Characterization Spread (Tarot for Writers)

[ArwenNightstar]

Characterization Spread

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Aspiration~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Major Weakness~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Major Strength
Fear~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hopes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Quirk~~~~~~~~~~~~
Career~~~~~~~~~~~~Family~~~~~~~~~~~Drives
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Adult Defining Moment~~~~~~~~~
Grade School~~~~~~~~High School~~~~~~~~College
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Child Defining Moment~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mother~~~~~~~~~~~~Childhood~~~~~~~~~Father

Positions
Mother - relationship with mother
Father - relationship with father
Childhood - What was the character like as a child?
Defining Moment - What memory still haunts the character? Or thrills?
Grade School - What influences did Grade School leave on them?
High School - What influences did High School leave on them?
College or First Job - What influences did college or their first job leave on them?
Defining Moment - What memory still haunts the character? Or thrills?
Career - What path have they chosen?
Family - what is the prevailing family dynamic for the character?
Drives - What drives the character to do what they do?
Quirk - What is a main quirk everyone notices about the character?
Fears - What is something that they fear
Major Strengths - Where is the character the strongest?
Major Weakeness - Where is the character the weakest?
Hopes/Aspirations/Dreams/Goals - What is the character yearning for?

NOTE: This spread is very tweakable. I would love to hear feedback from those of you who try this out in your writing.

[Suriel]

Hi, ArwenNightstar

It's a nice spread, indeed. Though,well, I'm wondering..what if I want to narrate a character who is only, let's say, 7 or 8 years old? By then, what cards would have come out at the High School, College at First Job..?

Love,
Suriel

[Alissa]

Originally Posted by ArwenNightstar

Positions
Mother - relationship with mother
Father - relationship with father
Childhood - What was the character like as a child?
Defining Moment - What memory still haunts the character? Or thrills?
Grade School - What influences did Grade School leave on them?
High School - What influences did High School leave on them?

This seems like overemphasis on childhood for myself, as a writer. But most of my characters are adults, or nearly. A child such Suriel mentions would probably need this much background.

I would probably shorten it to Mother/Father/Defining Childhood Moment.

College or First Job - What influences did college or their first job leave on them?
Defining Moment - What memory still haunts the character? Or thrills?
Career - What path have they chosen?
Family - what is the prevailing family dynamic for the character?

College/First Job suggests early adulthood, as well as a shift of focus from family to career. I like that.

Next is a second defining moment, one meant for the late adolescent to experience, but for myself, I question if we need it.

Career is good, but Family? My assumption is this would be the family a character builds on their own (wife, kids) but it could be an unneccessary rehashing of all the childhood stuff.

Drives - What drives the character to do what they do?

Myself, I would drop this question. It seems repetitive to me, given the positions coming up next.

Quirk - What is a main quirk everyone notices about the character?

I really like this! This allows us to see the character through another character's eyes. Opens it up from first person mentality, to third person.

Fears - What is something that they fear
Major Strengths - Where is the character the strongest?
Major Weakeness - Where is the character the weakest?
Hopes/Aspirations/Dreams/Goals - What is the character yearning for?

Here is the interior map of the character, which is good. But the one thing I couldn't help but notice was missing was anything related to emotions, romance, sex, and partners. A position for this character's "love potential" (I hate that term, don't use that... I'm just trying to think of the right words here)?

Nice spread! I think it could be slightly tightened up and shortened, but it's neat!

[ArwenNightstar]

Originally Posted by Alissa

Nice spread! I think it could be slightly tightened up and shortened, but it's neat!

Alissa, thank you! I used this in my Tarot for Writer's workshop that I just completed for my RWA chapter.

For me, knowing things about my character's childhood gives them a more 3-D personality. I like complicated characters. :-)

I love the time that you took to really look at this spread. I agree that it needs tweaking and tightening up. I am going to look at your suggestions and see which ones work for me. I think that most of them will. :-)

[Alissa]

It's a very workable spread for characters - depending on what information the writer needs, you can tailor the spread for your own writing project. Cool!

[Suriel]

Thank you so much ArwenNightstar for introducing such a good spread, and also Alissa for defining it perfetly

I have tried out this spread.....I have posted the reading at :
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread...024#post402024

Give some two cents maybe
P/S: I'm thinking about narrating a writer as a main character..

Thanks,
Suriel