Author: Jennifer Gregson

How To Use Tarot Cards to Brainstorm New Ideas

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Using Tarot cards to come up with ideas is one of my favorite ways to use the cards and it’s a fairly easy process.

Decide what you need ideas for

Are you writing a YA novel, a series of Science Fiction books, or blog posts? Seriously, this concept can be used for just about any kind of writing or anything you need ideas for but having some direction will help you narrow down ideas during brainstorming.

Grab your trusty deck

While shuffling your cards, think about what you need ideas for.  Not just what you came up with in number one above, but also specifics. For example, I want ideas for a new YA novel that includes a Mother-Daughter relationship. This helps get your intuition and your cards on the same page. 

Pull cards

Once you feel comfortable, stop shuffling and start pulling your cards – however you like.  You can cut the deck or pull from the top.  You can fan the cards on the table and randomly pull or create a “spread” of sorts.  You can pull one card at a time or flip up two or three at a time.  There is no wrong way to do this part! 

Start brainstorming

Now it’s time to start looking at the card or cars and write down any and all pings that come to you right away. For example, say you need ideas for blog posts and you pull the 8 of pentacles – the first thing you might think of is skill versus mastery which makes you think of a conversation you had with a friend about whether writing can be taught.  Boom, idea number one! Write it down and keep going.  If you need to set a timer, do that.  If you know you have time, then relax and enjoy the process.  

Keep going!

Keep pulling cards and writing down ideas. It’s really that simple.  But for some extra help – look at the people in the cards, what are they doing? Look at the background and the foreground – sometimes I get random ideas based on boats, hills, mountains, and cities.   Look at the colors in the card for inspiration.  And if nothing else works, how do you feel when you look at the card? Does it remind you of anyone? Or a situation you’ve been in before?

Here’s one more example, let’s say you want to write a romance novel and you pull the 8 of Wands.  What are you going to do with that? It’s just some wands flying through the air. Well, maybe you think of air travel – your couple could meet on a plane or in the airport, or maybe they’re saying goodbye because they’re going to do long distance. 

The card is also about communication so maybe there’s some miscommunication and your new lovers meet at the wrong movie theatre. While at the wrong one, your heroine starts talking to a young man waiting for his friends and BOOM – love triangle and conflict can start.  

Have you ever used Tarot cards to help you brainstorm new ideas?

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Be Ashamed If You Are Suffering From Writer’s Block

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
Shouldn't be ashamed if you are suffering from writer's block

Feeling stuck or suffering from Writer’s Block is not fun, but it’s nothing to feel ashamed of. You know what I’m talking about. Someone asks how the book writing is going and you say things are good even though you haven’t technically sat down in days (or months) and actually written or edited anything.  You feel terrible, guilty, and some shame but you don’t have to.

What exactly is Writer’s Block anyways?  

Maybe you’re not writing at all and totally avoiding sitting down at your computer at all costs – your kitchen has never been more clean and organized though.

Maybe you are writing some, but you hate every minute of it and you’re starting to want to avoid that computer, the bathroom mold is calling your name. 

Maybe you’re feeling a bit icky about the words you are producing as nothing sounds right, nothing feels right, and you’d rather spend your precious writing time researching one tiny detail in your novel, make another mood board or playlist, and reading that new book that might help you write yours. Yes, all of those things are fun and very much needed (at least to me) but there’s a fine line between research and procrastination.

Creative Fatigue

We are all feeling wiped out – Pandemic, lockdowns, online school for our kids, Zoom meetings all day, no coffee shops to write at, no aimlessly wandering Target listening to other people’s conversations – it’s been hard and we are all feeling dry and burnt out so luckily, you are not alone.

Why do I say luckily? Because when we’re having writer’s block and we starting feel ashamed we think we alone are suffering, but the truth is we are all feeling degrees of this pandemic pickle (a phrase I coined because I hate pickles but love alliteration – and pickles are sour and that’s the feeling I sometimes get when blocks rear their ugly head) but we can do some things to help.

