Aimie K. Runyan

It’s true, the vast majority of us writers are introverts. Interactions with strangers are uncomfortable at best… and when you have to ask for a favor? Fuggedaboudit. But the truth is that writers must also advocate for themselves in various ways if they want to succeed both artistically and commercially.

We can’t all hide away in our little utopian writing sanctuaries click-clacking away at the book of our hearts all day, every day. It would be bliss, but none of us—not even the big dogs—get away with this delicious reclusive lifestyle all the time.

We have to ask people for things, and it’s scary.

One thing we have to ask for frequently is knowledge. For nearly every book on the planet, be it an epic biography of the entire Plantagenet family or a dystopian Sci-Fi set in the distant future on Xerse, the homeworld of the Zarnak, you have to do at least a small measure of research. Sometimes a lot. Not all answers are going to be available online, or even *gasp* at your nearest major research library. You may need to experience what it feels like to be squeezed into an Elizabethan-era corset (much different from a Victorian one, I can assure you) or fly in a real honest-to-goodness fighter plane. Maybe, like me, you have to track down the personal diaries of a historical figure and hope they’re available through some sort of archive.

All of these things, unless you happen to have the money and experience to buy and fly your own jet, require you to ask people for things. Maybe reaching out to a theater troupe for a tutorial may not be daunting for you. Maybe you can find pilots who sell “flight experience” packages. That’s not a scary ask at all.

But when you find yourself having to ask a top mind in your field for assistance in finding how to access some key document or information, all the while hoping your project doesn’t infringe on their turf, it’s another ballgame. A bungled e-mail request could lead to a missed opportunity at a really important connection. It’s right to take these requests seriously. But the worst thing you can do for your writing career is not ask.

I had to do this very thing recently—and guess what? The person in question responded with the warmth and grace befitting a professional. I may not end up with the information I’m after, but at least I’ve made a connection that could prove very useful in the future.

We also have to ask our peers for help in various ways. We all know that in this day and age, all writers must work the sales angle as well as wield the pen. It’s easy to be intimidated by successful authors, bloggers, and other people in the field, but many are happy to lend a hand.

Don’t be afraid to ask that big-shot writer in your genre to do some cross-promotion with you. Don’t be afraid to ask some big wig blogger to read an ARC of your book in exchange for a review. You can convince yourself how unlikely they are to have time to read your work, but yours may be just the book they’re looking for.

For those of you in the traditionally published world, we have to learn to ask things of our editors and publicists. You may want them to put you up for a specific promotional opportunity, front table bookstore positioning, or more books on a contract. Those are only the tiniest sampling of the things you have to advocate for.

It’s hard. You know the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but you don’t to squeak so loudly they just decide to trade in the whole dang car. The nice thing here, is that many of these things may go through your agent if you have one. She will likely have a better idea of how much squeak power you have than you do. But again? You have to start by asking your agent to go to bat for you.

Will your publisher put you up for those key advertising opportunities? You won’t know unless you ask. And repeat after me: no is never the end of the world. And yes, my gentle wordsmith, a truth you need to get comfortable with is that noes will happen. But so long as you keep your requests reasonable, people are apt to respect you for trying. And you may learn some valuable things in the process.

Case in point. I asked one of my literary heroes for a blurb on my first book. Hero, as in, “one of the people I attribute as the reason I became a writer”-level hero. I got a lovely personalized “there is no way on earth I have time to read your book, but it sounds great. Good luck kiddo” less than 24 hours later. She was far more gracious and eloquent than that, but you get the idea.

It was an important lesson to me in several ways: I learned I had the courage to ask for the things I want, which is a huge first step toward success in anything. I learned that while “no” is never the answer we want to hear, it isn’t fatal (at least, you know, in most things publishing-related).

Perhaps most importantly, I learned from that lovely e-mail how vital it is to say no tactfully when the tables are turned. I’ve published two books and have another two coming down the chute in ’18. It’s fair to say, I get more requests for my time than I could possibly honor while maintaining my career, family, and the thin shard of my sanity I have left. (My husband keeps it safe in his wallet so I don’t lose it.) I endeavor to pay it forward as much as I possibly can, but even if someone asks for the ridiculous or impossible, I respond with grace. Yes, I’m kind even to the sweet, clueless writer newbie who begs me (usually while in an adjacent bathroom stall at a conference) to beta read a full manuscript on a moment’s notice. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, you can tell people to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.

So go forth and ask. Stop thinking of all the reasons someone will refuse your request—there will always be reasons to say no. If you don’t take a chance and put yourself out there, that no is guaranteed like death and taxes. Only in movies will opportunities come hunting for you.

