Help! - Using Tarot for writing Fantasy

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Sep 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Jewel	12 Sep 2002
I have decided to explore writing fantasy stories using tarot to create characters and possible plots. I am interested in learning if any of you have used the tarot for this, and to see if you guys might have any additional suggestions you could give me. Thanks!

truthsayer	12 Sep 2002
i've experimented. if you make up a character you want to use then use a card to help you define the action or maybe do a whole storyline around one card. when possibilities are exhausted go to another card. one thing that i've found doesn't work is to mix the same cards from different decks to make a story. i guess it's possible to be done but i haven't been successful. sometimes asking yourself a question like what if the magician and the sun had a conversation. what would they talk about? i read one story someone wrote a couple of years ago that used dinosaurs as the characters to express a card. i wish i remember what but i don't. you have ninalee braden's book-tarot for self-discovery. i think you could use some of her questions to develope a story line. i've played around w/ it and it seems to help. you could write a fictional account about yourself as a card. i think the possibilities are limitless!

Laurel	12 Sep 2002
Yes! I have used the Hanson-Roberts deck to do just that. It was an incredibly marvelous and fun thing to do. I started it when I was 17-18 I ~think~ and when I was 22-23, I sold the manuscript to Baen books but it got put in the kill file and never saw the light of day. That was a bad year for me as a writer- I had problems with almost everyone I wrote for, either with payment or bylines or magazines folding or whatever. I ended up so depressed, I quit writing and haven't ever tried my hand at fiction again. I've often thought about doing it again though, with the Hanson-Roberts deck and creating a new story from a early 30-something perspective, as opposed to who I was 10 years ago. Laurel

Jewel	12 Sep 2002
Truthsayer and Laurel, thanks for your replies! Truthsayer ... I agree, using different decks would complicate things. I am planning to stay within the parameters of the deck I choose. I am currently working with Ninalee Braden's book and I believe my next exercise (after I buy some bubbles and blow them at the dog and cats *LOL*) is to write a little story using cards. Laurel ... I encourage you to write from your new perspective ... write it for you and only you, perhaps that way you will find your muse again :). At these early stages I plan to write simply for my own enjoyment, if someone else ever reads it and likes it then it will be simply an added bonus :).

Starfish	12 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel At these early stages I plan to write simply for my own enjoyment, if someone else ever reads it and likes it then it will be simply an added bonus :). I definitely have no writing aspirations, but I adore reading and volunteer myself to read any future written works you guys come up with! :TQP Starfish

Jewel	12 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Starfish I definitely have no writing aspirations, but I adore reading and volunteer myself to read any future written works you guys come up with! I plan to start with short stories. If you do not mind I will test them out on you once I am pleased . But you must promise to be objective, and to give me honest feedback.

Starfish	12 Sep 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel But you must promise to be objective, and to give me honest feedback. Will do! I was copy editor of both my high school and college newspapers - shouldn't be a problem! :TQP Starfish

truthsayer	12 Sep 2002
jewel, i would be happy to edit your stories, too. i have 2 friends that i'm helping prepare manuscripts by editing their stories. one has been a pure joy to help. her story has really gained depth since we've been bouncing off ideas. next we're planning a cover. i'm going to try to help her do that w/ what i understand so far about scanning and photoshop. the other got real defensive and didn't want to consider my suggestions. that's fine-her choice. i just was trying to help her improve as she asked.

lunalafey	12 Sep 2002
I have a story I started using the Legends deck. The story has nothing to do with King Arthur. I shuffled the cards and drew from the top. The card then gave way to about 3 paragraphs or so. Reversed cards gave way to a difficulty. I did not get to far. Got busy with other things and never finished.... "As The Cards Turn" (can you guess what the first card is?) The Summer morn was cool and quiet. The air filled with the sweet scent of vegetation. A young boy makes his way down to the River Greyl, fishing pole in hand. As he strolls along the trail his mind wanders recalling the events of the eve before. A small smile sweeps across his face. He deftly makes his way over the rocks along the river bar. Lansom finds the spot where he would fish with his father and sits to prepare his hook. He casts his line into the water and waits patiently, he begins to daydream again. His reverie is broken by a voice that calls his name, and a gentle tug at the end of his line. His reaction is slow from being lost in thought. When he pulls back his pole to set the hook, there is no fish to catch. He squints in puzzlement. "Lamson, I'm here…." Lamson turns around, " NO…Here in the water! Silly boy!!…… LOOK!!!" Suddenly a very large fish jumped out of the river. Lamson could not believe what he had just seen. In all the years that he and his father fished the River Greyl, never had he seen such a fish. It was so beautiful and so…BIG….and it talked? The fish was almost white in color with a hint of blue shimmering in the sunlight. "Sir, Fish Sir…is that you who speaks to me and calls me by my name?" Lamson could see the fish swim his way. " That would be I " the voice came again, accompanied with tiny bubbles popping at the waters surface. some insperation for you?