Change Your Routine

You probably can’t go to Starbucks or other coffee houses to write, but you can go to a different location in your house.  You can try hand writing a few pages if you’re used to typing (or vice versa) or go totally nuts and use the voice memo on your smartphone to speak aloud a passage, scene, or whole chapter.  Or use the voice memo feature to talk through issues you are having with your novel like a talk therapy session.

Journal

Like I mentioned a few blog posts back you can journal as if you are one of all of your characters which does help unlock some fun dialogue and patterns of speech for each of them, but you can also just journal about your book. What do you like about your story? What are you not liking right now? What do you love about your main character? What do you hate about them? What do you love about your antagonist? What makes them the perfect villain? Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the day to day grind of writing that we forget why we started writing our current WIP in the first place. Why do you love your story? What was the inspiration? 

Talk It Out

Do you have another writing friend? Ask them how they’re feeling and let them know what you’re feeling and see if you can help each other out.  If none of your friends are writers, turn to Facebook or another group online (Discord has quite a few) to share what you’re feeling and let others offer advice.  Being honest and authentic with others allows them to be open and honest back and to let them see that they are not alone either.  

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

It’s hard right now. Writer’s Block is always hard (even without being in lockdown) but please don’t beat yourself up that won’t help anything and will only make you feel worse. Instead, give yourself some grace.  Talk to yourself the way you would your child or your best friend if they were having this issue.  Make your favorite hot beverage and tell that beautiful writer in the mirror that tomorrow will be better. 

Do Something

Write something…even if it’s one sentence.  Edit something…even if it’s one paragraph.  In fact, it’s better to restart slowly.  Make a plan to write for 1 minute and then stop. Do that for a few days and see if you’re itching to get back to it. If not, great – keep up with the one minute a day until you do feel better.  One minute a day is better than not writing at all for months on end. I know it seems silly, but trust me it will keep you connected to your novel, your story and your characters without driving yourself crazy.  It really is a win-win.

Celebrate

Look back at how far you’ve come.  Did you write one chapter before writer’s block? Great! Did you get through a whole draft but editing is causing you problems? Awesome!  Celebrate what you’ve done and see that you can and will write again.  Celebrate that you are aware of your problem and you are taking steps to fix them. Smile at that beautiful writer in the mirror and celebrate that you are a Writer – own it, claim it, call it, shout it out loud and proud. You are a beautiful writer and I never want you to forget it!

Which one of these tips and tricks are you going to try first? I would love to know.

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3 Things To Remember When You Are Feeling Stuck

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
Things to Remember when you are stuck

You used my tips from my last blog post and your characters are talking to you again, the words are flowing, and you are feeling on top of the world…until you aren’t. You just can’t get into the groove, words sound stilted, your dialogue sounds like a kindergartener wrote them, you are just feeling stuck. 

Why? What’s happening?

You have the dreaded writer’s block, even though you can’t seem to admit that to anyone – not even yourself – you know you are avoiding your laptop, or that Scrivener file – and it’s starting to affect your mental health.  You are letting your past issues affect your present and it sucks.

You Are Awesome

First, don’t lose sight of how amazing you are.  Just because you are stuck right now and you’ve had some issues sitting down and getting quality words down on paper – and you’re probably starting to feel crappy – remember that you are awesome.  You have had days and months of writing amazing things, quickly and in total flow which means you can get back there again.  

You Are Magic

Secondly, remember that everything you need is inside of you – right now and always! You just might need some help.  Another person to talk things out with (like a Tarot Reader who specializes in helping writers perhaps?) or just a day or two where you don’t stress about the words.  Journal, interview your characters, try something else, build a playlist, dance, draw, do anything else to get out of your own way.

You Are Going To Be Okay

And finally, realize that things might look different.  You might have planned and made a detailed outline and then your main character did something to screw everything up, but after you looked at it – it’s actually pretty brilliant. Or maybe you don’t outline but you had some ideas and nothing is panning out the way you thought…but what you are writing is actually funny so go with that.  OR maybe you wanted to write fantasy but aliens keep popping up – okay, take a step back and see if you really, deep down want to write Science Fiction?  It’s all OKAY, trust me.  Go back to step two and remember that you are magic!

How are you feeling now? Can you take a deep breath, remember how magical and awesome you are, and try again?  Let me know how it goes below.

