Tag: tarot

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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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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And They Lived Happily Ever After

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Yay….we have reached the end of our journey – but before I get into this week’ spread, I wanted to announce the name that my Instagram readers came up with for our short story – and I have to say, it’s pretty darn perfect — Mysteries, Deception, and The Full Moon!  Ahhhh, I love it!

Ok, now I’d like to introduce you to the Happily Ever After spread where you can make sure that all of your loose ends are tied, that you and your characters are happy (or as happy as they’re going to be) and that your ideal reader will be satisfied with the ending you give them.

Journaling Prompts

Just like last time, I have a few journaling prompts or things to think about before you dive into this spread:

  • What happens next, after I type The End?
  • How far from my planned ending am I?
  • Am I happy with the current ending? Why or why not?

Once you have those thoughts pretty firmed up, move on to the five questions below and find out how things are doing as we near closing the book, so to speak.

The Reading

For us, I feel like Paige has most changed by growing up some.  She became more focused, less wishy-washy about what she wants out of life and she now realizes that life isn’t always fair – there’s hard work, difficult choices, and consequences to her actions.  I feel like she’s learned that truth isn’t always easy to deal with and one person’s truth affects others – and they might not be in agreement.

Since we are using an antagonistic force, rather than a person, I feel like that morphed from being karmic cycles to more about vision and being in control of one’s own life.  This ties in nicely with Paige’s character arc from beginning to end as well.

I need to make sure all of the stuff with her Dad is dealt with so that the audience knows if they’re going to have some kind of relationship after all is said and done – basically that nothing is left unsaid.  Because I feel like my ideal reader will want to see Paige becoming more in control of her own life, dealing with grown-up issues as best she can – rather than running, hiding, lying – and being more prepared to deal with adult relationships and problems.

What do you see in the cards?  I’d love to know your final thoughts before I take all of this and complete final edits and proofing to make this the best short story ever!  I’m going to be taking one whole week off to do this and get the PDF ready and then I’ll be sending it directly to my newsletter on Friday, September 3rd so make sure you drop that email into the red box below to join now!

I also wanted to thank you – this has been so much fun, given me a cool diversion from editing my novel, and a chance to take my new spreads out for a spin.  If you have any questions about using tarot in your writing, please let me know below in the comments or send me an email.  

The End (First Draft)

I was just about to walk out of my father’s house, for what felt like the last time, when he came rushing out of the back room.

“Don’t leave,” he said.  “Not yet, not like this.”  

I had the door half way propped open and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.  Heidi was in the car, and it was running, I knew I couldn’t stay in here much longer.  But I also didn’t want to leave with things left unsaid.   We had both hurt one another, and leaving now would make things harder later.

I shut the door, turned around, and leaned against the door.  Dad and I looked at each other.  Him waiting for me to speak, me waiting for him to speak.  

Finally he sat down on the couch and said, “I know I’ve said things, mean horrible things, and I think I meant them in the moment but if I could take them back, I would.”

I sat down on teh arm of the chair closest to teh door and sighed.  “I know,” I said. I rubbed my arm with the opposite hand. “I said things too.”

“Yes, you did.”

I looked up and saw how broken my Dad actually was.  He was teetering on losing it.  He had lost Mom to prison and was now about to lose his only daughter because of his inability to deal with change.  He had hurt me, caused me to question so many things, but he was my father and without Mom in the picture, was it fair to leave him behind completely?

“I’m sorry,” I said and I meant it.  I was sorry for hurting him, for saying things I knew would cut deep.  “I have to go, but I don’t want to lose you.”  

He smiled, but still looked sad.  He nodded and I got back up.

“Don’t be a stranger,” he said not moving from the couch.  This was something he used to say to his best friend when he would come to visit from Seattle.  Don’t be a stranger meant hurry back, call sometime, send a funny text when you get a chance.  Was that all we were going to be from now on?

