Category: Tarot

Easy Character Creation Using Tarot Cards

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

When starting a novel, it’s important to fill  your world with well-rounded characters – the kind that feel so real your readers love diving into your stories, getting lost in their lives. Today, I want to teach you how to do that with the magical tool of Tarot.

For some great examples using my Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, be sure to watch the video below!! 

I like to think about what kind of story or genre I’m writing before I grab my deck. Young Adult, Fantasy. Science Fiction, Cozy mystery? Then, grab your tarot deck and give it a shuffle. If I have any other ideas, like which character I’m creating or any story details I already have, I’ll think of that while shuffling, then I’ll choose 1 card.

As soon as you flip the card over, what immediately comes to mind? Any and all thoughts start writing them down. Then pay close attention to the main figure or focal point of the card. How are they dressed? What are they doing?  

Once I have established a few things, I’ll move on to the background of the card, paying close attention to color, other figures or animals, and what’s going on – is there any action that helps you with information about this character?

Now, let’s ask some questions:

  1. Are you getting main character energy? Protagonist or Antagonist? Or is this a side character? 
  2. What gender is this character? Male, female, non-binary?
  3. What age is this character? Young, old, timeless – like a wizard?
  4. Are you coming up with any name ideas? Sometimes I get great ideas from something really random on the card and sometimes I don’t.

Once I have these basics established and I’m starting to get a clear picture of who this person is, that’s when I personally bring in the character worksheets you find online. In fact, sometimes I turn those into a tarot spared by pulling cards for each section of the sheet – which can be a fun exercise. 

If you are in a writing group, this can be a fun group activity too. Each of you grab a card and go around the group talking about the character you’ve created – you might even get inspired by the other people’s cards – so bonus!

Have you tried something like this before? Did you find it fun or do you have questions about how to make the process easier?  Let me know by hitting reply to this email.

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How To Make The Book Writing Process More Fun

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Has writing your novel lost its luster?

You started writing with all kinds of ideas and energy and excitement, but now that you’re in the muddy middle, it all just feels a little blah, a little hard. Sitting down and forcing yourself to write feels about as much fun as riding the New York City subway without air conditioning in the middle of August – icky.

Let me share three reasons you might be finding the writing process less than enjoyable and a few ways to fix that.

Your characters are feeling dull


Now, one reason for this might just be that you need a break, because you are so involved in your characters and their lives, it all becomes repetitive, but if you don’t feel like you know your characters very well or you’re not writing them in an exciting way, that’s when you need to take a step back and talk to your characters.

I suggest interviewing them, asking them some questions like:

  • What do you need me to know today?

  • What do you need me to know about your story?

  • What can you tell me about “other character names here”?

  • Why aren’t you doing what I want you to do?


Or, you can do one of my favorite things – journal as if you were them! You can do this in a physical journal and hand write or you can do this in a word document. Basically just pretend you are your character and pick a day, either from your book or from before your book started, and write the journal entry as if you are them. It tells you a lot about their quirks, their habits, how they speak to themselves, what they share when no one else is around. It can be very, very insightful. 

Another fun thing I like to do, especially when things are feeling stagnant, is throw all the characters into one scene and throw something big at them.  Even if this is not something that’s going to be in your book later, it can still be a lot of fun and give you some insights into how your characters interact with each other and handle the pressure of a new situation.  An example would be having them all at one party, now this works for me because I write young adult books, but you can also have them all at a bar or the office, and then I might decide that police show up to shut the party down.  How do each of my main characters react to that? And write as if you’re going to hit all of your characters, write from their point of view – again, even if this isn’t how your book is set up, it gives you time in each of their heads to find out more about them and their quirks, their habits, their issues.

 

Your plots feels a little flat


Again, you might just be tired of writing and need a break – and that’s cool, or it might mean that you need to add a few things into your plot, some new ideas to add tension or conflict.  I like to brainstorm by using Tarot cards, and you can watch the video above to see a real-world example, but you can also just start writing down new thoughts, ideas, and come up with something to add to your plot now that you are further along that you maybe didn’t think of back when you were first starting out writing or working on your outline.

Maybe it’s not so much the plot itself, but the next few chapters you need to write aren’t exciting you but a chapter or scene a few bullet points down is.  Give yourself permission to write out of order. I don’t always do this, but something you are just too jazzed about an upcoming scene and writing that will do two things. One, you’ll keep up the momentum and excitement you were feeling at the beginning on a project. And two, it will show you that you might need to punch up the chapters or scenes you skipped to make them more exciting.

The words are just feeling super weird when you write them


If the words sound weird, and this is what’s causing the writing process to now seem fun, add in something new to your writing ritual.  I like to have special things that I do before, during, and after I write.  For me, I like to pull a Tarot card, light a candle and play a pump up playlist to get me super hyped for writing.  During my session I’ll have a vision board, Tarot card, or my Big Why somewhere close by to remind me of why I’m telling this story and I usually also play music while I write.  Afterwards I reward myself with chocolate, a fancy coffee, some downtime, or time with my family. Creating a writing ritual like this makes the whole process more fun, more magical and makes you happier. 

You can also create a reward system so with every five writing sessions, you get a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts coffee. Of if you write every day for two weeks straight, you get three days off, whatever works for you, but figure out a little reward system.  It doesn’t have to be anything huge or expensive, if buying a Starbucks is too much, maybe make yourself a yummy beverage that you only make when you’re done writing or have a run of writing sessions. 