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4 Tips To Get Your Characters Talking To You Again

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson
Getting characters to talk to you

Has this ever happened to you? You are writing your draft, words are flowing and then one day your characters just stop talking to you?  You know what I’m talking about – words stop, dialogue sounds wrong, characters are doing things that are not in your outline.  What is going on?

We all know that characters have a mind of their own sometimes and that can mean they stop talking to us which can cause us to stop writing all together which is not great for getting that draft finished is it?  In fact, it’s downright frustrating!

I have a few things that might work…try a few and see what works best for you.

Visualize Your Characters

I like to grab my favorite Tarot deck and either grab the card I used to create my character in the first place or choose one that I think represents them now. OR if you’d rather have a real picture, head to Pinterest and find an image that looks like the character you have in your head.  Now you have something to look at, something to talk to, someone you can keep in your mind while you are writing.

Journal

Another helpful exercise I like to do when I’m feeling blah with my characters is journal as if I am them. Would your character type or handwrite their diary entry? Purple pen or blue ink? Flowery language and doodles or bullet journal style? This can get you back into the mind of your characters pretty fast.  If you are stuck on a particular scene, then use that to fuel what you journal about.  If you’re just kind of stuck in general, then start having your character talk about another character in the book and then flip flop and do the same thing with the other character. Very eye opening and will help unlock lots of stuff you might not have thought about originally.

Interview Them

Very similar to the journal exercise, think of some questions you could ask your characters and then interview them.  This is where I love to have to have an image to look up so I’m talking to someone or some representation of them.  You can do this via writing, you can record yourself on your phone using voice memo or video yourself and use different voices for your characters – this might just be the ex-actor in me – but it can be fun to “play” as if you are them for a while.

Role Play

Adding on to the interview – act out a scene from your book being all the characters.  Like a crazy one man play – run around your living room acting out a scene or chapter – either one you’ve already written or the one you are stuck on. Keep a notebook close so you can take notes or film yourself and watch it back later so you can write down what you said. It can be silly, fun, and get your creative juices flowing quickly.

Which one are you thinking of trying first?  Let me know how it goes.

And if you need some help creating characters, download my free training Novel Narrator: Easily Create Your Book’s Characters in 30 Minutes using Tarot here or by signing up below.

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5 Tips for Choosing a Tarot Deck to Use for Creative Writing

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Choosing a Tarot deck is a very personal decision because you need to feel connected to the imagery used, the colors and overall feel of the deck, but I do have some tips for helping you choose a good deck to use for your writing or other creative projects.

People

I like a deck with people. Now, if you write children’s books and deal with animal characters then by all means look for a fun deck with animals. OR if you connect with animals and use those types of characteristics in writing your novels then, again, look for a deck that includes animals.  I like people, preferably diverse people featuring both genders.  And I like those people to be doing things in my Tarot decks, either engaging with each other or their environments.  

Backgrounds

Personally this is the biggest factor for me – there has to be interesting things going on in the background of the images.  Mountain ranges, cities, rivers, the sun or the moon, animal friends, other people, ships, different light sources, volcanoes, different places, different seasons, etc.  Elements in the background are huge for me when developing characters, plots, and helping with various other issues that I turn to my cards for.

Foregrounds

This is an odd concept, but go with me.  So the backgrounds are the elements behind the people. Then you have the people. Foregrounds are things happening either in front of the people or next to the people.  

For example, look at this version of the Five of Wands from the Gilded Tarot Royale deck. 

In the background you have a sunrise or sunset and possibly a storm brewing.  The people are all fighting each other with magical wands.  In the foreground you have this gnarled branch that has fallen with thorns and flowers growing on it.  And even more in front is some tall grasses that are sticking up in the air.   

Side note – this is one of my favorite decks because it has so much going on.

Color

I need bright, bold, beautiful, rich colors.  In life and in Tarot.  Again, look at that example card image above.  There are yellows, greens, pinks, purples, and even some red.  So many colors!!  I use color to help me get a feel for the scene, more info about a character and even help me describe certain things within my writing.  Let’s say you need to talk about a sunset, I could pull a card or flip through my deck until I get to the card above and now I have some beautiful imagery to draw from.

