#you can just go 'oh cat has zoomies in this card so this character is a hyperactive wild child always on the move and is amusing'

[pastafossa]

Using Tarot To Help You Write

Right ok, so I’ve wanted to do this for a bit - there are vague references to tarot in my story TRT and I’ve answered a few questions about how I use the RWS-style tarot to write but now I have a little bit of time while I wait for my laundry to dry. So let’s get into it.

If you’re looking for another tool in your writer’s kit, you could strongly consider adding a box of tarot cards to the bag. Set aside, for a minute, what you’ve heard about it. Set aside any spiritual aspect, telling the future, the ‘OoOOOooOOh evil’, or even the ‘DRAW DEATH MEANS DEATH’ you see in movies. Instead, strip it down to its base.

Tarot is about telling a story.

(Below: Oak, Ash, & Thorn Tarot)

From a storytelling perspective, the first 18 cards of the RWS style tarot, known as the Major Arcana, essentially tell the Hero’s Journey as the Hero sets out on an adventure and searches for knowledge. There’s disaster, love, temptation, and wise people they meet along the way before eventually finding enlightenment at the end of their journey. The Major Arcana contains major archetypes and themes present through so many stories. When you add in the rest of the cards in the Minor Arcana - the other 56 cards, encompassing a variety of emotions, archetypes, figures, and various life events you might run into - you’ve got something perfect when you want to introduce new elements to your story. I keep a small deck on my desk and use it frequently when creating random OCs, plotlines, or problems for characters to solve.

And before you go, holy shit Pasta that’s a lot to take in, using tarot for your story doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to have 20 years of tarot experiences, you don’t need to be an expert, you don’t need A Great Gift. You don’t have to know about tarot at all, really. You just need one thing:

The right storytelling deck.

More below the cut.

Look, there are a million styles out there, some that focus heavily on storytelling imagery and some that focus more on symbols; some that feature animals or nature, and some that focus on people. I generally lean towards animal-based decks since I’m more familiar with animal/nature imagery, body language, and symbolism, but in reality the best deck to use for writing is simply the one you’ll actually use. If you’re drawn to one, go for it. That being said, if you’re looking for something to use without needing to get into all the symbolism of each card, I generally recommend using a deck in which all cards, including the Minor Arcana, depict a scene you can examine - aka, one that plays up a story rather than a straight up symbol. Let me show you an example with three decks.

Left: Mystical Cats tarot; Middle: Oriens tarot; Right: Children of Litha tarot

These all depict the same card: the Seven of Swords, meant to depict deceit, theft, betrayal, lies, and trickery. The middle card relies a little more heavily on symbolic meaning (the black widow spider, which ‘betrays’ when mating and uses a sticky web - symbolizing a potential trap), whereas the other two cards show an active scene (Card 1: OH NO HE’S GONNA STEAL YER MOUSE WHILE YOU’RE NOT LOOKING; Card 3: YOU LOVESTRUCK DIPSHITS, TURN AROUND, THE SNAKE’S EATING YOUR EGGS). I’ve found cards like Card 1 and Card 3 are faster and more convenient for storytelling, because you’re basically presented with a scenario/characters/a situation right off the bat, whereas a symbolic card is more open-ended and might require some digging unless you’re already fairly familiar with the symbolism. If you’re going to get a deck that depicts people instead, I recommend looking for a deck that’s diverse. Humans come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and having a deck that reflects that (something like the Modern Witch tarot) is valuable for storytelling. So if you’re picking a deck to help you write, look for:

Decks that use scenes/storytelling imagery for all cards

Decks with imagery/body language you can easily read at a glance

If you’re looking for a deck with people - decks with a diverse range of body types, ethnicities, sexualities, and genders

A deck with imagery you actually like, otherwise you won’t want to use it

‘Ok, so let’s say I’ve found a deck, or I already have one. What does using tarot for fic even look like?’

Let’s do two quick readings for two writing scenarios you might use this for! This will also show you can be as complex or as simple as you need to be. These are also the two scenarios I use tarot for most when writing - character construction, and plotline construction. First I’ll use the Children of Litha tarot, which uses a moderate amount of storytelling imagery. Then I’ll use the Mystical Cats tarot, which is probably the most story-heavy deck I have, imagery-wise. That way, you can see how construction gets a bit easier depending on how scene-heavy a deck is.

Scenario: I need an original character for this chapter or scene! Quick, draw three cards!

