A Journey through "Tarot for Writers" - Part 1 the Exercises

So, I just picked up Tarot For Writers by Corrine Kenner from the library (amazon link) and I already love it - seriously, it’s going on the To Buy list. 

I got Tarot cards this past Christmas and started learning all about the cards and how they were organized, Major vs. Minor Arcana and the different suits - Wands, Pentacles, Swords, and Cups. I started pulling cards in the morning and journaling. I started doing simple 3 card spreads for various questions I was thinking about in my life. This book though, takes the tarot cards and my creative life, to a whole new level.

The book is divided into three parts. Part one is about how the cards are organized and how to read them (simply and quickly). Part two is the writing exercises dealing with character, plot, settings, descriptions, and beating writer’s block. Part three is a guide to the cards with keywords, writing prompts, and things to think about for each card in a standard deck.

For fun, I thought I would go through two of the exercises - Character Creation and a 3-card spread for Beginning, Middle, and End. I’ll show you the cards I pull, what I write for each answer, and any other insights that come up. Then I will take what I write during these two exercises and I’ll compose a short story (1000-1500 words) and post that in a few days.  Okay, it sounds like fun to me. Lol  

Exercise 1: Character Creation (page 40 in the book)

Use the cards to answer the following questions. You can pull as many as you like to determine the answers. Note, I’m going to pull one card per question and I’m going to create a protagonist and an antagonist. If I need any further characters after doing Exercise 2 (the plot portion) then I’ll go back and do that on my own. Also…I named the characters after I pulled the cards, but put it at the top for easier ID.

PROTAGONIST - Elijah, goes by Eli

1. Is your character a man or a woman?

Card - Four of Swords

Notes - Man

2. How old is your character?

Card - Seven of Wands

Notes - 27 years old

3. What does your character look like?

Card - Ten of Cups

Notes - Medium height, brown hair, brown eyes, likes colorful clothing - oranges, blues, reds

4. What does your character do for a living?

Card - Ten of Swords

Notes - He was just fired, over a suspicion of wrong doing - the company he had just started working for says he stole proprietary information, he didn’t do it but he knows who did - but wouldn’t snitch

5. How does your character spend his or her free time?

Card - The Hanged Man

Notes - Carpentry, using his hands building things - it’s his passion

6. Does your character have a spouse, children, or a pet?

Card - Five of Wands

Notes - No, but he has a very tight-knit group of guys that have been friends since grade school

7. What are your character’s hopes and dreams?

Card - Two of Cups

Notes - A loving relationship, marriage even. Security and companionship.

8. What does your character fear most?

Card - Queen of Pentacles

Notes - Disappointing his mother and lack of money, he grew up poor and his Mom worked two jobs to make sure he got what he needed throughout his childhood. 

ANTAGONIST - Pansy was her given name but she changed it to Patricia to sound more lawyer-like

1. Is your character a man or a woman?

Card - Queen of Wands

Notes - Woman

2. How old is your character?

Card - Four of Cups

Notes -  40s-50s

3. What does your character look like?

Card -  Six of Cups

Notes - Younger than her years suggest, most people assume she’s 30 but she’s pushing 50. Bright colors look good on her, pale skin, blonde hair.

4. What does your character do for a living?

Card - Ace of Swords

Notes - Lawyer, Eli’s old boss, the one who accused him of stealing

5. How does your character spend his or her free time?

Card - The Chariot

Notes -  She secretly loves car races, like the Indy 500 and Nascar. She always wanted to be a race car driver, but her father wouldn’t hear of it - it was too dangerous for his only child. She was smart and her father knew she could go places with an education and a career.

6. Does your character have a spouse, children, or a pet?

Card - Ace of Cups

Notes -  Had. Past tense, now divorced. He slipped through her fingers. She was working all the time and they were too young to really appreciate what they had. He has since remarried and has children with his new wife.

7. What are your character’s hopes and dreams?

Card -  Knight of Cups

Notes -  State Supreme Court Justice…for now

8. What does your character fear most?

Card -  Two of Swords

Notes - Dying alone, never feeling love again - having to choose between love and her career again

Exercise 2 - Beginning, Middle, and End (page 69 in the book)

Just lay a card for the beginning, middle, and end of your story. Note, I laid all three as if in a regular 3-card spread with Beginning on the Left, Middle in the middle, and Ending on the Right - as shown below in the picture. Also, I used what I had gathered from the above Character creation exercise…meaning, this is the beginning, middle, and end of their story - not just a random plot. Okay, then here we go.