“I won’t Dad, I promise.”  I opened the door and walked out onto the porch.  It felt like years since I came home from that first date with Heidi, before Mom was arrested, before any of this happened.  The door shut behind me and I walked away from the house and to the car.

Thank you for joining me on this journey — if you are a new subscriber to my newsletter and would like a copy of the finished story – just email me and I’ll send it right over! -Jennifer

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Stuck In The Middle With YOU

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Middles are hard to write, heck even this blog post about Middles and thinking about writing the middle of our short story has me feeling well, kinda icky.  I actually came up with some fantastic ideas using this spread and I’m still not 100% feeling the actual writing I did.  Who’s with me?  Show of hands — who hates writing the middle of anything? Or do you find endings harder?  Wait until next week baby!

Journaling Prompts

For this spread, I include some journaling questions so you can think about your story or novel before just diving into this spread so I thought I would share.

  • Is it really a crappy story or are you just bored and need a break?
  • How far off your original outline or idea are you?
  • What your Main Character say about your story so far?

Okay, once you get some of that out of your head and down on paper, you’ll be ready to do the spread and get some further insight.  

The Reading

For us, I feel like Paige has options and she has a choice to make – stay loyal to her Father (who’s being a right royal pain) or leave and be with Heidi and start a new life?  Since we don’t have a traditional Antagonist, I kind of summed this one up by saying that someone needs to face the music, face reality and stop living in dreamland.  Which does speak to our overall Karmic force that we’re dealing with – it’s kind of now or never time.

New conflict I can add includes money and time – are we running out of it? Is there a deadline I can add to the story?  Deadlines are great, that ticking clock can amp up feelings and the push to make a decision.  I also see more of that having to choose and decide which side – family or lover – needs to happen and quick! 

To move the overall story forward, I had this idea of Paige betraying her father and telling him that she’s going to say Goodbye to Heidi but when she sees Heidi, she abandons that and makes plans to run away.  It’s a good conflict,  and it shows us that Paige isn’t thinking with her head but rather her heart – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I feel like in this situation is going to lead us to more trouble.

What do you see in the cards? What are you hoping happens for Paige and her Dad? What about Paige’s relationship with Heidi?  Head on over to Instagram to help me with Titles for our story this weekend and let’s talk about Middles and how much they can suck!

The Middle (1st DRAFT)

I walked out of the house and got in the car.  As I clicked the button to turn the engine, I thought about what I had just said to Dad.  Was I really going to break up with Heidi? Was I really going to say goodbye, forever, never seeing her again? I had made my choice.  I backed out of our small driveway and made the quick drive over to her house.

She was sitting on her porch looking up at the moon, waiting for me.  She looked happy to see me, she had no idea when I called what I was going to say.  She stood up and smiled at me as I pulled into her driveway.  I turned the car off and sat there.  I could do this, right?

As I got out, she came off the porch and over to me.  She lightly kissed me and put her arms around my waist.  Oh no, her orange scented perfume wafted into my nose and I could feel myself getting warm, remembering when we were together last.

I pushed her away from me.  “I can’t do this,” I said.

“Do what?”she asked me.

“I need to,” I started but her eyes sparkled in the moonlight nad I lost my nerve. “I need to sit down.”  She led me into the house and I flopped on her couch.  She sat next to me and rubbed my arm with her hand. Her skin felt so smooth against mine.  I wanted to kiss her nad never stop.  

“Are you okay? You sounded funny on the phone,” she said.

“No, yes, I don’t know.”

“Well, then, at least you’re sure,” she said and laughed.  It sounded like music and I just wanted her to keep going, tell her stupid jokes and hear that sound forever.

I shook my head and started to cry.  She kissed me again and wiped my tears.

“You were coming to break up weren’t you?” she asked.  I shook my head yes and closed my eyes tight.

“Don’t,” she said quietly.

“Okay, I won’t,” I said back in a whisper.  I knew in that moment that I had nothing else to lose. I had chosen Heidi over my dad and there was no going back. 

