In which we discuss continuing education.

Often when  I’m in between books I take time to study my craft and hone my writing skills. My usual custom and practice is listen to chapters three and four of the audio version of Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Even though I already know the book by heart, listening to the chapters about character development and story structure never fails to get me motivated. But 2020 was a total pain in the you-know-what of a year, so for my third Olivia Sinclair book, I decided to try something different. Luckily, I was able to get a spot in The Tarot for Fiction Writers workshop over at thewriterscircle.com. 

The instructor, Kris Waldherr, not only writes amazing novels, she is also the artist who drew and created The Goddess Tarot deck. Her latest novel, The Lost History of Dreams is a fabulous gothic novel, which released to critical acclaim in 2019. Kris’s unique skillset lets her navigate the world of tarot and novel writing with deft. Her curriculum in the Tarot for Fiction Writing Class specifically helps students negotiate the obstacles all writers face when crafting story. (Anyone interested in any of Kris’s workshops can find out info here.) 

The tarot consists of seventy-eight cards, each depicting a nugget of the human condition. Arranged in certain order, the images can reveal patterns about  the day-to-day things we humans struggle with, as well as the things we celebrate. Taken as a whole, the tarot deck can be mixed and matched and arranged anyway the writer wants to jibe with their story, their scene, or their attitude about their work. 

During the course, we’re given examples of tarot spreads as reflected by known works of fiction. Each week we learn a new type of spread for character development, story arc, character arc, and even spreads for motivating the beleaguered writer who hits the proverbial wall. So while the tarot isn’t a supernatural fortune telling system (Write this book and you will have a best seller… Don’t I wish.), it’s definitely a way to memorialize and capture fleeting bits of humanity, which can then be layered into your story, your characters, and into the writing process itself. 

There’s something mysterious and lovely about tarot cards and their ancient symbols. As I shuffle the deck and look at the images, my subconscious mind comes to life and responds to what I see. Characters become more deeply known as their motivation becomes clear; the fog clears in my writer’s brain and I see the way out of a plot hole. The tarot, it seems,  is a magical shovel for digging deep on all fronts. And that, dear reader, has made my writing life very interesting indeed. 

Quick note about the above picture: Ace of Cups (divine grace in artistic endeavors), The Moon (mysticism, creativity), Ace of Pentacles (new opportunities, abundance coming)

How about you? Have you ever used tarot or any outside source to stimulate your inner storyteller? 

Until next time.

Terry