Friday Tarot Prompt
Today’s reading comes from my Radiant Rider-Waite deck. The card I pulled for you is the Knight of Wands.
In tarot, knights represent action and commitment. The suit of wands also represents action and its element is fire. So here we have an ACTION+ message today.
Key Words: Energy, enthusiasm, creative, bold action, loyalty to a cause.
For Your Stories
One of the biggest complaints editors and agents make about submission is that characters lack agency. This means someone has written a passive story—one where things happen to the protagonist. But a character with agency will actively pursue something they believe in. They have the ability to change their circumstances and to act.
The Knight of Wands is the card of character agency.
Stories don’t really begin until someone makes a decision and takes action that forces them out of their comfort zone. That moment at the end of ACT 1 when your protagonist takes decisive action comes from this Knight of Swords energy.
Prompts:
-Write the scene where your main character takes specific action that is driven by their belief in a cause.
-Go through your most recent day’s writing. Read through it to see if things only happen to your character or if they’re actively pursuing something. It’s far more effective for someone to try and fail than to be the victim of circumstance.
-Make a list of things that raise your protag’s energy. What are they enthusiastic about? Is there a cause that drives them? How can you incorporate these into the plot?
For Your Creative Journey
We’ve been living through this strange period of inertia. It’s hard not to feel like a character without agency in our own stories right now. We joked about the parade of horrors this year has introduced. It’s hard not to feel powerless or at the mercy of the world right now.
But if you take a step back and focus, you’ll discover that there are areas where you do have control. Lately, I’ve been focused on cutting out things that zap my energy and doing more of what raises my energy.
I have agency over whether I write each day, whether I exercise, the things I put into my body, the types of entertainment I consume, and the people I communicate with.
The Knight of Wands wants us to take a moment this weekend and make a list of what really matters. What causes, actions, and projects deserve your creative energy right now? Where can you effect positive changes in your own life?
You can’t do anything about Covid or the economic issues or murder hornets, but you can write today. You can turn off the news and go meditate for ten minutes. You spend time writing letters to your legislators on issues you care about instead of watching reality tv. And, yes, you can choose to take a nap if you’re overwhelmed.
The point is, you need to take responsibility for your energy. Do what you can with what you have right now. That’s the Knight of Wands. That’s agency.
This weekend is Independence Day in the USA. A lot of us aren’t feeling free or like celebrating. But take a little time to list the ways you can invest energy into things that bring you joy and creative satisfaction. You can probably do more than you think. Don’t be the victim of circumstance. Be the Knight of Wands.
Knight of Wands Playlist:
-Boss Bitch by Doja Cat
-One Way or Another by Blondie
-Troublemaker by Weezer
-We Didn’t Start the Fire by Billy Joel
-Five to One by The Doors
-Dare by Gorillaz
-U.R.A. Fever by The Kills
-Got My Mojo Workin’ by Muddy Waters
-Know How by Young M.C.
Get busy, friends!