Every time we perform, we are telling a story, a narrative. Even when we are not offering one in an explicit manner in our script, there is always an implicit one.
Lets see an example: You are using a book to let your participant think in a word.
1. You can just go with the procedure and moments of mindreading and mystery, finishing with the revelation of the word
2. You can share with your script that reading books is being forgotten as common practice, and if we want to expand our mind, it is very important to focus and to invest our time and imagination with books, while doing the procedure, moments of mindreading and the final revelation.
The first approach is what I call "Implicit Narrative". The moments of Mentalism are the narratives that you are telling.
The second one is the "Explicit Narrative", in which we are offering two levels of communication. We are doing the procedure and process of mindreading and also offering a verbal script of personal observations and expressions.
I believe that both approaches are valid, although in my own work I tend to prefer the "Explicit" one personal choices of expression. I like to extrapolate our acts as metaphors that goes beyond the present moment of performance.
One tip that I can offer you when using "Implicit Narratives" is to not fall into the "Descriptive Script", which I found boring and unnecesary. It is completely redundant to say what you are doing and do what you are saying.
"In here I have a book. I will take the book and ask you in a moment to think in any word. Please take that card and place it anywhere the book. Ok...now I will open the book...."
It is boring just to write it...
Yes, we need to instruct our participant of course, but in using this scripts I normally see performer that place too much focus in those logical (and boring) procedures and they focus too little in the process of mystery, realistic mindreading, dramatic handling and all the other outer aspects that audiences can enjoy.
Keep your instructions simple and let your acts at by itself.
For that reason I offer my book test at Arkanosophy, and specially our latest one called "Weekly Quotes".
Every person in the audience will enjoy this theme of "quotes of wisdom", and now you can use that simple theme and develop it in your script in the way that you desire, predicting your participant free decision, or reading his mind in a direct and simple way.
A question that you can have in your mind now..."so..what narratives I can use?"
And we have a beautiful answer... "ANYONE THAT YOU DESIRE!"
You can associate any theme in which you feel enthusiasm, passion and interest into your performance.
Do you like to talk about music? You can use then a music-related book to do a book test!
Do you like to talk about luck and gambling? Thats a perfect theme to explore into your narratives if you use a deck of cards, dice, etc...
Do you like to talk about the power of positive energy? You have a perfect opportunities to talk about the "Law of Attraction" for example and use any of the peek techniques that I teach in "BCards" to let your participant think in a "positive" word and then let your participant focus in that word in his mind.
So, for this reason, you need to know yourself.
What are the themes that you enjoy, and then construct a script that allows you to structure a beautiful implicit or explicit narrative using that core theme.
Remember... everyone is replaceable until you found your unique value.
If you are doing the same routines that everyone are performing, using the same themes and narratives, you are replaceable and just a copy.
Be unique, it takes a little more work, but then you can enjoy your authentic-self, and share with the world your own truth.
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