Beginning

Card - The Devil

Notes - The day Eli gets fired. We see him being grilled by his boss, Patricia about the stolen information and although he didn’t do the deed, he knows who did and he won’t budge. She uses all of her lawyer tricks on him, thinking since he’s just a lowly paralegal he’ll crack. Although she’s pissed off that he won’t tell her what she needs, she’s oddly attracted to his reserve. Eli confronts his friend, the one that got him the job, the one who is actually stealing information and begs him to come forward for his own sake.

Middle

Card - Judgement

Notes - Eli can’t convince his friend and starts to pull away from his group of friends. While visiting his mother he accidentally lets it slip that he lost his job and why. His Mom is both proud and saddened by his actions, and gives him some advice: do what’s right for his friend. Tell the truth. But will Eli just give up 20 years of friendship that fast, even when he feels betrayed?  Will he have to think outside the box and come up with a different alternative to help himself and his friend and his ex-boss out?

Ending

Card - Page of Cups

Notes - Our young hero has decided and with it has totally turned his whole world upside down. He is on his own for the first time in forever and must learn to fend for himself. He must decide what’s best for him and him alone without worrying about his Mom or his friends. He has to realize that his needs are just as important and how he feels about himself needs to come first. He talks to his ex-boss, Patricia - gives her just enough information to figure out the pieces for herself and decides to look into carpentry type jobs instead of corporate money-making opportunities.

Final notes from me….in all honesty, this was fun but I’m nervous. This is not something I would normally write about - which is some ways is exactly what I need, but in other ways I feel completely out of my element. I hope I haven’t given myself too much information for a short story. Right now, I have a lot of interesting ideas about how to proceed and how to write this story.  I’m going to jump in, like the Fool card might do, and just start - shitty first draft and then clean up a bit before I post. Part 2 coming soon!!!

Muse? Muse? Where are you Muse?

I’m stuck and feeling bored. I’m tired of revising my novel. I’m tired of not writing new words. I’m fed up and my muse has all but left me alone and desperate. I feel like a bad writer and I want to just give up. 

Luckily for me, I have amazing supporters. My mom and husband have both listened to me cry, bitch, and moan about this book for years. I love the main character, love the plot, the twists, and especially love the setting…but I’m starting to get anxiety when I come to the table to actually work.  Mom and Bradley have both told me the same thing, gently - Jennifer, take a break. Don’t throw it out, but push it aside for a bit.

I wanted to throw the thing away, but they were right, I just need a break. I need some time to have fun, rediscover my muse, rediscover my love of writing because lately it’s been felt like drudgery.  So….now comes the question: how to find my muse.

I’ve come up with 5 things I think I’ll try in the next few months:

1. Writing Exercises

I plan on using my tarot cards and some stuff I’ve found on the internet to help me come up with some different characters and plot lines for some short story ideas. I also want to use some pictures I’ve found on Pinterest to just write…for fun…for no other reason than to describe something, learn something, discover something.

2. Walking and Yoga

Now that the weather is feeling more like Spring, I want to get out and walk - we’ve lived in this part of Queens for almost five years and I still don’t know much about it. That’s sad. Also, my yoga practice is a great way for me to be quiet and listen to my body. Maybe my muse needs to be coaxed out a bit.

3. Other artsy stuff

I was a theatre major, but haven’t done much singing or acting in a long time on an actual stage but since finding the Hamilton soundtrack on Amazon prime music I’ve been listening and singing and acting out the show non-stop for days.  I feel more alive, more in touch with who I used to be. I also have some crafty type projects lined up - like finishing my son’s baby book (he’ll be 5 in September) and my wedding/honeymoon scrapbook (we have our 10 year anniversary coming up) to complete. 

4. Meditation

Like yoga, I’m hoping mindful breathing and visualization can help me chill out, become more mellow, and achieve a “go with the flow” type attitude about my novel and my writing career.

5. People

I think I also need to be around people more often. I work from home, just me and my computer all day long. I have a new day job, but it’s all online, virtual assistant…but that doesn’t mean I have to stay home. I can head out to Starbuck’s or St. Louis Bread Company (okay, here it’s called Panera’s…but I’m a St. Louis girl at heart still), ordering a latte and a muffin and write or work right? I’ve never tried this so it makes me nervous, but I think just being around other people, looking at them also working and eating might help me.

So…what else should I try? What do you guys do when you start feeling this way? Or….please don’t let this be true….am I the only one who gets this way sometimes? 

