a do something. Also it was the first time felt really confidant in my routines and patter to play with it and nail it. Again the practice is paying off. I did also get a offer to do another comedy night and someone wanted to talk about a paid gig for a birthday. But I would have left London by then.

 In March I had to go back to the UK for a family emergence. Once I got back to NZ in April I hit the ground running with Science in a Van. We made a profit in our first year. And it supports our life style at the moment. We devour to develop this more.

 Magic has took a bit of a back seat. I have kept up my old routine’s and re worked some. I have hit the books quite hard and trying to work on a few new things.

 Not to make more promise I can’t keep. However I should be able to get a few more blogs up over the next few months. I want to talk about the nut and bolts of ideas to routines. So the puzzlement and wonder keep rolling.