(Tarot Prompts for Writers)
Keep the image and meaning of Death in mind as you develop a story. But go beyond the card — don’t stress about any aspects you “should” include. The card is just a tool to prompt ideas. You can take it anywhere. Clear the path for a new story.
First line prompts
- There are supposed to be 206 bones in the human body.
- The fields glittered like the sea.
- After a lifetime of searching, I’ve found a way to cheat death.
Continue the scene for another 500 words, in any direction you wish to take it. Change to third or first person or switch genders as you see fit. Make this an opening to a longer work or a complete flash fiction.
Character Prompt
Your protagonist is Death.
Maybe he’s a serious character, as in The Book Thief, or maybe he’s amusing, as in the Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Maybe he’s been stuck in this job forever, or maybe he’s on his first day of work and can’t get enough of it.
Think about the Death card and the ways that others see Death, and create a character that moves you.
Maybe your Death is a grim reaper like the card at left. Or maybe she’s radically different. Maybe she’s in a different galaxy, or maybe she’s on earth but humans are the least of her worries. (Or maybe they’re the greatest of her worries and she’s going to get rid of us all, for the good of the planet.)
Consider the character’s exterior (looks/age/abilities) and interior (temperament/interests/beliefs). Think about their history — do they have a history or is their experience one continuous moment of reaping? How do they feel about their work? Do they have expectations or regrets? Do they interact with those they’re about to end? Do they have any friends? Are they one of team? Is there something they fear? Does Death have enemies?
Think of a conflict or adventure your Death might encounter in a day’s work. Now show that character to your reader.
Planners can write a character sketch and a diary entry about the day’s reaping.
Pantsers can write a scene of Death about to swing its scythe at someone who doesn’t want to die — or maybe someone already dead before their time. Begin with the character and see where it takes you.
POV Prompt
Re-tell a tale of death from a distant point of view.
Close your eyes and think of any kind of death that sparks a story. Maybe it’s a wrenching loss — the death of a loved one after a long illness, the murder of an innocent in a time of war. Or maybe it’s a smaller loss that left a large scar — the death of a company you built or a band you brought together. Maybe it’s a more impersonal loss that touched you deeply — the death of a patient you tried to save or a neighbour you hoped to befriend. Or maybe it’s a death you revelled in. Perhaps you even caused it. Gotta make way for the new, after all.
Tell the tale of this death from the vantage point of decades later. Is the loss just as sharp? Did it have ripples that surprised you? Did the loss compound or did it leave a space for good things to come?
Take on the persona of this narrator. They’re looking back on this old grief. Who are they telling their tale to? Is it advice to someone suffering now? Or is it a deathbed confession? What circumstances have brought the old loss to mind? Perhaps some buried secrets have been brought to light, totally changing your narrator’s understanding of what transpired so long ago.
How are they feeling about the past? Do they exaggerate or excuse their own behaviour? What moments, what images stand out? What can’t they get out of their heads?
Write an opening scene where this narrator tells the tale of death long ago.
Happy writing!
Images on this page are by the following artists: Banner, left to right: Marseilles deck engraved by Nicolas Conver; Dragon Tarot illustrated by Roger and Linda Garland; Tarot Balbi by Domenico Balbi; Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti (also shown in the box); Radiant Rider-Waite deck illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith; Druid Craft deck illustrated by Will Worthington.
Catherine Austen 