Jenny-Li	13 Sep 2002
...but I've lost it, and can't find it on Google either, so maybe the site is gone by now... Anyways, the author of that site had a couple of spreads to get started, I used one of them to make a variety - it was for creating a deep character with background and everything, and I kinda liked that idea; Take one person A with background such and such, hopes and fears such and such etc - and THEN in comes person B, who is like such and such. From there it's all about figuring out what they would do, how they would interact. I posted my version of the spread here someplace... Here! http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3782&highlight=new+spread I think it could also be a help if you've started and get stuck, take a closer look at your person, who is he or she REALLY? ;) Light and love, Jenny :)

cjtarot	13 Sep 2002
Jewel, I wish you luck..here I go..Do you have the Sacred Circle deck or even Gendron, I think I would have more luck if I were looking at actual people.. I love your story so far..when it is done would you consider starting a web page to post them? Good writing, Cj

Mateo06	16 Sep 2002
Maybe you could make up ur own version of the "fools journey" maybe modernise it... Like have the fool be a college student. and the magician a professor... Its just a thought

Jewel	16 Sep 2002
Thank you all sooooo much for your help! Starfish and Truthsayer you two are on! I will count on both of you to help me have the best story I can write! CJTarot, I believe you are referring to Lunalafey's story ... I have not started writting using the tarot yet ;) ... I do have the sacred circle and traded the gendron away twice. Mateo06 thank you for the suggestion! perhaps I will give that a shot once I become more comfortable creating settings, and characters. It could be really fun!.

Cerulean	03 Dec 2002
There's so much beauty and strength in many of the celtic decks, I could see wanting to write stories from them. And you'd be following a great tradition. The authors of the celtic decks drew their inspiration from folk and fairy sources...just as classic writers such as Dante Algheri used the Lancelot/Guinevere tale in one of the most often and beautifully illustrated section of Inferno, Canto V... I keep searching many of the celtic and fairy inspired decks for the right mix of images, but usually the dragonfly reference isn't quite where I want it...where the cross between the fae and water and sky and shadows remind me of seeing them in twilight. Some people have suggested the Greenwood, which comes very close, and I also enjoy the Legend...but I'm still looking. Mari H. P.S. I enjoyed hearing people use the Hanson-Roberts and Legend...I'm looking at other decks for the same inspiration.

Khatruman	06 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Mateo06 Maybe you could make up ur own version of the "fools journey" maybe modernise it... Like have the fool be a college student. and the magician a professor... Its just a thought Someone recently guided me to this thread and I have been doing pretty much just this. Only I wouldn't say "modernize" in that it is contemporary. I entered National Novel Writing month (http://www.nanowrimo.org) which is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel within the month of November. I took on the challenge of writing an historical fiction about my ancestor who lived in the time of the Revolution, was a Parson and a bookseller and was responsible for the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree. I had ideas, but being more of a character writer than a plot writer, I decided to make the fool's journey my basic plot structure, with 22 chapters corresponding to the 22 major arcana. I used Thirteen's Tarot Basics as my informing principle, and consciously tried to rebel against the archetype, and in effect created them through my rebellion... It was a wonderful experience. I made my 50,661 words by Nov. 30th, but I am still finishing this first draft of the novel. I am halfway through Judgment and then only have the World to complete. Peace!

Ophiel	07 Dec 2002
Years ago, I thought this would be a wonderful way to write fiction, taking the arcana, shuffling them, and then writing a story with each card directing the storyline, and the story ends on the 22nd card! I got really excited about this idea, but than starting writing prose instead.

Khatruman	07 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Ophiel Years ago, I thought this would be a wonderful way to write fiction, taking the arcana, shuffling them, and then writing a story with each card directing the storyline, and the story ends on the 22nd card! I got really excited about this idea, but then starting writing prose instead. Do you mean you were going to write a poem? Not sure what you mean by prose instead. Fiction is prose... :) Peace!

patter	12 Dec 2002
I have never taken plots from cards, but often think of my characters as relating to cards. It means that I have a clear, nuanced veiw of their personality and keep them from 'drifting' too much...

Jewel	12 Dec 2002
Thank you all so much. I am hoping to start this project in 2003. I expect it to take me a long time to finish, but I have decided to try and write a 22 short story anthology using the Portal tarot as the gateways into each story. I will then use another 22 decks to give the feels to each of the 22 worlds once the portal has been crossed. I will do a spread to select characters, storyline, etc ... but the overall point of the story will be to fit that all into context of the portal that has been crossed. Should be a lot of fun to write!

Khatruman	12 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jewel I have decided to try and write a 22 short story anthology using the Portal tarot as the gateways into each story. I will then use another 22 decks to give the feels to each of the 22 worlds once the portal has been crossed. I will do a spread to select characters, storyline, etc ... but the overall point of the story will be to fit that all into context of the portal that has been crossed. Should be a lot of fun to write! It should be wonderful to write, as my less involved idea was amazing to write. If you want an help, advice, or another opinion from a fellow writer, please do not hesitate to ask me. :D Peace!

Jewel	12 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Khatruman It should be wonderful to write, as my less involved idea was amazing to write. If you want an help, advice, or another opinion from a fellow writer, please do not hesitate to ask me. :D I will count on you! That means you will need to remain a member of aeclectic for the next 22 years at the rate I get things done *ROFLMAO*. No seriously I would love the feedback. And it would be great to have someone to get advice from and learn from. I only write as a hobby at the present.

Cerulean	12 Dec 2002
Don't forget that you could also do a jumping off point from stories or poems that you like that might fit the mood of the particular card. Many Asian decks seem to fit the haiku style of poetry, for example. Tarot of the Ages to me was so campy, like an old sci-fi film from the 20th century. I took little glimpses from the short story of the Time Machine by H.G. Wells and matched the phrase or sentence with a card scene. Unfortunately or fortunately, I see the story every time I look at the Tarot of the Ages, so I put the deck and short story away. It was only supposed to be a fun summer week's project, but it is stuck in my head now. So if the deck and stories are just for you, it makes for a rich experience...but I now recirculate and categorize my decks differently now. Best wishes, Mari H.

The Help! - Using Tarot for writing Fantasy thread was originally posted on 12 Sep 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.