Comments on: Character Flaw

By: Ann Victor

Ann Victor — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:09:37 +0000

Hi there, following on from this post I just wrote a short story using a tarot layout. For your reader’s interest, I used the Osho Zen tarot pack, and drew the cards Travelling, Trust, Turning In and Transformation. (I’ve just noticed the “T” alliteration!) The resulting story is posted my blog if any of your readers would like to see how this can work.

By: Ann Victor

Ann Victor — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:07:01 +0000

I have Rachel Pollack’s books on my shelf. I did tarot readings (as a conjunct to my evolutionary astrology charts) for over 15 years, and Rachel’s books are great tools because they give such wonderful in-depth interpretations of the cards.
This year I stopped doing both charts and card readings to focus on my writing.

I’ve used tarot cards in my writing for years (especially when I’m stuck in a scene – they can help give vivid imagery that get’s the muse flowing again!) so I can highly recommend this method.

By: koreanish

koreanish — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:16:13 +0000

Thanks. And Deirdre, I highly recommend you try it for that children’s book. I’d love to see the result.

By: Elizabeth Stark

Elizabeth Stark — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:45:17 +0000

Funny you should post this now. Your introductory remarks about the dangers of knowing too much about writing, or rather of getting too much advice . . . well, you put it so much better (and I love the Roombas analogy) . . . anyway, those remarks put me in mind of the experience I am having now reading Byatt’s Still Life. The book is so NOT structured in any of the ways I would know to teach about how to structure a novel. And yet, after a slow but lovely start, I am completely hooked, simply by the depth of the characters. I want to know what is going to happen to them because I care about them, much as I do my close friends. Sure, they are flawed, but not by formula. They are constructs of human beings and hence cannot help but be flawed, as we humans are ourselves.
My father, a devout atheist and committed scientist, collected tarot cards. I’ll have to dig up one of his decks and give your suggestions a try. I love your intimations about the experimental, the coincidental, and its role in writing fiction. More on that perhaps? Many thanks for your blog!

By: Deirdre

Deirdre — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:48:24 +0000

This is a really cool way to bring confidence, structure and direction to writing. I tried to write a children’s book once and it made me nervous because I didn’t know how to end it. This makes me want to get out that old manuscript and my tarot deck and see what ending the oracle suggests.

Sometimes I use the tarot to ask about a transit. I’ll say, okay, the transit is Neptune conjunct Sun – what’s going to happen? This helps bring imagery to the timeline.

By: koreanish

koreanish — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:18:30 +0000

Very cool. Thanks for putting those up!

By: Sharanya Manivannan

Sharanya Manivannan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:14:19 +0000

I’m a Tarot enthusiast, too (though possibly for different reasons). Thought I’d share a couple of spreads I’ve come across that might be useful to you and your readers. Great for those who like working with writing prompts!

1. Plot-based: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=54724
2. Character-based: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10730