Writing With Tarot: Developing Plot
You awake with a story flowing through your mind, the threads of plot weaving their way toward coherence. As the mists of sleep subside, the threads slip from your grasp, and the plot of your subconscious mind begins to unravel.
Tarot spreads can help you tap into your creative subconscious creative and fill in the story’s details while organizing them into a consumable plot.
What is a Tarot Spread?
In Tarot, the patterns in which the cards are arranged are referred to as “spreads.” These can be designed for general inquiries or to answer a specific question. For example, the cards in a spread created to unlock information or energy may be arranged in the shape of a key.
Spreads may consist of a single card to answer a single focused question or maybe a combination of cards answering many questions around an overarching theme.
As writers, we can gather insight into the structure of our stories by applying the Tarot as a tool. Our questions for the Tarot may revolve around the broad theme that the story conveys or may focus on the structural details of the story.
What is Plot?
In story, characters make choices based on their experiences, desires, and worldviews. By making these choices and responding to circumstances into which they are placed, the characters shape the plot — the chain of events that connect to make up a narrative. The plot of your story is what actually happens and the structure in which it occurs.
Your beautiful, darling characters may not be aware of the events that are about to unfold in their story or how they will unwittingly shape it, but you, as the writer, may want to have some idea of the plot.
Whether you’re a die-hard pants-er, writing by the seat of your pants and discovering your plot along the way, or a devoted plotter, carefully defining every beat in a neat and tidy outline prior to writing, or some variation in between, the Tarot can be your guide through the story.
Three Card Spreads for Plot
When following the threads of stories, I prefer to begin with broad questions. Often, I begin with an idea for a character in mind (See my article on Building Characters with Tarot), but that is not required to seek guidance on plot. Indeed, as the story’s plot is revealed, the true colors of your characters may become clearer.
Use the symbols, colors, imagery, setting, figures, and any details in these three-card spreads to forge your plot:
- Past, Present, Future
- Beginning, Middle, End
- Situation, Problem, Solution
- Act 1, act 2, act 3
A Tarot Spread for the Seven Point Story Structure
There are as many story structure models as there are tarot spread designs. That is to say, a lot, and all are valid. Choose the one that works for you and approach the Tarot with a sense of curiosity and playfulness.
In this article, our focus is on the Seven-Point Structure model. Author Dan Wells’s Five-Part Youtube Series on the Seven Point Story Structure is an excellent resource to learn more about this model.
The seven points will appear in our story in the following chronological order:
- Hook
- Plot turn 1
- Pinch 1
- Midpoint
- Pinch 2
- Plot turn 2
- Resolution
Designing My Spread
The cards in our tarot spread will be drawn and arranged according to the order in which each structure point is revealed.
I’ve chosen to draw cards for the Resolution, Midpoint, and Hook together and arrange them in the bottom row. Like the foundation of a house, these plot points hold up the plot turns and pinches to create a structured story.
Next, I draw plot turns one and two and arrange them in the middle row. Finally, pinches one and two are drawn and arranged in the top row.
Reading My Cards
Today, I’m coming to the Tarot with nothing but a desire to plot a middle-grade magical fiction story. My heroine, Madeline, is a seventh-grader in a small East Texas town. Her grandmother, who recently passed, used her dying words to tell Madeline that she is the next in a lineage of witches tasked with some kind of magical responsibility. These are the only details I have at this point. I will ask the Tarot to help me fill in the rest.
Resolution
In this model, the resolution of the story is determined first, even though it appears at the end of your story. By having an idea of where you’re going, you have a clearer path to get there.
Card 1: The Hermit
The Hermit brings ideas of contemplation, wisdom, guidance, and seeking. His mountain top setting indicates an understanding of the bigger picture. Perhaps Madeline must search and befriend this Hermit in order to learn her magical craft. The six-pointed star in his lantern represents a union of fire and water. Perhaps this union speaks a combination of Madeline’s fire magic and the Hermit’s water magic.
Drawing the hermit as my Resolution card immediately makes me wonder if I’m writing the first book in a series. Could the resolution of this story beg more questions?
