Writing or creativity of any kind is a mysterious process, a journey into deep and unchartered waters. What you need is a compass… the Tarot.

Category: Story and Storytelling

The Creative Power of Empathy

Empathy, the least comfortable of human emotions. ~Frances Gray Patton~ An important technique of fiction writing is Deep POV (Point of View). This technique uses the third person point of view in such a way that the reader feels as if she is inside the person’s head—or heart—for that scene.

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What Books Introduced You to the Magic of Story?

I love books, in any format. If you are a writer, then you love books too. And, I bet you were introduced to their magic early in your childhood. I also bet that, like me, you have memories of several favorite books that introduced you to that magic and set

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Don’t Know What to Write? Look Out…

Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact. -Robert McKee Now that we are formally into spring, I’ve enjoyed a full week of watching birds at the feeder just outside the window where I work

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The Power of Story to…

After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world. ~ Philip Pullman~ This past Thanksgiving, Bob and I traveled to Virginia to be with our oldest son, his wife and his two sons, all of whom were struggling with a virus that resulted in

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Are You an Illusionist or a Magician?

The Magician of the tarot is number one in the Major Arcana (Arcanum = secret knowledge), often called the Fool’s Journey. The Fool travels through consciousness (outer concerns of life), to the subconscious (the search inward) and finally to the superconscious (spiritual awareness). Most people travel through these stages more

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The Power of Your Story

The Universe is made of stories,/ not of atoms. ~Muriel Rukeyser Our oldest son and his wife came for a visit recently, bringing our grandsons, one-year-old Ryan and three-year-old Andrew. Andrew went home at the end of his visit with us with a fine collection of stories. Stories about roasting

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Do You Believe in Your Own Identity?

Believe in your own identity and your own opinions. Writing is an act of ego, and you might as well admit it. ~ William Zinsser Author William Zinsser died last week. He wrote the book On Writing Well. I love the idea that to be a writer, I must first

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Ready to Turn Up the Heat?

Fire is a good companion for the mind. ~ May Sarton ~ Fire. Not the element you’d normally associate with spring. And yet, if it wasn’t for the heat, the fire of that ever-nearing sun warming the Northern Hemisphere, snow and ice wouldn’t melt and fill the rivers, and lakes.

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Is Water in Your Writing?

We all end in the ocean We all start in the streams We’re all carried along By the river of dreams In the middle of the night ~Billy Joel, River of Dreams~ In classical Greek thought and other ancient world philosophies, it was believed that the simplest parts that made

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Follow the Bread Crumbs

For this post in this special series by Beth Barany and I on Travel and Writing, we share about the importance of following the bread crumbs of curiosity when you travel in order to discover new stories, settings and information. Look for more posts from us every other Wednesday. And

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