But do remember, time and resources are valuable. If someone is kind enough to offer their time to critique your book, help with research, or share their expertise, be effusive with your thanks. Most experts in a field will be happy to share their knowledge with someone so keenly interested, but don’t take that for granted. At least offer to compensate them for their time in whatever way feels appropriate.

And when the time comes that your fellow scribblers ask you for a service, don’t forget that you are part of the writing community. Part of that privilege and responsibility is helping others up the ladder with you. There’s room for plenty of us at the top.

Your turn! What was the scariest thing you’ve had to ask for in the writing world, and how did it turn out?

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About Aimie

Aimie K. Runyan is a historian and author who writes to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She is the author of two previous historical novels: Promised to the Crown and Duty to the Crown. She is active as an educator and a speaker in the writing community and beyond. She lives in Colorado with her wonderful husband and two (usually) adorable children. To learn more about Aimie and her work, please visit www.aimiekrunyan.com.

Sierra Godfrey and Kasey Corbit 

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not in any way spiritual or mystical. I’m also a pretty dedicated plotter, with some pantser allowances. But I’m always on the lookout for useful writing and plotting tools.

Then, one day last spring, I attended a writer’s retreat among the redwoods on the coast of California and with the ocean making gentle sounds far below. I learned of a new, intriguing tool: using tarot decks for writing.

Before that day, the sum total of my knowledge about the tarot equaled a pill bug’s. So when fellow writer and friend Kasey Corbit asked if we were interested in learning, I wasn’t all that excited. After all, isn’t tarot a bunch of mumbo jumbo?

Then she brought out her cards and we began playing around.

It turns out that the tarot is not weird at all. It taps right into your intuition and connects to universal human experiences. Heavy on story and imagery, tarot is almost like it’s made for writers. Maybe we already know who our characters are, but sometimes pulling out the details requires a little work. The images on the cards can be prompts in themselves. All good, right? And it turns out, tarot as a writing tool is not new to writers. According to author Corrine Kenner, Stephen King and John Steinbeck use/used them!

That day of the retreat, I liked what I saw enough so that when I got home, I purchased my very first tarot deck (a particularly pretty deck called The Wild Unknown, listed below). I would describe myself as a casual user, but was interested in using it more. In writing this post, I really discovered more and I’m glad I did.

Are you interested? Good! Here is a 3-step primer on tarot for writers, with some added help from my friend Kasey:

1. Get a deck.

Find one that speaks to you: You can get a deck pretty much anywhere: Amazon, bookstores, online shops. A frequent recommendation is to get a deck with images that speak to you. I purchased The Wild Unknown by artist Kim Krans because I loved the artwork, the cards were large, and it also came with a substantial booklet, which I felt was key since I knew absolutely nothing beyond what Kasey told me on our retreat day. I didn’t like the darker ones. Kasey, though, has a whopping total of 20 decks. She told me she knows people with over 200 decks! (Her favorites are mentioned below under Resources.)

My second tarot deck purchase—because there is always a second (“like tattoos,” Kasey remarked)—turned out to be Tarot of Pagan Cats by Barbara Moore and Lola Airaghi. Because, cats.

You should choose a deck that has a full deck of at least 78 cards, and you want them with the major and minor arcanas. Still with me? Good, because even though I’m writing this post, I’m still not even sure what arcanas are. That’s okay. We’re learning together.

Don’t confuse them with Oracle Cards: There is something called an Oracle Deck, which has fewer cards, and you don’t want that because the meanings are different than the cards in traditional tarot. Kasey did note, however, that “While the tarot is more archetypal in the way it sets up its journeys, some folks REALLY dig oracle cards. Oracle decks are their own thing and don't follow the same set-up as mentioned here, but for writing the goal is to switch out of that inner critic mode that shuts it all down and opens up the inner knowing and thinking.”

2. Learn about the cards.

Okay, this step is admittedly a bit harder and takes a while, but you can learn as you go. You don’t need to be an expert. 

• Earth/Pentacles represents practical things like money, physical work, home.
• Air/Swords represents activities of the mind. (The 9 of Swords I pulled below is about nightmare scenarios, but what we fear is usually a product of our own mind.) It also goes to communication and that includes writing. So, it’s not all bad (though air/swords has the highest number of “challenging” cards of any suit).
• Fire/wands is about passion, creativity, and sexuality.
• Water/Cups is the suit of our emotions. So these suits each include their own journeys, but they’re more the day-to-day dealings of life instead of the key archetypal moments.

