A Simple Outline

Sleight of Hand

This outline was written back in 2020, when I had developed a fascination for card magic. I wanted to tell a fairy tale that involved magicians, a lost tradition, and mystery. The way I start out most stories of this magnitude is by creating an outline. I start with the simple three act structure, but I take that and go one step further by also utilizing the Blake Snyder Save the Cat Method. This is my “simple outline” and it’s just under 3000 words.

NOTE: The story will likely follow very little of the outline structure as I use it more as a guide (breadcrumbs) than something set in stone. No outline should ever be followed to the letter. That isn’t their purpose. At least, not with my own writing.

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PART I [25%] 30k words

Hook/Inciting Event [10k]

A brief prologue about a traveler, a king and a prince. Their worlds intertwine to bring about the dawning of magic and entertainment. When the prince is unable to perfect the art of card magic, he outlaws it throughout their kingdom. Fast-forward to hundreds of years later to Charisma, a young woman who has dreams of becoming a magician in a man’s world. While practicing with her wand in front of a mirror she is interrupted by a visitor who’s badly hurt. Before he dies, he leaves her with a deck of cards and a journal, with instructions that she must deliver it to “someone.” She gets her next-door neighbor, a retired magician, to help her get rid of the body and tells him everything. He says he’s never heard of that person the stranger said she needed to find but might know who does. Together they visit a hall that magicians rent out and use to rehearse for a show.

First Plot Point [10k]

In order for Felix and Charisma to enter a hall, they must both go in disguise. A woman is not allowed inside a hall and Felix fears he may be recognized, although it’s been a long time since his greatest embarrassment. They are able to fool the “bouncer” at the front door and get inside. From the outside it looks like any other building. Nondescript. But inside is a different story! There is a boy smoking a cigar at a desk (like a receptionist) and it is he whom they must convince to let them upstairs. At the desk are switches to signal a room if a guest is coming. He also knows everyone who is on each floor. Felix asks for the person the stranger told them about. On a wall behind the boy are a few pictures of magicians who are “banned” for committing unspeakable acts. Among them is the unmistakable Carnelian (aka Felix). Charisma recognizes his face and squeaks, causing the boy to look closely at the wall and at both of them before sending them on a pulley lift operated by a large bouncer, up to the 3^rd floor.

When they arrive, they are met by yet another bouncer who shows them into a room that is sectioned off by a curtain that falls from the ceiling. They can hear things happening behind the curtain but see nothing. The “leader” comes from behind the curtain. The one they are looking for. He takes them to a private room to discuss the stranger. He refuses to take the deck of cards or the journal. The stranger is dead and anyone in possession of those items will surely be next. Instead, he tells them about the secret room hidden beneath the gambler’s shop and tells them how to get in. That is where they must go and quickly. A light flickers multiple times to signal that soldiers are in the building. He knows they are looking for these two and helps them sneak away via the back of the building.

First Pinch Point [10k]

Charisma doesn’t want to go to the gambler’s shop. She’s heard of that place. Everyone has. It’s the LAST place anyone would want to be seen. Especially, a magician and now she knows that Felix is a magician. She asks him why he’s on that poster. He’s surprised she doesn’t know cause he thought everyone knew. Instead of telling the truth he spins a lie to make her feel sorry for him. He uses that to his advantage to get her to agree to at least find out what’s under the gambler’s shop as he was unaware there was anything down there. The owner, a Rick from Casablanca type character, runs his place on the up-and-up. It’s a place where drunks go to lose their money and be entertained by gorgeous women who sing and dance on a stage. Charisma is fascinated. She also recognizes a former co-worker, Joan, and is surprised to see her scantily clad on stage. Flossie/Joan is not fooled by Charisma’s disguise and quickly tries to get her out of there. It’s no place for her. They tell her what they are looking for and ask her if she knows how to get in. She tells them it’s an “invite only” area or they need to have a key. 

While under the gambler shop, they discover a world of cards! There are tables where magicians are performing/practicing card magic and other tables where card games are being played for money. Felix and Charisma can hardly believe their eyes! The Rick dude comes out of nowhere and demands to know how they got down there and why. He thinks they might be working for the King’s advisor who causes him nothing but grief on a regular basis. They show him the cards they have, as they figure it won’t mean much in a room full of decks of cards. But there’s something about this deck and the journal that makes it very different. He takes them to him private office and explains to them what they are currently in possession of. He tells them a brief history of the traveler and how everyone in the underground have been practicing to one day be the magician to bring back card magic to the colosseum where it belongs. But none of them are able to perfect it. They try but all have failed. BUT the journal! They’ve heard legend of its existence but didn’t believe it actually existed. 