Ease of Use

Can you read Roman numerals? Or would you rather not?  Do the wands and swords look different enough in the deck or will you always be wondering which is which? Before you buy a deck, see if you can look at some of the cards online to make sure you like the deck.  It’s even better if you fall in love and can’t wait to use your deck, but I’ll take like for now.  If you’d rather not spend money on a physical deck until you do feel the love, then download a few apps onto your phone and use those first.  Bonus, they are cheaper and then you’ll always have a deck with you!

Are you ready to grab a deck?

Here are a few that I recommend you look at – all of them have beautiful imagery, people, fun colors, and I think they are easy to use – but you should check them out and make sure you agree!

Rider Waite Smith

Modern Witch Tarot

Gilded Tarot Royale

The Light Seers Tarot

The Steampunk Tarot

Modern Spellcaster’s Tarot

What deck is calling to you?  Let me know below!

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How Asking the Right Type of Questions During a Tarot Reading Puts You In The Driver’s Seat

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Have you ever had a Tarot reading done? How about a reading specifically for your writing career? 

I am so happy to announce that I’m now offering two options for Tarot Readings for Writers!!  30 minute written readings and 60 minute live Zoom readings. To check these out, click here and book an appointment.  I can’t wait to meet you!!

Now that you’ve booked an appointment with me, let’s talk about asking the right type of questions.

What would be a bad question?

Well, for starters…anything that can be answered with a simple Yes or No.  They can work but if you’re going to pay me, let’s get some juicy stuff going. Save those easy, quick type questions for your own personal deck and your morning coffee time. 

Also, I can read on your love life, but I’d really rather concentrate on you, your book projects, and any fears or mindset shifts that YOU need to take to further your career.  

What makes a good question?

Something open-ended, that concentrates on YOU and what you can control. For example, don’t ask – Will “amazing agent” sign me as a client this month?  That’s totally out of your control, unfortunately.  But you could instead ask – What can I do to attract the right agent?  It’s a subtle shift, but one that puts the control back on YOU, which is really what tarot is best at – giving you the answers to help you create the life you want. 

Here are some other ways to start really good, juicy, in depth tarot question starters – just fill in the rest with your main problem or issue and reword it to make sense.  Also note, if we’re doing a live Zoom reading, I can totally help you decide how to word your question for the most effective Tarot answer.

Tarot Question Starter Prompts

What is coming into my consciousness about…

How can I discover…

What do I need to know to decide…

How am I presently living in alignment with…

How am I presently living out of alignment with…

What’s blocking me from…

What will bring me closer to…

What do I need to focus on for X to happen?

Let’s Try an Example

Ok, you want to know which idea or book project you should focus on next. 

You could ask – What do I need to know to decide between my Sci Fi idea and my Fantasy idea.  

Now, I might ask you a little bit about each project as I shuffle the cards, and then lay out 1-3 cards per idea or choice to help you make the most informed decision about which idea is best for right now.  

Asking this open ended type question gets you a much deeper, richer reading than just asking –  Which book project should I focus on next? This is asking the cards to make the choice for you, but what you really need is more information so you can make the decision with a clear head, open heart, and alignment with the universe.  Juicy stuff!

The BIG thing about asking the right type of questions for a Tarot reading is making sure it empowers you to take action. That’s why I like open-ended questions that focus on YOU and what you need to know. It gives you next steps and things to work on or think about so you can be in the driver’s seat of your own destiny.

If you ask when will that agent call or sign me? Well, to be honest, I have no idea because I don’t know what you’re doing to help the universe offer you that agent’s call. But if you ask what’s blocking me from getting an agent right now? I can ask the cards for guideposts to help offer you things that you can do.  Things that you can work on and fix so you are in a better position for the universe to offer you the agent. See the difference?

Have you ever had a Tarot Reading done?

If you’re interested, you can click here and book one with me.  I’m offering 30 minute written readings and 60 minute live Zoom calls.  If you have any questions, drop them below and I’ll be sure to answer them. 

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Can The Archer Help Us With Goal Setting?