Quick reading: she’s very gentle but there are also two tigers inside her and one of them wants to kill you, especially if you fuck with her pet birds

More complex reading - Personality, Flaw, Backstory:

Card 1 - Personality: This character is someone who’s unafraid and bold in their kindness even when faced with danger, and they know when a gentle touch is needed. They believe strength is found not in being cruel or violent but in responding with love. This usually works out for them, to the point that even Scary People (TM) seek this character out, knowing they’ll find love and affection. Alternatively, this character is one half of the Brooding Rough One Loves The Gentle Soft One trope. Whatever works for you!

Card 2 - Flaw: Despite all that, the gentle character’s got a temper, and it exists in direct conflict to what they believe about strength, thus producing cognitive dissonance. This is someone who’ll dodge conflict to avoid showing their temper, but eventually that repression’s going to blow up into a real fight and it’ll be messy.

Card 3 - backstory: This temper and conflict avoidance is due to some tragic incident in their past that left them deeply wounded. It’s one reason they’re so gentle, but there’s a lot of lingering anger and trauma. These wounds are not healed, and if you look deep enough, you’re going to find blood.

Depending on how important this character is, you could add even more: a card for a strength, a card for a challenge they need to overcome to grow as a person, their family dynamic, etc. Again, you can make it as detailed or as simple as you need.

PASTA NOW I NEED A LITTLE PLOTLINE FOR CHARACTERS TO SOLVE. Quick, draw four!

Quick reading: holy SHIT your characters gotta move fast, cause there’s a pissed off dude out there who wants revenge NOW and is ready to fuck up a *shuffles cards and draws* religious temple of peaceful cat loving monks, one of whom is the one that fucked up Angry Dude in the first place WHEN HE WAS A BABY WITH HIS MAMA, PLOT TWIST OH NO, IT’S PROBABLY THAT ASSHOLE STEVE IN THE BACK OF THE THIRD CARD, LOOK AT HIM LOOKING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE.

More complex reading - Theme, Problem, Setting, Solution:

Card 1 - Theme: As you can tell from our cat with zoomies, your protagonists are on a clock. The theme here is urgency, it’s speed. Things will start off with a bang and they won’t have much time to slow down. This’d be good for a one shot or a chapter.

Card 2 - Problem: look at that cat, they’re so ANGRY, they are PISSED, someone did them dirty and they’ve been stewing over it for a while. They can’t stop feeling that betrayal no matter how much they try to lick it off shake it off forget about it. They want REVENGE for what was done to them and they’re gonna cut someone up.

Card 3 - Setting: Ah, a peaceful, sunny place where everyone’s just chilling. Everyone’s happy. Maybe a religious place, say, a church or a convent or hell, a nudist retreat. Either way, no one knows what’s coming. Except (and this is why scene cards are so fun)... for STEVE there in the back. Look at him. Everyone’s relaxing in the sun but he’s staring out into the distance. He knows. And just like that, Steve’s the In Hiding person who betrayed our Problem - Steve the Asshole isn’t a part of the Sun card’s meaning, but a storytelling scene card lets you stretch like this and have fun.

Card 4 - solution: Clearly the only person who can stop Bad Person... is their MAMA (or potentially his siblings). Maybe a character goes to find the Problem’s mother and brings her to the church to talk the Problem into giving up. Maybe the protagonists desperately tell the Problem that your family wouldn’t have wanted this, even if that family was hurt - the Empress is generally very nurturing and loving, so that’s a fair bet. Either way, the solution to the Problem is their family.  

Once you get the hang of this, you’ll start to find other ways you can use it. I’ve used it for creating quick or more complex or more randomized characters, for creating plotlines and character arcs, for a few of Jane’s cases in TRT. You can use it for backstories, for settings, for problems and solutions, for deeper themes to explore with your characters. Hell, if you want some practice, you could literally go through the Major Arcana and write one-shots dealing with each card’s theme. Ultimately the possibilities are endless, whether you want to construct a detailed plotline or if you just have a new character you want to randomize or flesh out a bit.

In short: go get yourself a deck and have some fun!

[blschaos3000-blog]

Its 9:54 pm dark/rainy/

  As I was wrapping up our last review,the cheetah was feeling a bit zoomie and so he decided romp up and down the stairs. I could see he was crazing some action and so when I showed him the cover of “Trauma Center”,I thought he would be pretty amped up.  I mean,how can you go wrong with a direct to DVD action movie starring Bruce Willis,right?? You know,”Die Hard” and “Die Hard 2” Bruce Willis!! The cheetah’s tail went straight up and he asks “Is Trauma Center like those movies”? I said “Oh yeah!! This is going to be wall-to-wall Bruce! You’re going to love it!!”