Rick then offers them a cut of his profits and deal that they can work together to bring back card magic and put it in the colosseum for everyone but make some money at the same time. Charisma and Felix are like “thanks but no thanks” and Rick exposes them for who they truly are, thanking his little spy. Joan/Flossie, who they met upstairs, is thrust from the shadows, bloody and bruised. Clearly, she was beaten to tell the truth about who they are, meaning he knew before he started talking to them.

There is a fight that breaks out, Charisma and Felix manage to get upstairs still in possession of the journal and cards. They stop when they both recognize soldiers and the king’s advisor are searching the area, looking for them! Rick snatches the items from Charisma who can’t react or risk bringing attention to them. He pockets them and immediately calls after the king’s advisor to welcome him, etc. Charisma and Felix must flee in case he turns them in. They find Joan waiting for them outside, offering to help them get their stuff back as she knows a way back in and it’s not through the front door.

ACT II [50%] 30k

Midpoint [10k]

Felix, Charisma, and Joan go to a nearby tavern to “lay low” and figure out what to do. “Rick” has the cards and the journal, and he clearly plans on selling its secrets to magicians. They must decide if it’s worth risking their lives to get something that has gotten the attention of the king’s advisor and that they know is against the law to have. A paperboy enters the tavern for a drink and Flossie/Joan uses her feminine whiles to get him to give her a paper for free. They start to read the main story about the competition but they also take note to a story buried in the back where the “wanted” ads are to see that the king’s advisor is indeed looking for information about the whereabouts of a certain journal that is worth a lot of money even for information. The “wanted ads” are where known criminals are listed (their particulars and crimes) and if anyone has information, where they can go to share that information. Both Charisma and Felix feel it’s too dangerous and want to leave the journal with “Rick” and forget the whole thing.

Joan notices a man stumble into the tavern, and he notices her right away. She invites him to their table. He tells them about the scary business that just happened at the gambler shop. The advisor tore the place apart and “Rick” squealed about a girl and a has-been magician who tried to sell him a journal and a deck of cards! This guy realizes he’s sitting at their table! He asks them if they indeed have it, the journal. Joan then tells him to tell them what it would mean to him if he could learn card magic. The guy tells them about how broke he is. How he’s wanted to be a magician all his life. How, if “Rick” has it, as they claim he does, then he’ll never learn. “Rick” already charges them plenty for the private use of his underground area and he can barely afford to pay that hefty price. If he charges to see the journal to learn from it, he’ll be bankrupt and homeless. Joan tells him to go home to his wife and child.

The time has come where the three of them decide to sneak back into the gambler’s shop and take back the journal and deck of cards. They discover it’s easier than they anticipated as they find “Rick” nearly beaten to death. His place of business is ruined and will take a LONG time for him to rebuild. It was a message from the King’s advisor to anyone thinking they could get away with learning card magic. It will not be tolerated. As greedy for money as “Rick” is, he hates the advisor even more. He gives them the journal and deck of cards if they promise to use it to get back at the advisor!

Second Pinch Point [10k]

With the journal and cards in their possession, Charisma and Felix return to their homes to pack a few things. They need to practice and read the journal, but they can’t while the King’s Advisor is on a rampage searching for the journal. They need to go into hiding. Joan says they can stay with her in a place where she promises no one will ever find them. 

Joan lives above Maranigan’s Magic Shop! It’s currently owned by a descendent of Maranigan himself; his great, great, great, granddaughter. Her birth, like all Maranigan births, was a secret. There has always been a male Maranigan to run the Magic Shop. What no one ever knew, was this wasn’t exactly true. In fact, the last 3 generations of Maranigan’s have been women! It wasn’t until this present Maranigan that she has not found herself a husband, and therefore, she lives the majority of her life dressed and speaking like a man. So much so that she (he) at one point has a “lover” who turns out to be Joan. They are no longer together, but she lets Joan remain living in the flat “for appearances.”

Maranigan is awake, worried when Joan doesn’t come home as she’s heard about the scuffle at the gambler’s shop. Maranigan lets them all stay there. Luckily, Maranigan’s Magic Shop is off limits to the King’s guard. It is not subject to search. EVER! It was a decree that was passed down by a past King as a thank you for the original Maranigan upholding the traditions of magic and magicianary from the very beginning. They are safe as long as they stay there.

