The

Thirteen
Paths

R. Paul Wilson
“Magic should be fascinating and impossible.”
Juan Tamariz
Introduction
These are not my rules. In fact, they are not rules at all.
They are truths.
Over thirty-six years, I have learned from some of greatest
minds in magic. Some are my friends and for that I am
fortunate but a great deal of what I have learned can be
found in books both old and new.
I recorded these lessons for my own benefit and I refer to
them constantly. If something doesn’t work, I often find the
solution somewhere on this list.
After discussing The Thirteen Paths at lectures and
seminars, I am always asked to share them in written form
so, here they are. You will read this in minutes but, if you
are serious about the art, you’ll think about these ideas for
years to come.
Write your own rules. Discover your own truth. Follow your
own path.

R. Paul Wilson, July 2013

www.rpaulwilson.com
Twitter: @rpaulwilson
Practice.
Rehearse.
Perform.
Recognize the value of all three
disciplines.
A boxer spends hours training, exercising and building
muscle. Sparring is essential to develop reflexes and
timing. Once in the ring, the fighter learns what works and
adds to their experience.
We must learn and practice all that is necessary to
achieve an effect, then rehearse how to apply these skills
before performing for an audience. Lessons learned from
each stage of development are invaluable.
A performer who employs an excellent presentation but
cannot execute the necessary technique is just as
disappointing as one who excels in physical skill but
cannot hold an audience’s attention.
Learn the rules.
Then break them.
If you are ignorant of the rules, you cannot break them.
An artist must master a craft before using it as a means of
expression. Every lesson learned is a building block for
creativity.
To stand upon the shoulders of giants, first you must
climb.
Value your own ideas but earn the knowledge to properly
assess and understand them.
Remain the
student.
Seek out new and worthy
masters. Some might come to
regard you as a master. When
this happens, see the next rule.
It would be impossible to learn everything. This is a good
thing.
There are always more secrets to be learned.
Find your own buried treasure.
Choose your mentors carefully.
In the land of the blind, one eye is king. Many so-called
teachers are only a few lessons ahead of those they
instruct.
Maintain
Perspective.
Beware the beguiled. Audiences
are supposed to think you are
greater than you actually are. It's
part of the show. Do not believe
them or madness and
mediocrity will follow.
Magic is a powerful art form. If your audience doesn’t
think you might be the best magician in the world, you’ve
failed.
Be honest with yourself. How much have you truly
contributed to your own repertoire?
Understand the
moments.
Ask yourself five questions:
1. What's the effect?
Describe the effect in the
simplest terms.
Everything we perform should be summed up in one
sentence that reveals the nature of the desired effect.
It is essential to maintain clarity. Confusion is not magic,
nor is it story, music or art.
The audience will empathize naturally with clear ideas
and concepts. Take care not to obscure these in
performance or presentation.
An effect must be fascinating and impossible. Many rely
on magic to be fascinating because it was impossible.
This is poor construction and weak presentation.
2. What happens?
Describe every detail. Repeat
until the routine sounds
impossible, amazing and
unforgettable (and the effect
remains crystal clear).
Sell the effect to yourself. Try to build it into something
miraculous.
Notice whether any aspect betrays or interferes with the
desired effect.
Do not complicate or confuse the effect.
Write it down and find ways to improve your description
by adding or removing details.
Visualize the perfect effect from the audiences’
perspective.
3. Where are the
moments of magic?
Decide where to focus attention.
Too often, magicians perform miracles without stopping to
let the audience appreciate what just happened. Rings
are not supposed to link and balls are not meant to
vanish.
When we perform the impossible, it’s important to allow a
moment of astonishment.
Concentrate attention on these moments. Never let one
slip through your fingers.
Remember that attention is lowered as people react. Take
advantage of this.
Listen to your audience. Often they will react to moments
you did not intend or predict.
4. Where are the
moments of method?
Understand where the method
might be detected or interrupt
the effect. Take care to avoid
both.
Misdirection is anything that leads the audience towards
the effect and away from the method.
Beware of false methods that might occur to your
audience.
Direct your audience to what seems most interesting and
relevant.
If the method attracts attention, change it or change the
moment.
5. Where are the
moments of fairness?
Use any opportunity to prove
there is seemingly no method
and make the effect more
bewildering.
Analyze the effect to find where you can demonstrate the
absence of deception.
