Alayna Williams Talks About “Getting Creative With The Tarot”
Hello Ghouls and Boils,
Today we have a Guest Blog from Author Alayna Williams. She will talk about “Getting Creative With The Tarot” and how it influenced her latest book, “Dark Oracle“. Perhaps she’ll send a review copy our way. I know I’d like to read it now… but I will let her tell you all about it. Enjoy, my fiends!
Abstrusely,
Sarah L. Covert
GETTING CREATIVE WITH THE TAROTThe tool that inspired me most in writing DARK ORACLE was entirely random – a deck of Tarot cards.
The Tarot provides plenty of inspiration for writers seeking to build a story. As a visual person, I’ve always been drawn to the pictures and rich symbolism of the decks. In DARK ORACLE, my heroine, Tara, uses the cards in her work as a criminal profiler to unravel crimes.I used them in my own work, too, to shed light on the creative process. I often pick up one or two at random to suggest aspects of a character or provide conflict for a scene. I can let my mind rove into the card’s image and use it as a tool to suggest where the story’s going next. What seems like a very random process can feed into some unexpectedly pleasing results.There’s one card in the deck that I think speaks especially to writers – the Magician. He’s the master of his destiny, someone who creates worlds using the tools before him – which is exactly what a writer does. The Magician is traditionally depicted with symbols of the four classical elements at his fingertips: a sword, representing air, ideas, and intellect; a wand, the fiery force of creation; a cup full of the water of emotion; and a pentacle, symbolizing earth, perseverance, and hard work. All of these factors must be blended together by the writer to create a story. The spark of the story idea must be given life with fire, watered with emotion, and nurtured with hard work until completion. If any of these elements are lacking, the work will be incomplete.As I learn more about the Tarot, the symbols begin to connect more deeply as aspects of the creative process. Every time I look at the cards, I see something new to inspire me – whether it’s help for a specific story, or insight into the overall creative process.Alayna Williams has an MA in sociology-criminology (research interests: fear of crime and victimology) and a BA in criminology. She has worked in and around criminal justice since 1997. More information on her new release, DARK ORACLE, is available at her webiste.