In San Juan,Puerto Rico we see two big guys in a small room,they are a pair of killers and they are looking for a memory card. Tull (Texas Battle) breaks into a cabinet drawer to retrieve the card and ignoring a large stack of cash as does his partner,Pierce (Tito Ortiz). There is a dead man on the floor that had the misfortune of meeting our two baddies. Tull and Pierce deduce that they are being set up by the cops and so using the dead’s man phone,set up a new meet to see who is exactly coming for them.

Meanwhile Madison Taylor (Nicky Whelan) is a waitress in a small diner,despite customers being rude to her,she keeps her cool while also keeping her eye on her little sister,16 year old Emily. The girls’s mother has recently passed away and Madison is doing her best to maintain a home for them despite Emily’s teen dramatics. When a sudden asthma attack hits Emily,Madison discovers that Emily has been leaving it at home due to peer pressure. This means a 3rd trip to the local ER that month alone and the doctor is getting concerned.

Next we meet Lt. Steve Wakes (Bruce Willis) who is on his way to see a informant when his partner tells him that something is fishy as there is new meeting being set up and he wants Wakes to roll with him. Wakes declines,he has worked a double but he isgoing to check in on his informant. Madison is sitting with Emily in her hospital room,her little sister wants Madison to stay as Emily is going to be there overnight. Madison wants to but she has to return to work. That night,Wakes discovers his CI is dead and figures out his partner is going to be ambushed,he tries to warn him but Tull and Pierce have beat him to the punch and have mortsally wounded him and he is staggering down a alley way where he stumbles across Madison was is taking out the trash. In trying to help the wounded man,Madison is shot but before Tull and Pierce can finish her off,Wakes arrives just in time.

Madison is taken to the same hospital her sister is at where she is told she’ll have to wait 1-2 days to have the bullet removed since its just below her skin. Wakes then interviews her and says she is a material witness and also a potential target,so he arranges her to be housed on a completely empty floor and assigns one rookie cop to protect her while he investigates his partner’s death. Tull and Pierce know they are a in a quandry,if the bullet is recovered from Madison,they may be able to trace it back to them….so they have to get it back before that happens. It will be easy for them because well,they have badges. When they discover Madison is isolated,Tull and Pierce figure they have it made…..and while Wakes is out trailing for a pair of killers,little does he know,he himself is being tracked. Things don’t look very promising on what is going to be a very long night….. This is a hard movie to review because quite honestly,its very poorly written. Bruce Willis is on auto-pilot mode,the no budget is so evident and the plot holes are big enough to drive a armored disvison through. It would be so easy to lump it under “Seattle Superstorm” bad and move on. But here is the thing,I knew all of this before I bought “Trauma Center”. I knew it would be hard pressed to be any good and so you’re wondering why I did indeed buy it. Pretty simple…..I bought it to watch Nicky Whelan,Texas Battle and Tito Ortiz,three performers who work very hard no matter what. That is still the case here,watching the cat and mouse game between Madison and the two corrupt cops that takes up most of this film is very suspenseful and while the rest of the film is terrible,director Matt Eskandari did do a fine job in directing the hunting scenes.

I liked the bad guy team of Ortiz and Battle,I found myself wishing for a little more give and take between the two,some humor would have been a nice touch. And a little backstory would have helped as well,showing us why two good cops went rogue allows the viewer to connect with them a bit more. The chemistry between Ortiz and Battle is solid and well played.

But this is Whelan’s movie…her Madison is a very interesting character. While the only back story we get is that the mom has died,Madison is no shrinking violet. This is established early on when she handles a rude customer with class and diginty instead of taking his head off. At the hospital,once she is aware of what is going on,she takes charge of her own situation and takes on two hardened killers in a realistic manner. Whelan is one of Hollywood’s most beautiful actresses but she isn’t afraid to get dirty or bloody. There is a scene where Madison has to take care of her wound and in watching it,you wonder just where did she learn that,it certain wasn’t taught in waitressing school. I wish they would have taken Willis out of the film and used the budget for a more dedicated actor,an extra 100k MAY have saved “Trauma Center” and elevated it a little more. Whelan,Battle and Ortiz deserved a better film.

“Trauma Center” is rated “R” and has a very short run time of 80 minutes. It has no special features.

The cheetah and I gave Nicky,Texas and Tito a thumbs up and the rest of the film we self distancing ourselves from.

What have you been watching during our self isolation? Drop a comment below.

Have Cheetah,Will View #429 – “Trauma Center” (2019) Its 9:54 pm dark/rainy/ As I was wrapping up our last review,the cheetah was feeling a bit zoomie and so he decided romp up and down the stairs.