Hook
Once the Resolution is established, the Hook can be constructed. The hook is your main character’s beginning state and often the direct opposite of their ending state.
Card 2: The High Priestess
The High Priestess represents secrets and initiation. Her scrolls of experiential knowledge are indicative of Madeline’s new life as a guardian witch and her new responsibility to protect the balance of magical power. Her dress flowing into the river could indicate an ever-changing reality. Her grandmother may very well be the High Priestess, entrusting Madeline with this task. Is Madeline ready for this newly acquired power?
Midpoint
With this information in mind, the mid-point, or point at which your main character shifts from reactive to proactive, can be identified.
Card 3: Ace of Wands
The Ace of Wands is a fitting midpoint card. Wands are the suit of the fire element, and the Ace is about passion, drive, and confidence. Madeline makes the decision to fully embrace her magical responsibilities. The castle in the background could mean her home and family are in peril if she does not.
Plot Turns One and Two
With the Hook, Midpoint, and Resolution in place, the first plot turn can be identified. Plot turns work to bring the characters closer to their goal.
Plot turn one brings the character to the midpoint. It may look like a call to action that thrusts your character into their journey, or it could simply be something that happens to cause a shift in your character’s perspective of their world.
Similar to plot turn one, plot turn two brings your character to the resolution. It is where the character gets the last piece of the puzzle. They may uncover the location of a long-hidden document that will help them find the treasure they seek, or they may learn the magic they needed to get home to their farm in Kansas was within them all along.
Card 4: The Sun
A baby riding a white horse in the Sun represents purity and innocence. The sunflowers in a walled garden indicate a search for the gifts of the sun, optimism, and freedom. Perhaps, in plot turn, one Madeline begins to test her new magical power and is elated and energized with her natural ability and skill. She feels like anything is possible, but with immense power comes immense responsibility or consequences.
Card 5: Queen of Wands
Another card from the wand suit, and other repeating fire themes, solidify my hunch that Madeline’s power is based in fire. Queens have learned many lessons through the experience of guiding their kingdoms, making the queen a perfect card for Plot Turn Two and an excellent balance to our Plot Turn One card. This card represents Madeline herself in the state just before she reaches the resolution, and the piece of information she needed throughout the journey was within her all along.
Pinches One and Two
If the plot turns move characters closer to the resolution, the pinches add pressure along the way. Pinch 1 and Pinch 2 are challenges that keep the characters from reaching the resolution, and in so doing, act to force characters into action. This could look like challenges that seem beyond the control of the characters, a car wreck, a natural disaster, crash landing on an unknown planet. Or this could be as simple as the main character’s dog eating his science fair project.
Card 6: Six of Wands (reversed)
In its reversed position, the six of wands represents failure, disappointment, and dishonor. The crowd in the card reminds us that nothing is achieved alone. Perhaps Madeline’s attempts at using her magic go haywire. Perhaps someone is injured at her hand. Perhaps she feels ashamed at her lack of experience and understanding of her natural ability. This gives clear motivation for Madeline to seek out a teacher in our midpoint.
Card 7: Justice (reversed)
Reversed, Justice can mean imbalance, hypocrisy, and dishonesty. Justice is karmic accountability. Perhaps someone close to Madeline proves to be less honorable than previously believed. A betrayal casts self-doubt on Madeline’s ability to wield her power, but she knows the betrayer is a good but misguided. Madeline must decide whether to save the betrayer from themselves.
Dig Deeper
With the Tarot’s help, I have developed the scaffolding on which to build the pieces of Madeline’s story. However, this story is not complete. Many important details are missing, in particular an antagonist, but I can come back to the cards to further flesh out additional details such as rounded characters and engaging setting.
Writing Exercise
It’s your turn to create a plot with Tarot. Feel free to use this spread and the Seven Point Story Structure model or branch out. Tarot can be used with Freytag’s Pyramid, the Save The Cat Beat Sheet model, or even the Romancing the Beat model.
Be curious and have fun, and remember that Tarot is a tool with many different interpretations. Find what feels right for you and your story.
Feature photo by Haley P. Law.