3. Do a few writing-centric card layouts.

 As you handle the cards, have a question in mind. Avoid yeses or nos, but rather “what” or “why,” like “why does my protagonist want to stay (or go)?”

Then, shuffle the deck by hand over hand shuffling. Finally, cut the deck into three.

In the book Tarot for Writers, author Corrine Kenner offers some classic spreads that go from easy to more complicated, like the Celtic’s Cross. She also offers writing prompts and a great way to use cards to look at the Hero’s Journey plot arc.

Here are three easy ones to start:

One card spread: General character or story card

• What story do you see in the card you drew?
• What does the card tell you about your character?
• Can the card inspire a whole scene?
• Does the card hint at the character’s past?
• Does the location come through?

For purposes of this post, I pulled a card from my Wild Unknown deck and was horrified at all the eyeballs and worms! It was the nine of swords—a dark card indeed. (See Kasey’s note about the minor elements above.) In this card, I saw a complicated mess of things for my character to sort out. If she doesn’t sort out her issues, then she’ll die (worms?) a spiritual death. That is—she won’t move on with life. The character battles with herself and must act to find joy.

Okay, so far, so good.

Two-card spreads: Best and Worst Traits

Pull two cards to represent the best traits and the worst traits of your character and see what you get.

I pulled the 6 of wands for best traits and the 7 of swords for worst traits. Right off the bat, I liked that there was a pretty butterfly for my character’s best trait. She can move and change. For her worst trait, there’s an intriguing fox peeking out from its tail. The guide kook says that fox is all about keeping secrets either from yourself or other people. My character needs to admit things to herself in order to move on.

Three-card spreads: Past, present, and future

For this illustration, I switched to my Pagan Cats deck because it’s so cute.

For my character’s past, I pulled the knight of swords—a very fetching image of a cat on an owl. What on earth could that mean? It means someone who acts decisively when confronted with ideas. Hmm. Interesting –I’ll give that some thought. This card is also about influences from the past that could still affect your character today.

For my character’s present, I pulled the Knight of Pentacles, which is a tabby sitting on a goat. (I don’t know, either.) My booklet says this is someone who acts carefully when dealing with the physical world, finances, or resources.” Okay, that’s definitely interesting—especially because in my current manuscript, the character’s present is the one I’m grappling with the most. This card is also about the elements that surround the character now, either positive or negative.

For my character’s future, I have the king of swords with a very royal long-haired cat on a chest. This is someone who has authority or makes decisions and is a pro at dealing with things. I can get with that. That’s certainly where my character needs to go. This is all about where she needs to end up at the end of her story.

Maybe what I would do with these three cards is see if I can work in a line about my character’s desire to be more in control of her world or her problems, and at the end, in the resolution of the story, she is.

Plot Structure Spreads: any plot structure—the Hero’s Journey, Save the Cat beat sheet, three-act structure—can be used as a spread. Pantsers can flip through cards to generate ideas for scenes and fit them together afterwards.

I liked the idea of trying to use the Hero’s Journey spread because I was having trouble developing the Refusal of the Call scene in my manuscript (also known as Debate). I used the cards and thought about what I drew.

I made a worksheet for you for this on my website – the Hero’s Journey Tarot worksheet. Download it free.

Another idea is to pull a card with a scene or story beat in mind and study the image. What would happen if you stepped into the card? What do you feel, taste, smell, see?

In sum

I hope this post has sparked your imagination or expanded your writing toolbox. I think one of the most important things about using the tarot that I’ve learned is to be causal if you want to. You don’t need to wear a caftan and set off the fire sprinklers with a hundred lit candles from being mystical about it. Some people only spread cards on a velvet cloth—but man, I don’t have time for that. Kasey says she usually does it on her wood kitchen table, and she’s also done it on her desk at work and a bar. I used my mostly-cleared desk. For me, it’s enough to know about it, and use it when I can.

Have you used the tarot for writing? If this is something new to you, do you think you’ll give it a try?

Resources:

Books:

• Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner

Decks I like:

• The Wild Unknown Tarot deck by Kim Krans
• Tarot of Pagan Cats
• Steampunk Tarot (for fantasy writers)
• Tarot for Vampires (dark! For thriller, fantasy, and scifi writers)
• Rider-Waite Deck (traditional)

Kasey’s Deck Recommendations:

• The Wild Unknown as mentioned above
• Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert (a little old-school-hippie in some cards, is a beautiful and very gentle deck; sometimes, you need a spoonful of sugar)
• Deviant Moon Tarot by Patrick Valenza (the opposite of the Gaian; it’s dark and good, Kasey notes, for shadow issues)
• Ghetto Tarot by Alice Smeets  (modeled after the traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck but is set in Haiti and uses Haitian actors to present gritty and real imagery.

