Break through writer's block with tarot cards
For a writer, writer's block can feel like hitting an invisible wall. But what if you could turn to tarot cards for a creative boost? The Sceptic's Tarot to the rescue! Tarot is a powerful tool for unlocking your imagination and breaking through mental barriers. Let's explore how the cards can help you overcome writer's block and reignite your creative spark.
More techniques (and a few spreads)
Reversals for more inspiration
Sounds like fun! For everyone?
The wall
I won't go deeply into the causes of writer's block: I'll leave that for people with more knowledge about the psychology of writing. From reading about it, it seems to me that there are five main causes:
- Fear that the story you're writing is not as good as the story in your head.
- Fear of criticism.
- Procrastination.
- Lack of energy; stress, fatigue.
- Lack of inspiration.
Tarot cards can help you address fear through tarot spreads focused on fear. The Sceptic's Tarot has three:
Procrastination can also be tackled with tarot spreads, like the I'll do it later spread by The Sceptic's Tarot.
If your energy levels are low, take care of yourself. Tarot can't help you there unless you want to explore why you lack energy.
It is with the last one, lack of inspiration, where tarot shines.
Explosive inspiration
Some say that the solution to writer's block is to write. You might as well have fun while you're doing it!
There are two phases of writer's block. The first is a complete lack of inspiration about what to write. The second is getting stuck while you're writing. We'll look at techniques for both.
Let the ideas flow
When you have no idea, try these.
Whatever ideas come up, write them down.
- Draw a card a day and make up a story about the card; write it down no matter how silly you think it is. If you're up to it, create five stories from the card or draw more cards. The stories don't have to be long; a few sentences might be enough to get your creative juices flowing.
- Draw a card (or several cards) daily, and tell yourself, "My story is about ...." Draw inspiration from the card.
- Draw a card (or several cards) and say, "What if ...."
- Draw a card every morning and freewrite about it for 15 minutes. You can write about anything that comes up, as long as you start with the card. Afterwards, go through your writing and note anything that sounds interesting.
Turn up the flow
Remember to write down your ideas!
- Draw a card to begin a story, then keep drawing cards to continue the story.
- Draw two cards, one for the story's beginning and one for the end. Then, draw at least five cards and explain how each could be the middle of the story.
- Draw a card for the end of a story; then ask yourself what is the story that's ending.
- Tell a story backwards. Draw a card for the end of the story; then draw a card for what happened immediately before the end; then a card for what happened immediately before that; and so on, until you find the beginning of a story. This expands the technique in The backwards story, which uses only three cards.
- Draw cards to create a character profile. Draw cards for personality, strengths and weaknesses, the backstory, goals and motivations, connections with other characters, internal conflicts, external conflicts, change and growth of the character, or whatever aspects of a character you find essential.
Clear the blockage
What to do when the story won't flow? Here are some ideas:
- Draw a card (or several cards) to continue the story. Ask yourself, "What happens next?"
- Draw cards for your main characters and the conflict they experience; then draw a card for how they need to change to resolve the conflict.
- Draw a card (or several cards) and ask, "What else needs to change to create a satisfying resolution?"
- If you know the story's beginning and ending but not how to get from one to the other, draw several cards to represent the middle of the story. Try them all for inspiration.
- Draw cards for plot components such as inciting events, reactions, conflicts, crises, and resolutions.
- Draw two cards to represent two characters. Then, a card for what connects them, and a further card to explore how their connection influences their actions.
- Choose any introspection spread. Pretend that 1) the reading is about the character, or 2) you're doing a reading for the character. Some introspection spreads from The Sceptic's Tarot:
Explore The Sceptic's Tarot spreads.
Popular spreads like the Celtic Cross or the Horseshoe spread that explore the situation will also work.
Readings like these would help you get to know your character intimately and may blast you through the block.
More techniques (and a few spreads)
And even more techniques (and a few spreads) from us:
- The backwards story (technique)
- Tickle the typewriter (several techniques)
- Turning crisis into action (technique)
- What's your story (spread)
- Treacherous trait (spread)
- What does she not want to do (spread)
Reversals for more inspiration
For tarot readings to help you banish writer's block, you might consider using reversed cards. Reversals will give you 78 more card meanings to go crazy with!
If you need reversed card meanings, Mary K. Greer has a whole book about them: The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (Llewellyn: Woodbury, Minnesota).
Sounds like fun! For everyone?
Of course, you don't have to struggle with writer's block to use these techniques. They will make your writing fun no matter how the writing is going!
That's it, and there you go. I'd love to know how these techniques work for you.
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