Tarot Prompts for Writers

Recently, a fellow writer suggested using tarot cards as free-writing prompts for some write-in-silence sessions. He said he’d bring a book of interpretations. To which I said, “My dude, no book necessary.”

I am not a believer. But I sometimes read tarot cards for fun — wine and giggling are usually involved — and I’ve read dozens of interpretation guides over the years. A while back, I compiled my notes into narratives in a binder — my complete tarot interpretation guide, based on decades of reading (in all ways).

Since I write, and teach creative writing, why not add some writing prompts to each card description? And why not share it here?

So, every few weeks, I’ll post my tarot notes, one card at a time, with writing prompts. (And divination suggestions — why leave that out? You can’t understand the card without those.)

It’s never a bad thing to contemplate your life’s journey. Whether you want to learn about tarot, read a fortune, write a story, or just think about the odd things people get up to trying to keep their blogs current, I hope you enjoy these posts.

Feel free to join in with tarot-prompted writing sessions in your own time on your own terms. I hope the cards inspire some great stories for you!

We’ll start where we always start (and end), with The Fool.

[December 2024 update: I’ve posted all 22 of the major arcana up on the site now. Check out my Tarot Gallery. Click on any card to go to a set of writing prompts, and follow the links to find a full description of the card and what it means.]

My notes are detailed, and probably a pain to sift through — but one day, I’ll compile them into a pdf of one-pagers with briefer meanings and one writing prompt per card. That’s the plan. Might happen. Or not. Only the cards know for sure.

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The Fool above and all images in the banner are from Tarot Balbi by Domenico Balbi.