Links:

• My Hero’s Journey tarot worksheet
• Aecletic Tarot spreads for writers and artists
• Raelyn Barclay’s excellent intro to tarot for writing
• Troi’s Tarot Study for Writers
• WordHunter’s Tarot for writers
• Storytelling with Tarot Pinterest board
• A goal, motivation, and conflict spread from a romance writer

Bios:

In addition to writing fiction, Sierra Godfrey is also a graphic designer specializing in author websites and Swag (sites she’s designed include Pitchwars.org and ManuscriptWishList.com.) She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and moonlights as a sports writer covering Spanish football. She lives in the foggy wastelands of the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and way too animals. Visit her at www.sierragodfrey.com or tweet to her @sierragodfrey.

Kasey Corbit spends her days weaving narratives in one form or another, be it to readers, to other lawyers, her tarot clients, or her own children. She aims to bring a little more cheer and a little more justice to the world every day. Find her at https://thedharmadiva.wordpress.com/ or on twitter @thedharmadiva.

I learn something new with every book I write. Usually, it's craft-related, or characterization, high concept--concrete things. 

But this next book taught me something deeper and more important. I'm hoping something in my pain and suffering will keep some of you from the same.

First, a bit of backstory. The past almost two years, I've taken huge hits in my career as an author. I love romance, but have wanted to break into women's fiction fo-evah. So:

• I wrote the book of my heart. I loved it. NY loved the writing, but eventually turned me down - not a large enough audience for a Western Women's Fiction. Okay, fine, I self-pubbed it. (Days Made of Glass).
• I started a hard-hitting, Jodi Picoult-esque women's fiction proposal. I slaved over every word. The editors loved it. Except. It was too sad. So I rewrote the proposal and synopsis. They still thought it was too sad. Ouch. I've put the book in the drawer until I can find a way to appease NY, and still write the book I want.
• I took time out of chasing NY to write a romance novella for an anthology with some friends of mine. (Cowboy Karma).

I was lost. I had a heart-to-heart with my agent and she suggested I go back to what I know NY wants - my brand of romance. My publisher, Grand Central, wanted more books from me (thank God).

This book. It started differently. The character came to me - a funny, irreverent voice that is so not me. She came with an opening scene that just flew off my fingers. But that's all I had. I could have just smiled, and put it in a drawer. Except, I really liked it! 

So, in my normal pantser style, I dug in and started writing. I didn't know anything about this woman except her town, and surface things. And the plot wasn't developing with the writing, as it usually does. 

That's where everything fell apart.

My critters didn't like it. They usually make comments, I fix it, and move on. This time, they didn't like my character - they didn't 'get' her.

Do you have this fear? That the ideas will dry up? that you'll never figure out what comes next? That your editor will line the bottom of her bird cage with your pages?

Yeah. That's where I was. 

Thank God I have amazing writer friends who buck me up, and talk me off the ledge. I called, and they helped. But if I called a lifeline every time I was lost in The Pit of Despair with this book, they'd be dodging my calls.

Then vultures showed up

I was freaking out. Literally. Nightmares, depression, thinking about backing out of the contract. I was out of options.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. This crisis pushed me places I'd never been before. See, I'm a doer. I believe that the best way out of a mess is action. As my Alpha Dog says, 'Do something, even if it's wrong.'

What To DO?

I did what scared me the most. I sat with the fear. I sat with the looming possibility of disaster. 

I. Sat.

You know what I found? There's an eye in the middle of the storm. When I stopped fighting, expected nothing, and just sat with the story, a calm came over me. I wasn't afraid. I was almost disassociated from the mess, seeing it from the outside. 

Did I have an epiphany? No. Did I unravel the plot? No, I didn't. 

I got something better.

I remembered that I can do this. Those eight books weren't a fluke. I remembered - I'm a goddamn WRITER! I'll figure this out, type The End, turn it in, and go on to the next. 

It was like my brain sent me my own lifeline. But it didn't do it until I was willing to fail. Until I was willing to take on my worst fear in a stare-down. 

I'm now writing the second half of that book. I know the end, but not how I'll get there. But I'm no longer freaking out, because I have my confidence back.

If you're stuck in this horrible place (and I pray you never are), try it. The weirdest recommendation ever:

Just sit.

What do you think, WITS readers? Have you ever tried this? Are you willing to?

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