Tarot - Flash Fiction Formula

Entry Transplanted from Writing Zazen

I’ve mentioned that I found Mark McElroy’s pdf Tarot for Creative Writers and I’ve been playing with writing stories using the Tarot. What I’ve come to realize is that it’s become so much fun for me that I’ve been rushing home from work to write a new story.

Back in the day, I used to rush home every single day from work anticipating sitting at the table in the living room (when I still lived with room mates) and pulling out my steno and writing like a fiend. I’ve moved so far away from that person for many years. It often felt like more of a fight to get organized and then the television somehow seeped into my time and I was vegging instead of creating. I’m happy to say that I’ve been keeping the television turned off and I’ve been playing with my writing.

That’s really the key for me, there has to be a certain amount of play. It’s that beginner’s mind and attitude when you know that you don’t know what you are doing and you believe that with daily practice things will improve.

I’ve been doing the Tarot short stories and I’ve been doing the poems where I pick five words out of a box and try to write a piece using all of those five words. Play! It’s great to have that focus to mold and sculpt the serious writing work like my novel but there still needs to be some play for me otherwise I start to avoid all the work I feel I need to do.

Here is the Flash Fiction Formula from Mark McElroy’s PDF Tarot for Creative Writers:

Card 1 - Who/When
Card 2 - What/Theme
Card 3 - Want/Need
Card 4 - Turning Point
Card 5 - End-Hint
Card 6 - Midpoint
Card 7 - Dark Hour
Card 8 - Learn Lesson
Card 9 - Rising Action
Card 10 - Climax
Card 11 - Reflection

I use this to get me to write and have fun writing. I have no plans on rereading the stories any time soon. Maybe in a year or so. I’ve got more than enough other writings to revise. This is purely for the fun of writing. And Thank Mark McElroy for giving me that again.

Hmm and I still allow myself the really good televison shows like Heroes… two more episodes.

Mark McElroy’s sites … Tarot Tools

Made by Mark
And google Mark McElroy Tarot for Creative Writers to find his PDF book!

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