Do any of you know if a publication exists for Nail Writers?



Thanks for responding!



Steve Landavazo

Sam Dalal has a booklet, "The Swami Gimmick." Lee Earle has an EXCELLENT video called "The Swami Gimmick Teach-In." There are also sections in Anneman and in Corinda's 13 steps.

Thanks Greatscott!



I appreciate it, and will look into it!



Steve Landavazo

Magic, Inc. in Chicago publishes an inexpensive booklet titled, "20 stunners with a nail writer". I can't recall the authors name, but you may be able to find it elsewhere. Otherwise, I also recomend Lee Earle's video.



Patrick

Greatscott and Patrick!



Great references!



Thanks!



Steve Landavazo

May I suggest you catch Marc Salem's live act if ever you get the chance. You will get a wonderful primer in the art of using a nailwriter under practical, working conditions.



Secondly, I feel the best routines which involve a NW use it in conjunction with some other methodology (e.g. switch, one-ahead, one-behind) to compound the mystery.



Take the most basic of NW routines. "Let's play think a letter. OK, I've written one down. What did you think of? Hey presto that's what I wrote!". You can do this and impress people, but it's a lousy piece of magic (a) because quite a lot of laymen won't be fooled by it and (b) because even if they are fooled, they aren't entertained.



On the other hand, suppose you construct a two-part prediction effect, with a force taking care of one prediction and a NW taking care of the other. You can construct the routine so that the two methods strengthen each other, and each seems to cancel out the possibility that the other is in use.



May I also recommend a good study of "Mind Myth and Magic" by T A Waters for some superb routines which use a NW in very subtle and inventive ways. It's a must-have book anyway.

Steve - I’ve just remembered another great use for a NW which may be of interest, but I can’t explain it here without divulging the method.

Don't forget Ammar's Easy To Master Nail Writer Miracles.

Gregory Edmunds has come out with a great little book, i.e., Rules of Thumb. You can get it either with or without a writing gimmick. If anyone is interested, e-mail me. I can give you the info and contacts.



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For those who believe, no explanation is needed. For those who do not believe, no explanation is necessary. Dunninger

"A Boon for All Seasons" by Barrie Richardson and Arrrgh- I can't remember the other name!! Eric Mason???

Anyway- excellent book

Magus: You are correct. It is Eric Mason, and it is a terrific treatis on the boon writer. The last I talked with Richardson, he said it was out of print, but I know that some of the used magic book dealers occasionally have it. If anyone is interested, try H&R Magic Books.

It is written up in one of Tarbell's books.

If I can make a shameless plug (for which I make no money, but it’s still fairly shameless :o ) you might want to check out Lee Earle’s Best of SYZYGY, Volume 3 video. The opening effect is my "Deli Delight", which is a fairly unusual use of a Swami. It also includes another bit at the end that helps to erase the tracks a bit, as Ian suggested (something that another performer who ripped off this effect for his lecture notes failed to understand the importance of when he omitted it).



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Andy Leviss

Check out my new book for mentalists, Ramblings and Revelations (and other products for magicians and mentalists) at:

http://www.asquaredproductions.com

Ian, why are they not allowed on the secrets board???

Jonathan Grant

I believe Ian posted that before he was up to the 50 posts limit.

In my opinion, the most deceptive use of a swami gimmick, as well as nearly any method, is when the method is used implicitly rather than explicitly. While there are many examples of this type of use of a method, I think a couple good examples (that do not use a swami gimick) are Jay Sankey's 'Erdnase Aces' and 'Snowstorm'. There is a good example of such use of a swami gimick in Mind, Myth, and Magic that involves the plot of matching the Kings and Queens of the matching suits that are sealed in envelopes, though I don't recall the name at the moment.

In thoughts,
Allen