This is an old article I wrote for the failed newspaper project. I am posting it here as a stand-alone article from the Research Department, since it's content is appropriate. For other articles of the newspaper, go here.

Crash course on inventing new tricks
By Zombo

Every month, I will write a section dedicated to the development of Pen Spinning, such as new tricks or concepts. It is akin to the “X-Zone” of the UPSB. The theme of this first article will deal with the groundwork of inventing new tricks. It is meant as a guide for all spinners to consult and aid them in constructing new techniques.

Don’t treat this as a magic hat that you can pull tricks from; inventing tricks is a particularly challenging task which requires a bit of creativity and luck. But don’t despair either and think that only certain gifted people can do it or it is only possible in a stroke of genius. Any competent spinner can do it given enough time and effort.

The next thing I want to clear up is the definition of “new trick” itself. This is about totally original tricks, not tricks that are a variant or belong to an existing family. It is about inventing new ideas which have sufficient potential to span several tricks. We are trying to expand the realm of Pen Spinning, and not completing existing concepts.

The first step in the creative process is probably the most crucial one. This is the part which requires the most originality, because we need to come up with an idea that is innovative enough to be worth investigating. Those ideas need not be very realistic; all that’s important is that it is interesting. For example, I could ask myself “How can I use the environment while PSing?”, an idea which I can extrapolate further into trying to bounce the pen off the wall. This seems like a good idea, since it’s never really been done before (at least not delved deep into) and could provide the basis for a totally new branch of tricks. Whether it is possible is not very important at this point. We are looking for an interesting and large enough idea to work with and hopefully develop.

The second step is the “brainstorming” phase. It consists of looking at the idea from every possible angle and considering the most plausible options. If we take the idea of bouncing the pen off the wall, I’d quickly notice that existing pens are not very bouncy and could potentially break when they touch the wall. Logically, that means that I’d have to devise a new type of pen modification specifically made to bounce well. Because this becomes a rather complex idea, I’d rather come up with a simpler alternative first before I try to attempt this one. If the idea is too unrealistic upon further investigation, then there is no choice but to scrap it and return to the starting point.

Finally, the last step is the tuning part. This is probably the longest element because it incorporates the practice needed to be physically able to perform the trick. At this stage, we try to concretize the plan we formed earlier and fill in all the details needed. This is where starting and ending positions are defined and such. Once one trick has been formed, it then becomes a lot easier to expand it into variants.

I hope this guide has helped you at least understand the process of inventing tricks. Although you can just pen spin randomly and wait for a lucky streak to hit you, it is much more effective if you have plan in mind; a methodical approach when researching new tricks. Just remember, no idea is too crazy to try. The worst that could happen is that it doesn’t work.