Shuffle | Corrine Kenner's Tarot Blog

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #11: Location, Location, Location

Here’s another quick tip to help you prepare for National Novel Writing Month.

Use tarot cards to develop settings for your stories. Pull scenic details from a single card, or layer specific elements from several cards.

You can find all of my NaNoWriMo planning tips on the Tarot for Writers Group message board. Image source: Historical Maps Online, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #10: Forget Everything You Know

Here's one of my favorite tips for National Novel Writing Month.

When you're using tarot cards as a writing tool, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Don't limit yourself by sticking too closely to definitions you've memorized or interpretations you've learned from books. Let the cards play with you for a change! Let your mind wander when you look through your tarot deck, and feel free to break the "rules."

You can find all of my NaNoWriMo planning tips on the Tarot for Writers Group message board.

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #9: Three-Card Spreads

This tip for National Novel Writing Month is so basic that it can almost go unsaid. Even so, I feel compelled to say it.

Three-card spreads are a mainstay among tarot readers, and a three-card spread is a good, basic way to initiate a storyline, too. Simply shuffle your tarot deck and lay any three cards at random. The first card will represent the beginning of your story -- the setup and the exposition. The second card will depict the middle -- which typically incorporates a series of complications that leads to a climax. And the third card will reveal the end of your tale -- the resolution, conclusion, and denouement.

You can find all of my NaNoWriMo planning tips on the Tarot for Writers Group message board.

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #8: Sticky Notes

Over at the Tarot for Writers Group, excitement is growing for National Novel Writing Month. Here's tip #8 in my ongoing series of planning suggestions:

You can devise an impromptu storyboard by jotting story ideas on removable Post-It Notes. Stick the notes right onto your tarot cards, and use them to track scenes, snippets of dialogue, descriptions, and more. You can rearrange both the notes and the cards as your story develops.

You can find all the tips listed on the Tarot for Writers group website.

For more creative writing tips, visit www.tarotforwriters.com and www.tarotjournaling.com.

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NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #7: Theme Song

National Novel Writing Month is just two weeks away. Here's lucky #7 in my ongoing series of NaNoWriMo planning tips:

If you're planning a new story from scratch, tarot cards can offer a theme for your work. I sometimes think of the theme as the moral of the story -- "All that glitters is not gold," for example, or "Be careful what you wish for." To find a theme for your story, simply shuffle your tarot deck and pull a single card. Then look for the message or moral of the card. The Ten of Cups, for example, depicts a happy family in front of a cozy cottage. It might suggest a theme like, "You can go home again."

You can find all the tips listed on the Tarot for Writers group website.

For more creative writing tips, visit www.tarotforwriters.com and www.tarotjournaling.com.

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NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #6: Go Inside

Here's the next tip in my ongoing series of planning ideas for National Novel Writing Month.

When you turn to a tarot card for writing ideas and inspiration, don't just look at the card. Instead, picture yourself inside the card. Imagine what you would see and feel all around you, if you were the central figure in the image. Engage all of your senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Also, engage your imagination: what do you think you would see off to the sides, beyond the borders of the card?

For more creative writing tips, visit www.tarotforwriters.com and www.tarotjournaling.com.

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #5: Character Sketches

If you're an Amazon.com reader, you might be new to this blog, so I'd like to take a moment to welcome you and let you know about some new developments. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="150" caption="The Tarot for Writers guidebook will be released in February, 2009. Click the image to pre-order your copy today."][/caption] First of all, welcome! For the last few months, I've been getting ready for the release of my next book, Tarot for Writers. While most people think of tarot cards as a fortune-telling device, they're also an excellent tool for creative writers. The Tarot for Writers guidebook will show you how tarot cards can help you break through writer's block, create lifelike characters, and develop storylines and plot twists to keep your readers turning the page. For the last week or so, I've also been posting NaNoWriMo planning tips. NaNoWriMo, of course, is National Novel Writing Month, a web-based event in which writers all around the world challenge themselves to write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. While you can't start writing your novel until midnight on November 1, it's perfectly okay to start planning your novel now. I've been posting the tips here and on the Tarot for Writers Meetup Group site. If you're interested in using tarot cards as a tool for creative writing, please join the group! Membership is fun, fast, and free -- and it's not limited to writers in any one geographic area. We're global, and you can participate online! (We also meet in person every Saturday morning at the Mall of America, if you happen to be in the Minneapolis area.) So now that you're up to speed, here's the fifth in my ongoing series of NaNoWriMo planning tips:

TIP #5: CHARACTER SKETCHES What do you really need to know about a character's background before you can include him in a story? What facts and figures should you have at hand? What details can you use to bring your characters to life? You can start with the basics, of course, like name, age, and place of birth -- but there are other telling details that you should be aware of, too. For example, what kind of music does your character listen to? What does he eat for breakfast? How does he dress for work? As you're planning your story, think about the background knowledge you'd like to have on hand for each of your characters. Then develop a standard "fill in the blank" form that you can use for all of them. You can devise a very simple short form, or a long and comprehensive survey. Later, you can use tarot cards to help fill in some of the blanks.

You can find all of the tips listed sequentially on the Tarot for Writers Meetup Group message board.

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #4: Pros and Cons

Here's another in the continuing series of NaNoWriMo planning tips I'm posting for my Tarot for Writers group. (You should join! It's fast and it's free, and it's open to creative writers all over the world.)

Once you've pulled a tarot card to represent your protagonist, you might as well see what he's up against: pull another card to represent the antagonist in your story. Here's where you'll find the thorn in your protagonist's side -- his arch rival, sworn enemy, or fiendish foe. This is the card that will represent the sum of all evil, the face of fear, and the dark side of human nature. Won't it be interesting if you pull a "good" card, like the loving and maternal Empress?

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #3: Go Digital

Here's another one of the tips I'm posting for our Tarot for Writers Meetup Group.

Tarot cards are always as close as the nearest Internet connection: just click, and you can see your favorite card onscreen or deal a whole spread completely at random. One of the best sources for tarot imagery and ideas is llewellyn.com, where you can choose from 11 full decks and 7 different layouts for your readings. To try it for yourself, click here.

You can join the Tarot for Writers Meetup Group even if you don't live in Minnesota. We do a lot of writing online. It's fun and it's free: just click here.

NaNoWriMo Planning Tip #2: Soak Up Some Sun Signs

Here's the second in a series of NaNoWriMo tips:

It's an open secret that writers have long used astrology as a tool for character development. Choose a birthdate for your characters, and you can tap into a wealth of information based on their sun signs; just google for astrological background. To choose a birthdate and sun sign for your characters, refer to this list: Aries (March 20 - April 20) Taurus (April 21 - May 22) Gemini (May 22 - June 23) Cancer (June 23 - July 24) Leo (July 24 - August 24) Virgo (August 24 - September 23) Libra (September 23 - October 23) Scorpio (October 23 - November 21) Sagittarius (November 21 - December 20) Capricorn (December 20 - January 19) Aquarius (January 19 - February 18) Pisces (February 18 - March 20) If you like, I can even run a computerized astrological profile for your favorite characters. Click here for info.