Scriptwriting for Magicians: From the Audience’s Perspective

Pete McCabe returns to Genii with a new column on scripting magic. In this debut, he breaks down why writing scripts from the audience’s perspective is the fastest path to improving any trick—and shows how formatting like a screenplay sharpens timing, structure, and impact.

Pete McCabe
Scriptwriting for Magicians: From the Audience’s Perspective
Photo by Monica Silvestre

The April 2002 issue of Genii featured effects by Ben Harris, columns by Gregg Webb, James Swain, and Mac King, and a short article called “Scriptwriting for Magicians,” the first appearance in print of what would eventually lead me to write Scripting Magic. So it is with an extra dose of pride that I return to Genii as a columnist.

Since my first appearance, I have spent most of my time in magic working on the presentational side of things. That’s the only aspect of magic that I can write about with any real expertise. I’m not a professional magician and when I’m speaking with any working pro I constantly remind myself that they know more about performing magic than I do. But I probably know more about scripting than they do, so together we can create something wonderful.