I also like to make it a game. I love to use timers and I try to see how many words I can write in 25 minutes. (Note, I’ve been doing this awhile and 25 minutes works for me, but I would start with 10 if you’re new to timers and writing).  I set the timer and see how many words I can write within that time frame. Write the number down.  The next time I sit down to write, I see if I can “beat” my own number.  Let’s say in one session you write 100 words, can you do 110 the next day? 120 the day after that?  If this starts to stress you out, please just put this option away and go back to the reward system instead – I don’t want anyone being more flustered and frustrated with their writing, okay?  Cool!

The other thing I want you to remember is that our writing feels weird to us, especially in first draft land. We are trying to tell the story that’s in our head and putting it down on paper, and that is a funky process. Just know the words are not always going to feel right. You can’t always be subjective with your own writing and that’s okay. That’s what revisions and beta readers and editors are for, down the road. It’s okay if the words sound a little funky to yourself.  Remind yourself that you can always fix things later.

First drafts are messy and that’s okay!

Now that you know the three reasons why sitting down to write may feel hard, which one is hitting you the most right now? And what are you planning on doing this week to make writing more fun? I would love to know in the comments below. 

And if you found this helpful, I would love for you to check out my Muddy Middle to Manuscript coaching package where I will walk you through a process of getting very clear on your Big Why, becoming friends with your characters, and we will fix your outline so you can type The End all with a smile on your face.  

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My Favorite Way To Come Up With New Ideas As A Writer

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I find that writers get stuck for a variety of reasons:

 

  • Lack of ideas
  • Lack of motivation
  • Getting stuck in their own head
  • Overthinking things
  • Worrying
  • Issues with their characters

 

The perfect writing tool to help with these issues will allow you to have more creative freedom, give you a new way of looking at things, and help you get out of your own head so you stop worrying or overthinking about things and help you get back on track, back in flow, and back to writing.

 

And most importantly, give you motivation even on your worst days.


If you’ve been around for any length of time, you might guess that the magical tool I use and would love to introduce to you is – Tarot Cards!!

 

Some writers get scared when they hear the word Tarot, especially if they aren’t into that woo-woo stuff, but I’m here to tell you that you can view the cards as just beautiful imagery on cardboard. 

 

Those beautiful images help me unlock things deep in my psyche, they help me get past everyday life and my normal way of looking at things to get a new perspective, new ideas and new insight.  I use Tarot cards for pretty much every part of the writing process from creating characters to outlining and plot development to editing sessions and daily motivation, especially when I’d rather do anything other than sit in that chair and write. 

Watch the video above to see two examples where I show how I use Tarot to motivate me when I’m stuck in the muddy middle of a first draft and help give me some new ideas during an editing session.  

 

If you’ve never used Tarot as a writer, what questions do you have for me? Leave them below and I’ll make videos and blog posts for you!

What is an Intuitive Tarot Reader?

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

When I was starting my Tarot journey, the thought of learning meanings and descriptions for 78 cards seemed super daunting. In fact, I was overwhelmed to the point that I stalled my study for a few months before I gained traction.

The thing that helped during that time was learning some basics.  These included knowing the differences between the Major and Minor arcana, numerology, what each suit means, and the main points are for each court card.  These helped me quickly make assessments when I pulled cards, but I still felt like I was missing something.  It felt very textbook to me, very standard, nothing about it felt personal.  

I was missing my own spark!

What was missing was using my own intuition including how I feel about the card, what I’m picking up about the person I’m reading for and the situation I’m reading about.  Adding this into my repertoire helps me pick up almost any deck and read with it because I’m not worried about key phrases or definitions, I’m letting my brain tell me what I need to know.

What does Intuition mean to me?

Intuition means trusting myself that I will have an answer when I need it.  This did not happen overnight, it happened over months and years of honing this trust by practicing.  How did I do this?  By not using the little white book that came with my deck.  In fact, I forced myself to do personal readings without any book or cheatsheet’s help.  I would just read based on my own brain and what I thought was important from each card. 

If the thought of doing this stresses you out, promise yourself that you’ll do the reading without the book first by writing down your own thoughts that come up from your intuition and then going to the book.  Once you start realizing that you can do it without the book’s help, you will need the book less and less.

How does this work when reading for others?

For starters, I use the energy I get from either their body language if I’m doing a live or Zoom reading or what words they use if I’m doing a written reading. I can’t really explain this process, but I can feel things from the other person which helps me decide what information to bring forth in readings.  It also helps if I know what kind of reading we’re doing – I get different energies around writers looking for creative help than I do for friends who are needing help with a romantic relationship.

How does this work if I’m using the cards as a writer?

I actually drop the traditional meanings all together and just use the details in the cards.  I look at colors, backgrounds, foregrounds, tiny details, and anything about the people or animals in the card that might ping creative ideas for my characters, plot points, and anything else I need for my writing. 

Dropping the key phrases helps me find that freedom to trust myself fully, moving swiftly from idea to idea, knowing that whatever comes up is exactly what I need in that moment. It’s either the perfect answer or something that will help me create the perfect answer.  It’s all about making connections and brainstorming until I feel that certain something that tells me I’m on the right track.

When you hear the phrase Intuitive Tarot Reader what do you think? I’d love to know below. 

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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?

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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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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