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Tarot Reading Writing Game

PAST

PRESENT

FUTURE


PAST represents events in the past that may have led to the position your characters are in now.

PRESENT represents a characters outlook on their current state of affairs.

FUTURE suggests a possible outcome if no action is taken to change the current course. The future is not set in stone & can be changed through action.


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Note: higher percent = more character conflict ideas!


Use a Tarot Reading to flesh out characters, come up with plot twists, and character conflict.

Tarot readings can be a powerful tool for writers looking to generate ideas for their creative work. By interpreting the symbolism and meanings of the tarot cards, you can access your subconscious mind and tap into a rich source of inspiration and creativity.

  1. One way to use tarot readings for writing is to use a spread specifically designed to help generate ideas for characters, plots, and conflicts. For example, the "character creation" spread, which involves laying out three cards in a row, can be used to help develop a character's personality, appearance, and motivations.
  2. Another way to use tarot readings for writing is to focus on a specific area of your story and use the cards to explore potential plot lines and character conflicts. For example, if you are struggling to come up with a compelling conflict for your story, you could lay out the "conflict" spread, which involves laying out four cards in a cross shape, and use the cards to explore different potential sources of conflict and tension.
  3. Additionally, you can use tarot readings to help you flesh out characters and their motivations. By laying out the "character development" spread, which involves laying out four cards in a diamond shape, you can use the cards to explore your characters' innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires, and gain insight into what drives them and what they are struggling with.

Tarot readings can be a valuable tool for writers looking to generate ideas and inspiration for their creative work. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced writer, incorporating tarot readings into your writing process can help you access your subconscious mind and unlock a wealth of new ideas and possibilities for your stories.


Another way to use the Tarot as a Useful Writing Tool

While typically used for divination, tarot cards can be a useful writing tool. The power is best found not in any individual card, but finding stories in how the cards relate to each other.

You'll need a notebook, pen, and a tarot deck. If you don't already own a tarot deck, obviously you will need to acquire one. Don't buy the first one you see, there are many many tarot decks out there. Find one with imagery that appeals to you and your writing style. It doesn't even have to be a traditional tarot deck, so-called "oracle" decks work just as well.

When using your tarot cards for writing, pay no attention to the instruction book. The "official" meanings of the cards are unimportant. What is important is what you see and feel and think when you look at the cards.

Shuffle the deck and draw three to seven cards, laying them in a row facing down.

Starting on the left, flip the first card over. What is happening in that card? What are any characters that are in that card feeling and thinking? What are thier motivations, fears, and desires?

After you have explored those questions, flip over the next card. For this card, ask all the same questions as you did for the first card, but also explore how this card relates to the one before it. How does the scene in the first card connect to the scene in the second card? Is what is happening in the second card an inevitable result of what was happening in the first card or did something change? If something changed, what and how? Now you have the beginnings of a story.

One by one, flip over each remaining card, using your imagination to link them with the previous cards.

Pay extra attention to the final card. Is this a satisfying resolution? Was it a surprise ending? Is there an ending you'd prefer? Remember, you are the author and  the cards are a tool, they do not dictate what the story should be, just what it could be. Feel free to bend the tale in any way you like.

By the end of the process, you'll have something you can mold into a backstory, a character arc, or even a general outline. The best part is, if you need help filling in the details, you can always draw more cards.