Keep Reading — And They Lived Happily Ever After can be found HERE

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Once Upon A Time…

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Okay, now we are getting into the writing – finally!

This spread will get your creative juices flowing, give you some amazing ideas for how to start your very first scene (or in our case, the first page) and what conflict your characters are facing. Each scene or chapter needs its own conflict – which can be tricky to write (at least for me) so pulling 1-2 cards for each scene to work out the problem can help save you from getting stuck halfway through a draft.

I pulled cards to answer my 5 questions…I feel like Paige is doing something slightly secretive, it’s nighttime and her intuition is coming into play. I think her motivation is to protect itself, help her make a difficult decision – or figure out two sides of an issue. I see the overall conflict of this scene is Heidi, our love interest, but it’s also saying that Paige is overcoming some fears and dealing with unconscious desires. 

The other person in this scene is her Dad. He’s feeling confident and normal – even social and is happy seeing his daughter grow up and become a woman. This all tells me that the very first scene happens before the Mom is arrested. They are in the status quo of a happy existence right now, unaware that tomorrow (?) that the world will come crashing down around them.

Exciting place to be before we get to the Muddy Middle – which is next week’s spread.

Here is my very rough, right out of my brain first draft using these cards as inspiration. Let me know what you think in the comments below or email me and this weekend let’s have a conversation on Instagram about beginnings and what I can do to make the first draft even better. Yes, that’s right – for the next three weeks you get to help me rewrite and edit what I actually put on the page. 

Seriously, I’m so giddy about all of this right now, I can barely stand it. Okay, let’s get into it!!

The Beginning (1st Draft)

I could still taste her strawberry lip gloss as I walked down the boardwalk toward our house. I wasn’t in any hurry to rush home, but my curfew was just minutes away. Turning around, I searched for her, but she was long gone. She did say her car was parked just a few feet down the beach. She was probably half way home already.

I wasn’t expecting to kiss someone today, but she had been so funny. And that crooked smile.

Last year I was all about Troy, and then Devin, but Heidi was something else. For one thing, she had to be at least 5 years older than I was. She mentioned a job in the morning and seemed quite serious about it – so it couldn’t have been just some shop along the boardwalk like me.

Dad was sitting on our small porch, reading a book, the little book light on top illuminating the page he was on. He was in the rocker that we had purchased for Mom that past Christmas, slowing going back and forth as he read, finger on the page of an actual book even though his Kindle was sitting next to him on the little table. He glanced at his watch, then up at me.

“Cutting it close, huh Paige?” he asked with a smile.

“I know, sorry. Lost all track of time,” I said and sat in the small non rocking chair that was on the other end of the porch. Our house faced the beach and I could hear the waves before I saw them crashing under the moonlight.

“Anyone in particular making you lose track?” he smiled. He knew me well, but since this was so new and I still wasn’t sure what was happening I didn’t want to answer him. I had never kissed a girl before. I had found them cute before, that sensation wasn’t new but I had never acted upon those feelings before.

“Maybe,” I said bowing my head so he wouldn’t see me blush and maybe he would stop asking me questions. He was in a good mood though. “How was work?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Really good, we closed a deal to help build a new eco friendly office space downtown.”

“Nice,” I said standing up to go in for the night, “Congrats, Dad.”

“Thanks. Be quiet going in, your Mom came home in a funky mood and went right to bed,” he said and put out his hand for mine.

I held his hand and smiled. I thought about Heidi holding my hand just moments earlier, while we starred up and discussed the full moon.  We talked about our sun signs and giggled while we talked about the favorite things to do at night.  Dad squeezed my hand and brought me back to the present moment. 

“Is she okay?” I asked, bringing it back to Mom.

“She just seemed kind of sad, but didn’t want to talk about it. I’m hoping a good night’s sleep will help.”  He kissed the top of my hand and dropped it. I walked into the quiet house and made my way to my bedroom. Passing Mom and dad’s room, I could hear Mom softly snoring.

Keep reading — Stuck in the Middle With YOU can be found HERE

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