Captain Tight Pants

So, I’ve somewhat left childish things behind me (except, you know Disney) but not crushes. Cute boys grow up to be handsome men - ruggedly handsome, that is. Growing up, I crushed on Joey Lawrence - had pictures of him on my binders and watched his shows, listened to his music - all the things you do when crushing on a celebrity.

Things haven’t changed that much. My current celebrity crush is Nathan Fillion.

Yes, I’m happily married….trust me, my hubby is aware of said crush…and encourages it…well, maybe not encourages it but he likes the man too and we watch Firefly and Castle together…so you know, he’s a keeper. :-)

I watch the shows and movies (not all of them - I haven’t seen Slither) and listen to the music. What? He sings….check out Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog by the one and only Joss Whedon. I’ve watched him in Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place. I’ve watched him in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (that one’s hard though - he plays such an evil bastard). I’ve watched Firefly and Serenity. I’ve watched Waitress. I’ve watched Monster’s University (he does a voice) and I’ve watched Guardians of the Galaxy and tried to find him (he plays a big blue galoot in the jail who gets taken down by Groot). 

Oh….and I have him my Filofax.

Yup. I found that picture online and thought it was perfect. Printed it out and plopped it into my binder. I told you, things haven’t changed much. I also have a picture of David Tennant as Doctor Who telling me to write too.  He’s on the top 5 list too. You know, from Friends…the top 5 celebrities you’re allowed to have sex with.  Nathan Fillion, David Tennant, Matthew Perry, Joey Lawrence, and Paul Rudd. Unlike Ross, I don’t have my list printed and laminated though.

My childhood celebrity crush post was a bit embarrassing, so….here goes my huge secret….I follow Nathan on Instagram/Facebook and check his status every few days to see if he’s posted anything cool. I like things, but never comment…because if we ever actually meet in real life, I don’t want to be one of those people. HA  That’s pretty sad right?

Okay…fess up, who are you currently crushing on? Do you obsessively watch their shows and movies? Check fan sites? Write fan fiction? Give it to me….can’t be any more embarrassing than what I’ve shared.  

How I Organize my Blog using Scrivener

You might remember me mentioning Scrivener a few posts back, when I was discussing my top writing tools. I use it for my novel writing, but I also use it to organize this blog and today I thought I’d tell (and show) you more. Screenshots and explanations are going to be bursting off this page, but please ask me questions. I’m definitely not an authority, but I’ve been using this method of organizing for about 6 months.

If you are completely new to Scrivener - start here. If you’re using Scrivener for your other writing projects but haven’t thought about using it as a blogging tool, then keep reading.

First, I set up a new project called JenniferGregson.com. Then I created files for Goals, To-Do, Ideas, Drafts, Scheduled, and Posted. There’s also the normal Research folder and the Trash (standard Scrivener items). 

Goals

Right now, I have just a few listed, but they are items I want to think about and work on through the next few months. Especially posting at least 3 times a month and researching possible ad revenue. 

To-Do Items

Simple reminders of things I can actually do to work towards my goals. These are NOT blog post ideas, these are items to research, or revisions I need to start working on (so if I have a draft, and it’s just sitting there, then I might drop a to-do item to kick my butt back in gear), or books I want to check out. Once I’m done with an item - it goes in the trash. It looks like you could check things off, but you can’t - the only downside, but I have a Filofax/planner that I can write down and check off items if I feel the need.

Ideas

The meat and potatoes of this system. I drop a new card on the “cork board” every time I think up something I might want to write on. All of my flash fiction ideas live here too, although I’m rethinking some of these so they might disappear into their own folder for awhile until I decide if I want to keep including short stories on my blog. But seriously, if I think of an idea, any short little idea, I drop it here. As I grow and research and update the ideas, they get closer to the top of the list. I physically move them there for visual reasons. I use the “index card” portion to write notes to myself, or an actual synopsis if one of my short stories, or any links that I know I want to include. Basically, it’s the place my main blogging ideas live.

Drafts

Pretty self-explanatory. Once I have a full first draft, I move my card out of Ideas and into Drafts. Then I can read them out-loud, take notes about pictures and/or graphics that I need, etc. As you can see, my current post (the one you’re reading) is in Drafts right now in all of the screenshots because I took them as I was working on this post (makes sense, right?)…and actually it might have moved in some of the screenshots because it definitely started in Ideas and then moved to Drafts. Once I get this sucker either scheduled or posted, then it gets moved again.

Scheduled

So, if I have a post ready, but I’m not ready to post - it gets dropped here. I don’t use this very often as I usually write, revise, and publish right away. But it has happened, so I gave it a spot in the chain. Usually this happens if I want to post something while I’m away and since blogger does have a scheduling option…well, it’s here just in case. 