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

During a recent Moon Circle we were discussing the archer. How they pull back their arrow, pause to assess the lay of the land, then take aim toward the target. Once they are sure and ready, they release the arrow, hoping it hits the target. We then talked about how this is similar to the beginning of a new year and goal setting.

Did I lose you? Let me explain.

Pull the arrow back, pause and reflect

For goal setting, I need to stop and reflect, not only the past year, but on past goals. How did they work out? What worked and what didn’t? You see this year, my overall theme is Take the Leap! So, I have to pull back and think of other times I took a big leap. For me, this was 19 years ago when I moved from St. Louis to New York City at the ripe old age of 24 to pursue my goal of musical theatre. Now, that goal did not pan out, but living in NYC sure did as I am still here loving every minute. Another example I can think of is leaving my corporate job to be a stay at home mom to my baby 9 years ago. This was a huge leap of faith and another one that was beautiful and such a special time in my life.

Take aim

Next, I have to use what I learned during reflection to create those next steps for my goals. So, for my goal of Making Our Apartment a Home I have to look back and think about what worked in the past and how I can apply that to this goal. Let’s look at the big leap of moving to NYC, I was organized, did research, and was prepared to the Nth degree to move to a brand new city. For decluttering and beautifying our apartment I can use that same strategy – read books and articles on cleaning, work with my husband to come up with plans and systems to use as we go from room to room, and we will get prepared before each cleaning session so we stay on task.

Another way to take aim is to see what you want at the end of the year and work backwards. I For example, I want to Live a Magical Life, but what exactly does that mean for me? I want to have a daily ritual that connects me to spirit and magic everyday. I want to have a journaling practice that nourishes my soul. I want to read books about Goddesses and learn more about the cultures and customs of countries I don’t know. These are all the smaller steps toward the main goal. Now I have my aims, my processes and my systems.

Once ready, let the arrow go toward the target

This is the actual step of doing the damn thing….which is probably the hardest step when we think about goal setting, but if we think of the archer, it’s the easiest – you just let go. Can we use that mindset for our goals? Can we make the act of actually doing our daily tasks that help us achieve our goals easier? Honestly, I’m still working on this mindset, but I hope having this image of an archer in my head will help me when things start feeling hard.

Because, here’s the thing, doing big things and taking big leaps is hard and changing systems and habits is also hard. When I moved to NYC at 24, that was hard – yes, it was exciting and fun and felt like a big glorious adventure – but it was also hard at times. Leaving my job to stay at home with a brand new baby was fun and amazing, but it was also hard at times. 2020 was hard a LOT of times, but we made it through, and we can do it again!

Can you use the image of an archer to help you with your 2021 goals? Have you ever taken a big leap before? What big leaps are you planning for this year? I would love to know in the comments below.

2020…What a Year!

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Wow, 2020…you have definitely been a year.  Would I say a good year?  Probably not, but was it a total wash? Nope, not really.  Let’s take a little look back at some of my favorite writing posts from this year and you tell me down below in the comments, which was your favorite?

I started the year off with a few of my favorite things when I write – coffee, notebooks, and music, oh my!

A Few Of My Favorite Things…When I Write

I showed how I get into the head of a character and do my various journaling techniques for finding voice.

How To Get Into The Head Of A Character

Then I shared my author journey from NaNoWriMo to Self-Published Writer!

My Author Journey: How I Went From “Oohhh NaNoWriMo Sounds Fun” To “Self-Published Author”

I shared an interview I did with the two main characters of my upcoming YA novel.

An Interview With Etta And Gina

Oooh, I tried to explain why I love writing YA Coming of Age novels — I really, really do — they are the best!

Why I Write Coming Of Age Stories for Young Adults

After quarantine craziness, I talked about how I’m making my writing more fun!

How I’m Making Writing More Fun

I showed how I use Pinterest to create a mood board for my books – with character images, pictures from the novel’s setting, and other things that remind me of my book as I’m writing.

How I Use Pinterest To Create Mood Boards For My Novels

Lastly, I shared a series of how I use Tarot in my writing by creating characters, making an outline, and working through the muddy middle.

Using Tarot Cards (And My Own Spreads) To Write A Short Story

2020 was rough, but I’m actually proud of all I’ve accomplished.  Tell me below, what good things have come out of 2020 for you? 

