Welcome
to the first of a series of engaging and inspiring interviews with a wide range
of Tarot readers and lovers who use their skills and passion, combined with
writing to create a practice for creativity and storytelling.
I feel incredibly blessed to gain insight into
the minds of other creative writers who see the amazing and limitless potential
in the connection between the Tarot and story. My hope with this series is that
you glean some guidance on how to use Tarot as a tool for creative writing
whether you write for personal or professional projects, or whether you write
poetry, novels or short stories.
I’d
like to introduce to you to Cameron from The Tarot Parlor, a man who has quickly
become a beacon in my own creative practices as a writer and tarot reader with
his approach at using the cards as a tool for plot development, character depth
and the joy of exploring the tarot. Providing assistance through spreads, tips
and techniques on journaling Cameron offers a fresh perspective and I would
encourage anyone who enjoys the process of creative writing and Tarot to check
him out.
1. Do you or would you use Tarot for Professional Writing: Novels, Business writing, Novels, Short Stories, Freelance?
Cameron : I absolutely would. I am actually in the middle of a couple novel-length writing projects right now and I have used tarot to help explore plot trajectory and character development for those projects. I have also used tarot in my business planning, so while perhaps not technically business writing, it has played into developing and tweaking my business plan.
2. How do you feel Tarot adds to your practice/craft as a writer? Likewise what do you think it adds to your practice/craft as a writer?
Cameron: I feel like tarot adds extra lushness and texture to my writing experience. It makes it feel more magical, more alchemical. It also takes some of the pressure off because if I get stuck or need help with idea generation I know I have a tool that will assist me with that.
3. Do you believe it is an asset to your writing as a tool?
Cameron: Most definitely! I believe that writing requires you to gather tools and develop methods which support you as a writer. Tarot has become one of many tools in my tool box. I can pull it out when I need a little extra inspiration, when I'm horribly stuck and in desperate need of help, or when I just want to inject a little extra magic into the writing process.
4. What are the ways in which you use Tarot in your writing?
Cameron: I will use tarot for just about anything when it comes to writing. Obviously I won't use it for every aspect of every story, at least not usually, because it would take up too much time, but I will use tarot to explore different aspects of story-telling depending on what I need for that particular piece. For example, if I'm starting with an outline, I might pull a card for each bullet point, or I may pull some cards to look at potential plot trajectories. If I want to create or flesh-out characters I could pull cards to look at things like "personality" "strengths" "weaknesses" "role in the story" "back story" "how the character will change as a result of their experience" etc. When I get stuck or find myself at a cross-roads in the plot, I can pull a couple cards to look at different options for what might happen next.
5. What are some ideas or techniques you would like to use and explore in your writing using the Tarot?
Cameron: I would love to take a deck with me to one of the local write-ins that I attend and pull cards as writing prompts for the entire group. It would be interesting to see all the different stories that people come up with even though they are using the same cards as inspiration.
6. Can you recommend your favourite books, art, bloggers, or Youtubers that use Tarot for Professional Tarot or writing?
Cameron: My favorite tarot readers/bloggers of all time are Kelly-Ann Maddox (kelly-annmaddox.com) and Carrie Mallon (carriemallon.com). Carrie in particular uses tarot for writing. She has several great tarot spreads for planning a novel and developing plot and characters. Also, Ashley of Story by Tarot (storybytarot.com) has an entire website dedicated to using tarot with writing.
Finally, as an added question, would you like to see a book written for Creative Writers and Tarot readers & if so what would you like it to address?
Cameron: I think a book about creative writing and tarot would be great. I would love to see something with exercises and worksheets as well as offering techniques. I've actually considered developing something like that myself, but between business school, The Tarot Parlor, the novels I'm already working on, and getting enough time for sleep and self-care, I haven't been able to fit it in yet. Maybe some day.
I would like to thank Cameron for taking the time to share his resources, time and commitment to his practice and passion for creative tarot. If you would like to get a reading from him, or want to check out his fantastic spreads, thoughts on the tarot and snippets of life you can find him here.
If you would like to do a Q&A and share your thoughts, process and experience using the Tarot for Creative Writing I would love to hear from you.
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