Posted

Once I publish on blogger, it gets dropped here so I know what’s what. If I need to go back for any reason, all of the posts I’ve written since starting this project are there, right there. I haven’t done much with these, they are just here for posterity or if something happened to blogger than at least I have a backup. 

Research

If I have any research links that I’m including (not just YouTube or specific company links) then I usually store them here, so everything is in one place, and I know I can find the link if needed. A lot of my research lives in Evernote, so this hasn’t been utilized often….but I did throw in some Scrivener research for this post. Honesty! It feels good. 

Trash

Uhh….it’s where old ideas go to die, old research, old links, old….well, you get it, it’s the trash.

And two last things I want to mention, Labels and Status. 

Labels

My labels here correspond to the labels within blogger (writing, music, etc) so that’s pretty self-explanatory, but it helps color code things here so that’s nice. 

Status

The statuses help me know where things are at: Ideas, Drafts, etc. These show up on the “index cards” making a nice visual reminder for me. So, if I’m looking at my Ideas cork board and notice a card that says Draft across it, I know that I have at least a first draft written but haven’t felt ready to move it yet…usually because I’m waiting for something, time to find pictures or links, time to find a YouTube clip, etc. I can tell at a glance what type of post it is and where it is within my system. I love these! If you’re visual like me, they are amazing! 

So, I think that’s it for now. Like I said, if you’re already using Scrivener for your novel, playwriting, or poetry, then give it a shot for your blogging needs. It’s super helpful to keep you organized but let’s you work the way you want and need to. I have felt more productive since starting this “project” within Scrivener - I feel like I generate ideas quicker, have better ideas, and can make sure I stay on top of my blogging goals.

What do you guys use for blogging? Do you plop right into Blogger or WordPress and write on the fly? Use Word or Pages before hand and then copy and paste? Real paper? Let me know below!

I Could Have Been Jennifer Lawrence

I want this blog to a friendship of sorts between you, my sweet readers, and me, the crazy writer. One of the first questions I tend to ask a new friend is: Who was your first celebrity crush?  It’s an amazing conversation starter. So…I’ll tell you mine, but only if you promise to tell me yours in the comments, deal? Deal!

I was a child of the 80’s and a teenager of the 90s - the decades of bad hair and odd fashion choices - and my first celebrity crush was on Joey Lawrence. Whoa! 

It all started with Gimme a Break when he was only 8 years old and it grew stronger during Blossom when he released an album. Oh, yes, he was multitalented. Actor, Singer, Dancer…he had the whole package. (Wink wink). I had pictures of him on my bulletin board and all over my school binders. To be fair and honest, he shared those places with Scott Bakula, Jeremy Miller (from Growing Pains), and a very young Jason Bateman…but Joey was the first and longest crush. 

In fact, I was still watching him on my TV when Melisa and Joey was on ABC Family, but that got canceled not too long ago. I also still listen to his CDs and sing along loudly every time (I dare you to watch that clip above...it's his biggest hit!). I remember dancing around my bedroom or dorm room (yup, still loved him when I went away to college) using a hair brush as a microphone. I’ve been there through long hair, no hair, fake (?) hair - who cares!   Have you seen how tight his jeans are?

Especially on Brotherly Love….and no, you don’t remember the show because it lasted all of two seasons I think and was preempted every week for football…or at least it seemed like it at the time. Anyways, this show was on for a hot second and had all three Lawrence brothers - Joey, Matthew, and little Andy (sooooo stinking cute!)  No one remembers this show except me and my Mom, who dutifully watched it with me every week. Thanks lady!

Oh…and I even met them. Well, Joey twice and the other two brothers once. These are embarrassing stories I’m about to share…so pull the chair up closer and get ready. I stood in line at the ripe age of 16 with my sister, actually - she dropped me off and went across the street to a computer store - to get Joey’s autograph when he was doing a Kmart tour across the country for his debut album. HOT!   And then later, when Brotherly Love was first on, the brothers did a tour and came through St. Louis so I once again stood in line to get their autographs. And here’s the most embarrassing thing, when Joey asked me my name for the headshot autograph, I couldn’t remember it. Totally forgot my name. Idiot!

Okay, so I’ve completely embarrassed myself and bared my soul so now it’s your turn…first celebrity crush and have you met them in person?  Any funny stories?  Dish and let’s revel in our childish fantasies shall we?  In a few weeks, I’ll tell you about my current celebrity crush…because the embarrassment never stops.

