(Tarot Prompts for Writers)
Keep the image and meaning of The Emperor 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. Be ambitious, like the Emperor.
First line prompts
- My dad is such a tyrant.
- Historians lie.
- Once the idea of burning it all down entered his mind, there was no stopping him.
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 the boss of something. Things have worked out well for him so he’s sticking to the old ways, but he’s out of touch with recent changes. He spends too much time admiring his achievements and not enough attending to the cracks in his kingdom.
Think about the Emperor and the ways that others might see him, and create a flawed character who’s about to lose all that he worked so hard for. Perhaps he doesn’t deserve to keep it.
Consider the character’s exterior (species/gender/age/abilities) and interior (temperament/interests/beliefs/fears). Think about their history — what battles have they fought, what compromises have they made to get this far? Is ruling what they hoped it would be? Who is waiting for them to fail?
Now show that character to your reader.
Planners can write a character sketch and a diary entry about how no one appreciates all his hard work.
Pantsers can write a scene of the character thinking, speaking, and acting as their power slips from their grasp.
POV Prompt
Tell the story of a climb to power from the point of view of the trampled. Think about real empires, built on horrors and atrocities, and question your Emperor’s official history.
Or tell the story of a triumphant conquest over chaos that brought prosperity to a desperate people. Think post-apocalyptic horror and the rise of a visionary leader.
Tell your Emperor’s story from the POV of a character close to him — an adoring child, a terrified servant, the ghost of a first wife.
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; Radiant Rider-Waite deck illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith; Druid Craft deck illustrated by Will Worthington (also shown in the lower box).
Catherine Austen 