A lot of my ideas for tricks, jokes and patter in my Summer Reading Program show come from just sitting down with paper and pencil and following a creative process I've used for years. But it's also fun to bat ideas around with someone.
The only problem is that due to the competition, I really don't want to go to other area magicians and show them my ideas. I'm sure that Coke doesn't go to Pepsi and say "Hey, what do you think of this new flavor?"
Fortunately, I have a solution. As a member of the Society of American Magicians, I have magician friends all over the country and overseas. Many of them also perform at libraries, so they know the ins and outs of working for the library market. And the best part is...they're no competition to me.
Today I was on the phone with a magician friend of mine in Pennsylvania. Our chat eventually got around to libraries and we started exchanging ideas. I got some stuff to think about an so did he. Next month, he and I will join several other magicians in Tucson, Arizona for the S.A.M. National Council meeting. I'm sure that we will at one point or another wind up in the hotel lobby sharing ideas, concepts and methods to make our "Fizz, Boom, Read" library shows even better.
I'll certainly benefit from a sharing session, and I hope the others will, too. Plus, it will be kind of a kick to know that some of my ideas are being used in Summer Reading Program shows in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania and even Hawaii.