Use Divination Cards to Spark Stories

by ·

Image of cards and crystals for Use Divination Cards to Spark Stories

Quote from Use Divination Cards to Spark Stories

Use Divination Cards to Spark Stories – How To Write the Future podcast, epsiode 199

*****

“If you need help with ideas, if you want to play with randomness, to inspire you, to jumpstart your creativity, to come up with new ideas that you wouldn’t have ordinarily thought of.” – Beth Barany

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, titled “Use Divination Cards to Spark Stories,” host Beth Barany shares her personal journey with Tarot, plus how you can use Tarot and the Mythulu Desk for your science fiction and fantasy stories. Discover practical tips for writers, including how to develop your characters using these decks.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

RESOURCES 

JOIN: For fiction writers! You’ve finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what?

Join the Future-Ready Writer membership and get premium weekly lessons and a monthly Q&A on Zoom. Subscribe: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061/subscribe

FREE: Sign up here to get your World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers

Overwhelmed by world-building for your sci-fi/fantasy novel? Use these prompts to brainstorm your story’s world: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

SHOP**: Sci‑Fi & Fantasy 24 Writing Prompts:** https://ko-fi.com/s/4ac9160a74

Want to be interviewed on the podcast? => Email us!

FOR CREATIVE WRITING PROFESSIONALS – BUILD YOUR BUSINESS SERVING WRITERS

Sign up to be notified when our training opens and get a short Creative Business Style Quiz to help you create success.

https://bethbarany.com/apprenticeship/

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

GET SOME FREE WRITING COACHING LIVE ON THE PODCAST

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

GET SUPPORT FOR YOUR FICTION WRITING BY A NOVELIST AND WRITING TEACHER AND COACH

Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/

About the How To Write the Future podcast 

The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers. This podcast is for readers too if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?

– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?

– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for episode 199 – Use Divination Cards to Spark Stories 

Introduction 

BETH BARANY: Hey, everyone. Beth Barany here with How to Write The Future podcast. I am a science fiction and fantasy writer, and at heart, I have always, always, always loved magic since I was a girl. And I wanted to be magic. I might’ve mentioned that in one of the previous podcasts. 

[00:19] The Intersection of Tarot and Writing 

And recently, a fellow writer asked me if I would talk about tarot or tarot and writing. And what’s so funny is I sat down to write a book about tarot and writing, gosh, 20 years ago. But instead, what came out of me, because I am so process-oriented, what came out of me was my book, The Writer’s Adventure Guide, which is basically the hero’s journey as applied to writing. 

[00:44] Personal Journey with Tarot 

It’s a self-coaching guide for writers. And even though I’ve been doing tarot since my early twenties, actually, no, I think I started when I was 19. And I was even a professional tarot reader for a moment in my thirties. I went off in this other direction as a writer, as a, as a writing teacher. I went towards structure. I went towards how to overcome writer’s block, and here we are. I now fast forward, you know, 20 plus years later, I’ve got this question about using tarot and writing. And for me, it was like the most obvious thing. Why do I need to talk about this? There are so many books out there.

There’s even wonderful, um, at least one resource that I know, written by someone on how to use tarot specifically for your writing. It’s awesome. I love it. There’s so many resources out there. 

[01:29] Using Tarot and Mythulu Deck for Writing 

I actually don’t use tarot much anymore for my writing. I use the Mythulu deck, but I used to use the Tarot deck, and I love the Crowley Thoth deck. That was my favorite Crowley designed by Lady Frieda Harris. And there’s so many decks out there, I have many decks here at home. 

So, how do you use tarot cards or the Mythulu deck or any divination card for your writing?

So I’m gonna give you some quick tips today and invite you to play with these tools if you need them. And maybe I should address why do people need them?

Well, you only need them if you are stuck. If you need help with ideas, if you wanna play with randomness, to inspire you, to jumpstart your creativity, to come up with new ideas that you wouldn’t have ordinarily thought of. 

That’s why I love the Mythulu deck so much, is because it isn’t based on any system like tarot is based on a, a very old system that has come down through the ages and has has offered many archetypes to us throughout the ages. 

And if you’re trying to write something new, then I really point you toward the Mythulu deck, because that is more random. It has all kinds of beautiful art on it, and it’s not based on an archetypal system, although it includes many archetypes in there. Uh, so the reason for choosing cards is when you are stuck. 

[02:56] Practical Tips for Writers

Uh, how do you use these decks? Any deck that you use, I highly recommend that you go to them with a question.

So you ask a question like: What could be this character’s motivation? What do they fear the most? What might happen next? What is the worst thing that could happen to them next? 

[03:16] Character Development with Cards 

I often use it to do deep dives into character. So I want to know what drives them and then what drives them below that, so I might start with one card and say, what drives them to behave like this? Or what is the reason they would say yes to this incident? Or what other way could it be?

Broad open-ended questions. So, I encourage you to play with these tools when you are stuck, and you could even do it in groups.

It’s fun to hear what other people think of those cards. 

Another way you can use cards, and this comes from traditional tarots where you have a standard layout. 

[03:52] Story Structure and Card Spreads 

And actually, I used cards like this years ago when I was learning story structure as I laid out, for example, five cards for the five parts of a story, like the Inciting Incident, the rising Action, the Crisis, the Climax, the Resolution. 

So that’s just five. That’s a five-point story structure inspired by Story Grid, Shawn Coyne’s book, Story Grid, that I use a lot to think about a scene and a story.

So that again is the inciting incident, uh, rising action, which is actually rising conflict, more things becoming difficult. That’s number two. 

Number three is the crisis, which is often the form of a question where the protagonist has to make a choice. This way or that way. They can’t have it both ways. They have to choose. 

And then the climax, which is the protagonist choosing, and then the resolution. How do they feel afterwards?

So you could pull a card for each one of these and see how they spark inside of you, the story that you have in mind. That’s one way to use it. 

[04:54] A Character’s Secrets, Role, Desire 

Another way to use it is character development. You could think about: What is my character’s outward role in the world? That’s one card.

The next card is: What is their secret face? The secret face they only show themself. 

What is a secret in their past? Put that on the left-hand side.

And then on the right: What is it they desire? 

So that’s a four-card spread, for example.

So if you would like more ideas on card spreads and how to use divination cards, let me know.

[05:24] Conclusion and Call to Action

This is just a short episode on using divination cards and writing, and writing your stories. I’m eager to hear from you.

If you would like any further resources, let me know.

That’s it for this week, everyone. Write long and prosper. 

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061 

Need instructions on how to leave a review? Go here.

***

Support our work for creatives: leave a tip: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany 

***

ABOUT BETH BARANY 

Beth Barany

Beth Barany teaches science fiction and fantasy novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor. She’s an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and runs the podcast, “How To Write The Future.”

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites: 

Author site /  Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethbarany/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/bethbarany/

TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@bethbarany/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/bethbarany

X: https://twitter.com/BethBarany

CREDITS 

2025 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

✅ Like the work we do? Tip us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany 

Tags:

You may also like...

>