I hope everyone has a good year end and I’ll see you in 2021!!!

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Using Tarot with my PowerSheets for 2021 Goal Setting

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Most of you probably know this by now — unless you are super new — but I love goal setting!! 

This year, I decided to marry one love with another and use my Tarot cards with my PowerSheets.  Ok, I can hear the questions loud and clear: How do you use tarot with goal setting? What are PowerSheets? Why are you so dang cute?  No? That wasn’t one of your questions?  Are you sure because I’m pretty dang cute?!?  

What are PowerSheets?

PowerSheets are a goal setting workbook from Cultivate What Matters. 

I used their undated 6-month version about two years ago, and while I loved the prep work, I also really like setting quarterly goals so after those were all used up, I didn’t purchase again.  Until, a friend of mine told me that this year they were adding quarterly refreshes and more mini-steps so basically it was my perfect goal setting system!  

Why? Because of the Prep work — 50 or so pages of guided questions to help you analyze and think about what’s important to YOU and your dreams and your vision for the year and for your life.  Not what goals you think you should have, but what goals you want to have.  Not what goals will make your neighbor think you’re awesome, but goals that will help YOU feel awesome and be awesome and do awesome things!

I have a serious addiction to workbooks and guided journals so the prep work is right up my alley. I love diving in and getting into this brain of mine to find out how I tick and what I want to accomplish this year and in life overall. I like taking a big picture look, then narrowing it down bit by bit so I have my five goals for 2021, smaller goals for Quarter 1 of 2021, and then even smaller goals for January 2021.  

It feels soooooo good!

It doesn’t hurt that I get to use bright colored markers, pens, stickers, and washi tape – let that inner child play, you know?!?!

How do you use Tarot with Goal Setting?

So once I figured out my big picture goals for 2021, I got out my deck of cards and started pulling one for each goal.   What I’m doing is getting a litmus test on whether or not this goal is going to work for me or if I need to do anything different. Rewrite the goal maybe? Make sure I include certain things during my quarterly goal setting sessions. Or scrap it all together.  Let me walk you through my five goals below.

Write and Self-Publish Entertaining YA Novels 

I pulled the Nine of Swords which isn’t exactly a great positive card, but I pulled a clarifying animal guide card and got the Shark which is about honesty. What? Ok…right off the bat, you’re probably thinking I’ve lost my mind but I started to really think about things and I realized that I am scared to self-publish again. I love writing, but the business side of things still eludes me and I find myself flailing around.  Nine of Swords is about grief, sadness, anxiety, and worry.  If I’m being honest (The Shark), I have a ton of worry and anxiety around this goal.  These cards helped me come to terms with this fact, made me face that I have these fears and I did actually think about scrapping this goal.  But the fact is, I love writing and love hearing from readers about my books. I want to do this goal, so I know I might have some mindset shirts and some stuff to deal with and that’s okay!

Start my Tarot Business

I pulled The Hierophant and that is awesome! This card is all about spiritual wisdom, traditions, balance and being a teacher or leader – the holder of truth.  I take this as a very good sign that I’m on the right track with my ideas of what I want my tarot business to look like. It’s a little scary putting this out here so early but I want to help writers, actors, musicians, and other creative people deal with blocks, fear of success, imposter syndrome, and life in general using the tarot cards.  I will be doing this via courses, books, and hopefully life coaching. I feel 100% to take this goal on for next year.

Make our Apartment a HOME

Our place is a cluttered mess and I want to change that so I pulled Knight of Pentacles which is all about hard work, charging ahead, productivity, routines, and responsibility.  Basically the road won’t be easy with this goal, but it will be so worth it.  Not much to say here – this was a great card and I feel pretty good about things.

Make my self-improvement a priority

I feel like, honestly, I do this but I wanted to make it an official goal so I have a place to track things and make sure that I’m actually doing it.  The card I pulled for this goal was the 4 of Pentacles.  What?! This is about control, security, not having connection to spirit (okay, getting closer to making sense) and saving money.  So don’t buy a bunch of stuff for self-improvement…but what? I was still confused so I pulled a clarifying animal spirit card for this goal as well and got The Golden Egg which is all about the message at the center of the heart.  Time for introspection and contemplation (adding more meditation back into my life) and staying open to hearing the messages you need to hear.  Basically I need to take the pentacle off the top of my head so I can be open to the divine, and stop controlling every little thing – BE OPEN.  