Use these moments to mislead or distract the audience
from the real method.
Understand the power of truth.
Make these moments clear and memorable.
Find your own
path.
Inspiration is the beginning of
the journey. Imitation is natural
at the beginning but you must
use this to gain experience and
develop your own ideas,
material and style.
Copying others is not the goal of an artist. It is essential to
find your own voice and repertoire.
Take inspiration from many sources but do the work
required to build your own success.
Avoid becoming a version.
If you deliberately steal someone’s material or style then
you are a thief.
Critique.
Be your own critic. Seek out
advice from trustworthy and
knowledgable peers. Be careful
who you ask but be prepared to
listen, learn and discuss their
opinions with respect. Value
honest, constructive advice.
Self assessment is important. Be as honest as possible
but accept that you can never see the whole picture.
When asking for advice or criticism, understand that the
purpose is to identify flaws, weaknesses and problems.
When given notes, suppress your emotions and take time
to consider each point. Try to remain detached.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Take great care in who you ask for help then trust your
instincts and listen.
Study.
Examine other methods and
effects. Seek out new and better
ideas. Use what is useful,
remember what is interesting
and learn to decide what is
valuable.
Inspiration comes from many sources.
Whatever your chosen discipline, recognize the potential
in studying other art forms.
The objective is not to find new material.
Leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Take notes. Record your
thoughts and ideas.
Throw a wide net. Do not limit yourself to a narrow field of
interest. Learn to apply and relate ideas from anywhere.
Cut your own path.
Know what it's
about.
Every effect is a story or part of
one. Understanding this can
give an effect meaning but it is
not always necessary to tell the
audience. It's impossible for an
effect to have meaning to an
audience if it has none for you.
Inner scripts help the artist to express outwardly. Decide
these carefully.
Identify special thoughts, feelings or memories you might
have for a particular effect.
Connect material to what interests you. The audience will
recognize this, even though it is unspoken.
Simplify.
The simplest, most direct
method is usually the best but
not necessarily the easiest. This
applies to the method and the
effect.
Be as direct as you can be in both method and effect.
Do not let the presentation complicate or clutter the effect.
Master the skills needed to employ the best methods.
Ensure that the effect does not betray an obvious method
(even one you are not using).
If the method cannot be changed, change the moment
and new options will present themselves.
If the method is more interesting than the effect (to you or
the audience), change the effect.
Always be
ahead.
Employ methods, principles and
strategies that keep you ahead
of the audience and their
expectations. Be wary of
methods that happen at the
same time as the effect.
Some argue that being ahead of the audience is the
primary principle in magic.
Never reveal the purpose of a secret move or action.
Where possible, add time between method and effect.
Sometimes the method can happen after the effect.
You first.
Be more interesting than your
props.
Tricks can be bought but magic must be performed.
Your audience should remember you.
The only thing you have that is truly unique is yourself.
Never hide behind your props.
Promote your own image and personality.
Decide who and what you are, in performance.
Learn how to connect with an audience.
Want WONDER
Endeavor to create the
seemingly impossible, to
capture the imagination and
inspire true emotions.
There is real joy in creating moments of astonishment.

The audience’s experience is more important than the

performer’s.

Even when demonstrating skill or power, the ultimate

effect on the audience should be of amazement. Being
impressed is not enough.

Decide that wonder is important and strive to create it at

every opportunity.

Applause is not the only reaction.

The Last Word
This took many years to compile. It is the result of
listening, failing to understand, making mistakes and
trying again until I found what works.

What works for me.

These are the thirteen paths that I have chosen to explore.

I hope they help you to find your own direction.

There isn’t room on this page to include all of my friends

and direct influences but I would like to thank the
following people:

Roy Walton, Ron Wilson, Sonny Day, Pat Page, Alex

Elmsley, Andrew Galloway, Larry Jennings, Shigeo
Futagawa, Michael Weber, Eric Mead, John Carney, Max
Maven, Dean Dill, Tim Conover, Johnny Thompson and
Juan Tamariz.

Please share this PDF document via email with anyone

who is genuinely interested but please do not sell or
reprint/republish in different formats.
Copyright 2013 by R. Paul Wilson

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