5 Tips for Breaking Writer’s Block

Whether you write professionally, for personal enjoyment, or journal, Corrine Kenner points out that “any blank page can be intimidating.” In her book, Tarot for Writers, Corrine devotes an entire chapter to breaking writer’s block. Her ideas are, of course, excellent for doing just that. But I also think they can be great journal prompts or tarot meet up exercises. Here’s a few for you to try:

1. Complete Description

Describe a single card in as much detail as you can muster. Start at the top and work your way down. Then describe the background and work your way toward the foreground. Notice the predominant colors as well as the mood and emotion in the card. Describe the scenery, characters, and action—and don’t be surprised to find an entire story unfolding as you work.

2. Zoom Lens

Find one small detail in a card. Describe it completely, and then zoom out to incorporate that description into the larger picture.

3. What Happens Next

Draw a card and write about what you imagine might happen next.

4. Alternate Point of View

Choose a card and write a story or poem from the point of view of any person in the card—or for that matter, any animal or even any thing in the illustration. Then write the same story or poem from the point of view of any other figure in the card.

5. Changing Rooms

Pull a character from one card and plop him into another card—possibly displacing the original inhabitant in the process. Or take the character from any card and put him in a completely new location: try a high school dance, a car dealership, or a grocery store. Send him into a pharmacy, a fitness club, a hotel bar, or a taxi. Experiment with your own favorite places.