Tarot for Writers

Once reserved for mystics and seers, the tarot is one of the best tools for boosting your creativity and shifting your imagination into high gear. Famous authors such as John Steinbeck and Stephen King have used the tarot deck to tap into deep wells of inspiration, and you can enliven your own writing the same way—whether you craft short stories, novels, poetry, nonfiction, or even business proposals.

This book on reading tarot cards and applying them to your writing will guide you through each stage of the creative process, from fleshing out a premise to promoting a finished work. Enhance your storytelling technique through over 500 enjoyable writing prompts, exploratory games for groups and individuals, tarot journaling, and other idea-stimulating activities that call upon the archetypal imagery and multi-layered symbolism in the tarot. Infuse flair and originality into your work as you learn to:

• Interpret symbols, myths, and learn to read all seventy-eight cards in the tarot card deck
• Use classic tarot layouts and spreads to structure your story
• Brainstorm story ideas and develop dialogue and plot
• Create detailed settings, powerful scenes, and dynamic characters
• Overcome writer's block and breathe new life into existing projects

As a writer, you hold the power of creation in your hands. By exploring the tarot and incorporating it into your writing practice, you will set your creative potential soaring to new heights.

This book was presented in our writer's workshop along with different sets of cards to browse. We tried using elements of it then and I was hooked, had to have the book. There is enough in this book to keep a writer inspired and always writing. Love it!!!

In "The Writer's Tarot," author Corrine Kenner implements using the 78 cards of the tarot as a tool to invoke the hero's mythic journey in a clever large format book that playfully invokes Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" and Frey's " The Key: How to Write Damn Good Fiction Using the Power of Myth" Her method? Choose random cards and based on symbols that reflect myths, astrology, and archetypes utilize them to fashion characters, plotlines, scenes and descriptions that will add dimension to your works of fiction.
Does it work? Indeed, all the tools are present to cultivate imaginings of multi-dimensional precision.
Whether this is a book on the reading of tarot cards or a writer's workshop exercise workbook is left to the reader and his/her intentions. Kenner formats the book so that either goal can be achieved with ease on the part of the reader.
The first portion of the book focuses on tarot fundamentals and their similarities to the tools used in crafting literature. Kenner showcases the tarot as archetypes, life moments, numbers (beginnings, middles and ends) and ideal families; the four suits suggest the four elements that in turn correspond to the intellectual, spiritual, physical and emotional realms. Kenner speaks of preparing oneself before a reading and details a number of typical spreads. She encourages writing exercises based on what one feels and sees depicted on the face of the cards. From there she constructs using the usual building blocks: character development of which the archetypes of the tarot are most appropriate, plot lines where she employs the use of a three card spread to puzzle out the beginning, middle and end of a story, Freytag's Pyramid that details the rising and falling action of a compelling story--Kenner uses one card for each of the seven part structure of the pyramid and most importantly the hero's journey which she illustrates as a 12 card circular spread. Setting and Description are also touched upon--the use of the cards here is purely sensational; Kenner pulls a card and based on what is portrayed creates a sight or scene. When writer's block strikes, what better inspiration but a random draw to help unblock the senses. Kenner provides dozens and dozens of suggestions and exercises that will help uncork the creative in a symbolically intuitive way.
The second half of the book is devoted to the actual cards of the tarot. Two pages are set aside for each card where a black and white Universal Waite version of the card is shown along with a general idea of what the card usually means in a reading. Most enjoyable are Kenner's detailed list of the symbols that appear in each card and that symbols meaning with respect to myth and legend, astrological associations and literary archetypes. Each explanation is followed by associated writing prompts. For example, The Hermit card perhaps would suggest a magic lantern or a walking stick. Kenner's intention is to fuel the writer with images that will invoke the muse and how can she fail to do so with such a wellspring of information?
Last but not least, a dictionary of tarot terms is supplied in the back.
Bottom line: Whether or not you intend to use `Tarot for Writers' for tarot reading or to hone your writer's skills, author Corrine Kenner does a fine job of providing insights and exercises to using the tarot to explore the lives and stories of the fictional characters that we craft in our minds. Definitely a book to keep as a reference with your other writer's tools and guides, more than half of the text is devoted to a symbolic, archetypical, astrological and mythic explanation of each of the seventy-eight cards. Recommended.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

Love this book. A first of its kind as far as I know, so it's not perfect and thus there are areas that really need to be improved on. What's great about this book is how expansive your creative search can be in terms of plot & character development by using your own personal interpretions & this book as your guide. Also by using various types of tarot decks, you can also be stimulated to produce stories of varying themes and/or genres (i.e. Radient Rider-Waite deck versus Deviant Moon deck versus Alchemical Tarot).
Here's a small laundry list of areas that are lacking or missing from this book in addition to the few typos & errors mentioned by other reviewers: The glossary mentions "The Tree of Life", but Kenner does not include this spread in her book which she should. Also, there is no bibliography or recommended reading list on the Tarot &/or Creative writing in general & other related topics as it applies to the tarot such as archetypes & numeralogy, & astrology.
Also, the section on creating your own spread is very lacking. It's a paragraph at most and there should really be a more specific list of variables to consider when one's developing one's own spread (i.e. types of questions to ask, in what sequence or direction / order should cards be placed...). This section was too generalized and not helpful enough. Instead, for now, see: "Tarot: Get The Whole Story (Use, Create & Interpret Tarot Spreads)" by James Ricklef.
I also think that Kenner should have also offered specific interpretations in relation to Work, Love, Money, & Future as it applies to each card and as it applies to character development. There was certainly space at the end of each card section to add this additional info; as there were 16 wasted blank pages.
Also, this book works if you are using a Rider-Waite based deck because Kenner breaks down each card by the card's symbols. But for other decks that waiver away from the standard set of symbols, I think a much more broader discussion on the card's name/type & meaning would have been more helpful; as a "just symbol-based interpretation" of the cards does a disservice to other cards that don't match up to the Rider-waite tarot deck symbols. Look up "Tarot Dynamics - Learn to read any spread" by Anna Cook, for help with other types of decks.
Other items on my wish list for the next edition are more writer prompts (perhasps if other types of decks were illustrated in her book, Kenner could come up with more writer prompts); fiction writing notes on craft & creativity specifics; sample journaling pages/templates; interpretation on card combinations and interpretations on runs of suits, numbers, and cards as it applies to story writing (as Kenner provides these lists in her other Tarot book).
All in all, this is a worthwhile purchase you won't regret.
***To Kenner, I know that this book has just been published but any plans in the near future for a second edition or workbook?? Because this book makes an excellent reference, the publisher should consider offering it as a hardcover with a "self-jacket", that eliminates the need for a separate dust jacket that could get lost or damaged...Just food for thought. :)

I've had this for a few months now. Corrine's spreads are an excellent way to open up characterization and story structure (very good for NaNoWriMo). But what I've found very useful is her breakdown of symbols on each card, and the individual card prompts. It has a permanent place on my writing desk.

I have had a prior interest in Tarot and I've always loved to write, even though I've been away from it for some time. This is the perfect book to get back on your feet with writing. I've never thought about using Tarot to write, but it does make sense and I've come up with so many ideas I don't even know where to start. There are many writing exercises throughout the book and I would say it's just as useful as taking a fiction writing class. I refer to this book constantly; I have been ignoring all my other writing books. Now I feel like I could actually write something and have it published. Worth every penny in my opinion!