Third Plot Point [10k]

They decide to enter the King’s competition that is happening in three weeks’ time. The problem is, who do they trust to enter it? They float many names about, and Felix is impressed by Charisma’s knowledge of all the troops. None of them quite fit as they realize none of them can be truly trusted. Felix finally says that it must be Charisma who enters. Her earlier disguise as a man was barely passable. But she is now in the presence of someone who has have many generations worth of perfecting the art of disguising one’s gender for another. Together, they are all able to help Charisma to not only learn how to do card magic but enter the competition as a “troop” instead of a stand-alone which has not happened for many years.

A montage follows of different outfits and disguises they try on Charisma as well as testing out troop names and practicing card magic. They realize the journal, while helpful, is meant for someone who at least knows the very basics. Charisma doesn’t know it and neither does Felix. Maranigan says she knows who they can use.

The writer of the “wanted ads” arrives at Maranigan’s Magic Shop as he’s been summoned by Maranigan herself. None of them can believe who she thinks can help them, but it turns out that he happens to be a direct descendent of a former student of the traveler and learned card magic! The writer agrees to help if they agree to give him an exclusive for the paper about this whole plan, win or lose. They have no choice but to agree.

ACT III [25%] 30k

Climax [10k]

Maranigan volunteers herself to go to the King’s castle to sign up their troop for the competition. While there, guards request that she follow them inside the castle as her presence is required. She assumes it’s to see the King but it’s not. The Advisor and she have an interesting back and forth. He despises the entire Maranigan lineage. How they think they are better than everyone else because they have the protection of the King. But all that will end when he is able to prove that the journal is in the shop! He’s also fascinated by the fact that a Maranigan has started a troop. That has never happened.

Maranigan warns their troop that it might be wise to include other magic into their act. That if they arrive in the castle with no equipment it might give them away and they will never make it to the colosseum.

A moment between Joan and Charisma.

Maranigan shows Joan and Charisma how to do some magic outside of just card magic. They will need to learn it well if they hope to impress the King long enough to end their performance with card magic.

Climactic Moment [10k]

The competition is under way! There is an announcer who presents each troop. There are just 5 troops this year. The King is glad of that as he’s had to sit through 10+ troops in previous years. That means sitting and watching and pretending to care the entire time. The troop we care about is intentionally placed last. Perhaps that was the Advisor’s doing? Though the order is supposed to be randomly selected. The King’s invited guests are all present and the show begins.

Each troop and their magic acts are described. A few of them fumble and get very little applause or enthusiasm from the audience. This makes Charisma VERY nervous. 

The King’s Advisor appears “backstage” to wish Maranigan and his troop luck. 

The final troop hits the stage and Charisma takes a bit of a back seat. She assists the others to do the more traditional magic tricks which go off well with the crowd. Once they see they have their attention Joan and Maranigan carry out a table that they place in front of the stage, closer to the audience, who gasp. Performers are expected to remain on the stage and have never utilized the space outside of the circle before. Then Charisma (dressed as a man) takes the lead and with a wave of her magic wand, produced a deck of cards! Everyone loses their shit!

Resolution [10k]

The Advisor calls on the guard to put a stop to the card magic that is about to happen, but the King stops them and wishes for them to finish. How they do will help him determine what the punishment will be. 

With nerves in check, Charisma begins her card magic. She uses the audience in the first row. With each successful magic trick that she performs the crowd cheers louder! They can’t figure out how any of it is done! The King and Queen are practically out of their chairs over it!

The advisor jumps up onto the stage and calls for a stop to this blasphemy immediately. He reminds the King that card magic is punishable by death and insists that this illegal act receives that very punishment.

The King must decide who the winner and new headliner of the colosseum of magic will be for the coming year. He decides it is to be Maranigan’s troop and that their punishment is that they must perform card magic ONLY in the colosseum. Suffice it to say, the advisor is livid!

Maranigan stays at the shop, unable to join them at the Colosseum and Joan stays with her. Perhaps wedding bells for the two of them? The writer takes his exclusive, and with it, becomes the head editor of the Gladwick Times! The story ends with Charisma reading the cover story of the newspaper to Felix as they are riding in a horse and carriage to a new home closer to the Colosseum. She mentions how odd it is that Felix and his magician identity is never mentioned in the story. He tells her it’s for the best. No one must ever find out.