PS - I totally loved looking at all the YouTube clips linked and shared here, and I found one of Joey's albums in Amazon Prime (which I usually listen to while working)...score!

I'm Fat, I love Yoga...and You Can Too!

So, you just read that title and rolled your eyes, didn’t you? That’s okay, a few years ago, I would have done the same thing, but now - I practice yoga four or five times a week, and yes I’m still fat.

LAST ONE PICKED IN GYM

I have always hated exercise, and gym class for that matter. Besides a brief foray into square dancing in fifth grade, gym class was the bane of my existence. It didn’t get much easier as I grew up either. I have always been heavy, as they say, and pretty much hated my body.

About two years ago I started reading about the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement. One of the basic tenets of HAES is finding movement that you like. Exercise that’s fun. So, I looked into some things and yoga really spoke to my soul, but I was scared.  Would I get hurt? Would I make a fool out of myself? Could I really do this? The answer was no, probably, and yes.

PEOPLE WILL LAUGH AT ME

The first thing to do when deciding to try yoga, or any new exercise regime, is to talk to your doctor (okay, so we got that out of the way, right?) Now come the real decisions. Should I do this at home or in a studio? Personally, when starting out, I was too body conscious to try outside my own living room, but look in your area and see what’s available. I looked up a few videos online, grabbed a DVD at Barnes and Nobles and set off. The frustrating part was, none of these videos had me in mind. The fat girl, the girl with a stomach and boobs, and well…fat places. These instructions were for thin and beautiful people who had no clue what I was going through.

So I searched and googled some more and found Curvy Yoga and Anna. Anna is plus sized and a yoga instructor. She has a library of videos that you can join (monthly/yearly memberships are available - Curvy Monthly) with a wide variety of choices. She walks you through modifications for your body in the moment which made a world of difference for me and any fears about pain or humiliation I still had. Her voice is not only soothing, but I get to practice with someone who just gets it. It feels like we’re friends, although we’ve never met in person. I highly recommend curvy yoga, curvy monthly, and their Facebook group. 

CAN I DO THIS NAKED?

You could, but plus sized yoga clothes are super comfy and easier to find nowadays. I buy my stuff online at Old Navy. Their rollover plus size yoga pants are the bomb! I wear them pretty much all day every day, on and off the mat, but I live a low-key lifestyle so results may vary. I also buy Old Navy’s tank tops and tee shirts. Here’s the thing, you don’t need fancy clothes to do this. Just a pair of loose fitting pants and a shirt that’s not going to hit you in the face when you do downward facing dog. That’s it.

Okay, if you’re a lady and have boobs, you’re going to need an exercise bra too. I recommend looking online at Champion or going to your favorite bra shop and asking them. I use a Champion sports bra with no underwire because that’s how I roll and I like to keep the ladies supported but comfy during practice. Otherwise, accessorize away. Cute headbands, yoga toe socks, matching pants and tops are all adorable but not needed. If you want them, great, get them and use them.

I WANT TO TRY IT!

Great! So, you’re ready to try this and you’ve decided you want to go to a studio in your town or neighborhood. Call them up and ask them if they have mats and other props available for use during class. If they do, great - go and get your Om on. If not, then you’ve got some more shopping to do. Yay!

You’ll need a yoga mat at the barest minimum, but I would also suggest at least two yoga blocks and a blanket of some sort. The mat is well, duh where you will do your actual yoga-ing. I use an extra thick extra long mat because not only am I fat, but I am also tall. 

The blocks help bring the floor up, so if you can’t quite bend over and touch your toes, no problem - grab a block and bam! You can get your stretch on and be fully supported. The blanket is nice for relaxation to act as a pillow or to cover up if you’re cold. It is also nice to sit on during certain poses or to help cushion your knees during other poses (like cat into cow - which I love, but my knees don’t). 

If you’re playing along at home only, then get a few things to start, find a video and try it. Seriously, just try it. If you want to watch first and then do…that’s fine too. I did that a lot when first starting out. And, start with something simple…five minutes, 10 minutes and work your way up. Don’t start with an hour long intense yoga video if you haven’t so much as walked 10 blocks in years. 

Be smart, be careful, but do it. Try and enjoy. I can’t say that you’ll lose a ton of weight (I haven’t) but you will feel better about your self, your body, and your abilities. You will learn to love that your body can get into poses that a few months ago looked crazy. You will feel strong and more confident and this will carry over into your every day life, I promise. I’m fat and I love yoga…and you can too!