Now I gotcha and I can keep that in mind while I dig deeper each month.

Live a Magical Life!

I pulled the 9 of Wands…which is all about a test of faith, courage and persistence and being tired. I need to get clear on what I will need to be successful here and then communicate with others. I have to stop allowing things to get in my way. 

It’s me…I get in my own way. 

I want every day to feel magical, I want to use witchcraft to make the mundane into magic.  Stirring my coffee with intentions, charging my lotions for self-love, using my candles and crystals, and seeing myself in a new light.  Maybe the card wasn’t 100% but some good things to remember and it will keep me on my toes this year.

After I did these, I pulled one card to represent all of my 2021 goals and got my old friend, The Chariot. I see this card as my inner guide telling me I’m on the right track.  It’s about action and determination, success and will power, and a spiritual transformation.  I’ll take it!!

Have you started working on your 2021 goals yet?  If you need help, hit me up below and I’ll pull a few cards for you!  

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How To Create An Editing Plan

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I took a break from my manuscript and now I’m ready to dive back in for what I’m hoping will be the fourth and final round of edits.  If you read my last blog post you know I had some feedback from my editor, so I sat with that for awhile and then made an appointment to speak with my editor about a plan.

We talked about being methodical with the draft so I don’t miss anything – because I’m serious, I’m ready for this book to be out in the world – and really going as slow as I need to accomplish that goal. We also came up with some really good guidelines that I think will help other writers.

Read and create a Reverse Outline

And while you read, take notes – lots and lots of notes. I plan on doing this right in the Word doc I sent to my editor and making my notes and comments in a different color than her notes so I can see them both.  As I’m reading I will create a Reverse Outline – which is my editor’s favorite thing – and for good reason, it helps you see all the big problems right away.  A reverse outline is simply an outline you make after you’ve written your book – instead of mapping out where you want to go, it helps you see where you’ve been (or where you haven’t been). 

Once I’ve read through my book, read through all of her notes and made all of mine, and created a new reverse outline – it will be time for the next step.

Priority Checklist

Since a lot of my editor’s notes were about things that I need to fix book-wide, I’m going to make a checklist of all of those things and look over them while I’m editing.  Things like – are we in a white room or is there description? Do my characters sound the same or different? Is everyone mad or angry or is there variety?  Having one checklist to look over will keep me organized and on track to fixing those book-wide issues that I seem to be having this round.  I call it my priority checklist because these are things that NEED TO BE FIXED!!  Like major attention needs to be paid. 

Planning

Now comes the somewhat fun part, planning my writing sessions. I will look at my calendar and my digital planner and I will start working out how much time I’m going to have each week for editing.  2-3 sessions a week is usually my average with some weekend times thrown in there.  And I usually average one chapter per session so I can plan on having 30-35 days of work to get everything done.  OK! 

Side tip! Get yourself a reward system — use stickers for each day you do your writing and after so many stickers give yourself a treat – either a day off, or a fancy coffee, or time with YouTube.  Make this part fun!

Start working and writing

Once I have my notes, my general checklist, and my plan it’s time to actually start. I will open up the Word Doc and my Scrivener file and  get to work – little by little, fixing each chapter. I read through the notes from me and my editor and fix those first.  Then I’ll go through the checklist and make any and all changes to make sure my chapters are near perfect.  I’m hoping I can get one chapter done per editing session but some chapters might need more sessions so I can adjust as I go.  Try to remain flexible with your own plan – things happen.

Final read through

Since I would like this to be my last major edit, I will do a final read through at the end and run a spell check to catch any glaring errors before sending it back to my editor.  Whew!  That was a lot of steps, but when you want to do something right you need to buckle down and do the work, right?  Right!

Have you ever edited a major project? A book, or large term paper perhaps?  What were your steps?  What are you still curious about in terms of editing?  Let me know in the comments below or email me and I’ll get back to you with my answers.