Screenwriting : Random Creative Methods - What about a help from tarot cards and astrology to inspire stories? by Paola Giovana

It's all good. In creatively fallow times I've been known to pick a random word from the dictionary or flip to a random news story or random sentence of a book. Haven't tried what you mention, but if it gets the brain cranking, rock on.

Not personally no, but as Kerry says Whatever Works.

Whatever gets you the best results. No one really cares how you wrote the script, they only care if it's great (or not).

Ha, finally I found a lounge chat in which I have something to add :P I'm an astrologer, and I've been studying artists' (and some directors' and writers') charts for a while, and it's amazing how, given the opportunity, they imprint their charts (mostly without knowing it) in their work. Song lyrics, film scripts, book plots, you name it.

Ruling planet - Mercury, and i just so happen to like writing. Nope not a coincidence at all. @Marcos ;P

Yes, it's fun, and illuminating.

Given that astrology is a load of hokum (seriously, prove it works under scientific conditions!), I think this could work as a tool to randomly direct a character. That said, you still need a story to develop and have a character arc and whilst it could be good from a creative point of view, I would struggle to develop a story myself without a decent structure around it.

Few expressions make me more absolutely certain that the person who said it has no idea of what they're talking about than " scientific conditions", but I'm not in the mood for this kind of discussion. As for astrology not providing a "decent structure", from the descent of the spheres (as in the Odissey, and in countless other works that were inspired by it) to the temperament characterization (as in many Shakespeare's plays), lots of English writers would disagree with you.

I'm not saying it (tarot cards) couldn't be used as a device for creativity. But anyone who believes in their destiny being predicted by the turn of a card is clearly a person who has no idea about what I mean by "scientific conditions". Psychics aren't real - and by "aren't real" I mean they do not talk to the dead. They've been disproved and shown to be the charlatans they are over and over yet people are generally gullible which is why "mediums" are [still] so successful. People-reading (for this is what it is) is a genuinely admirable skill. It has nothing to do with being able to predict your fate any more than I can predict the next lottery draw numbers. Astrology is nonsense. End of.

Q.E.D. You try to prove your point on astrology... using Tarot, mediums who "talk to the dead", and psychics. You simply cannot say something can't be "proven", or that it is "nonsense", without having the foggiest idea of what it is.

The "stars" being aligned or influencing another planet/system is not influential to our individual destiny. Otherwise, there'd be 12 events that only happen to 12 different sets of people, according to the "stars" in the papers/online and from the likes of Mystic Meg etc. This isn't so. The "prophecies" are so vague that they can be applied to anything. In several experiments to prove how stupid astrology was, they gave 12 people, all with different star signs, a profile each. Every one of them said it was very indicative of their personality and traits. Yet, when they compared their profiles with the other eleven, they found them all to be identical. It's all nonsense. Even that which "true" astrology pertains to is absolute guff. It has no basis in fact, or science, at all. Jupiter is strong in Venus which means that you, if you were born between these dates, will experience something significant. Really? It's absolute nonsense. Believe in it if you will, but you're as barking as someone who believes in ghosts if you do.

That's why I said I didn't want to discuss it. 99% of the time, I have to educate the other person on astrology and on science while discussing, and the other person just keeps trying to disqualify and offend. OK: you're not talking about astrology. "12 events that only happen to 12 different sets of people" and "starts aligned or influencing another planet/system" is just not astrology. It may be called that, but then again I can call lying to my wife "acting", and planning my lie "screenwriting", or even your post as "reasoning". Real astrology (if anyone wants to search, google "traditional astrology", that's what it has to be called nowadays because of the nonsense David is presenting) says the visible sky (not just "sun signs") and things that happen (not just "people's personalities") mirror each other, because the universe is a Cosmos - it has meaning. So, things with the same essence behave similarly. It's accurate, it clearly works, and has worked over the centuries. And I repeat; don't use sentences such as "It has no basis in fact, or science, at all", because you clearly don't know what it means. "To work", "to be true", and "to be based in science" are different things, and no one with any scientific training whatsoever would mix them up.

It's comparative to religion. You have faith in it which is very admirable. It's a different viewpoint and I respect your belief that it works but I've yet to see anything to convince me it does work. In fact, I've seen more to disprove it than that which proves it. We'll just have to agree to disagree. The world's ending on the 28th September anyway apparently. Oh, didn't someone say that last year? And the year before that? :-) Enjoy and good luck with your endeavours, whatever they may be. As a device for creativity, it could be useful to "use" tarot cards, but I think pure imagination works better overall.

Follow your process. Whatever it is. I sit down with a legal pad and jot down ideas in free form.

I'm new to using tarot, but I think a 'reading' would only really work on real people. You're reaching into the ether with tarot, and pulling back some helpful hints. That's what it does for me, anyway. That said, there's a movie called 'knight of cups' with Christian Bale and right away I knew what it was about. So, maybe this is an exciting idea...using tarot to help work out a character arc if I'm feeling stuck. A full reading provides so many aspects of a life problem and how you're dealing with it...I don't know if it would be a good starting place for a character, but would certainly help generate ideas. btw, you're only supposed to 'receive' a deck...so ask for one for Christmas! lol, Gates is gonna love me, eh?

I consult the Magic 8 ball, as well as the oracles about the destinies of my characters and write accordingly. I also pay imaginary tuition to Ivy leagues colleges and enroll my characters in liberal arts programs. I find a good liberal arts program really rounds out my character's education.

"A man who believes in nothing outside of himself, has a fool for a God." Hmmn, where did I hear that? I think David and Marcos both make valid points. A lot of what so-called psychics are selling to the lost souls looking for something or someone to believe in outside themselves is hokey. But then, like Marcos said, that's not "astrology'. Psychics have been with us since the beginning, and it is also a recognized gift in the realm of spirituality. The problem with 'unbelievers" is they confuse 'religion' with 'spirituality' ... Or they believe that our lives and existence is solely governed by what we can see, smell, touch and feel .. when as creative people, we take actions on the belief of things we currently cannot see, smell, touch or feel coming into being. That's called faith.

I suppose since most of what we write in our scripts is fiction, then considering Astrology or Tarot to chart character's destinies has some merit. However, since Astrology and Tarot has no proven scientific, or dare I say technical merit, it would be more for entertainment value. However, if someone wants to pay me to work that into the story I'd be happy to oblige.

For the screenplay I'm working on, I personified each planet as a new character and gave them personalities based on archetypal dimensions associated with them. As the move into new arrangements and interact with each other, I am shifting the dialogues and scenes based in whether they are in conjunction or square to each etc...also it is a 4 act structure based on 4 stages of perinatal birth process. I am going through Saturn return too, so it's all converging into a really fun story Lots of room for creative expression with multivalence and multidimensional directions if u have a good story through which it is acted out. Or, see what trouble they get into moving around and see what story they tell along the way!

I would also say all great literature is based on planets and ideas of fate, from Gilgamesh to Jesus to today. this universal organism called time is the source of all stories. Astrology, knowing where planets are in relation to each other and what that "means" is just indicating where we are in that story and the psycho emotional depth of our account of it. Everything breathes together.

I like this idea too because some of my characters are historic and it might be a way to have insight into their stories... just to kind of spark something. TArot too, and omens. Join my netowrk.

I have done Tarot for development before -- when building a story around a visual moment or set of images -- and found it to add a layer of richness. Astrological divination can be used in similar fashion. They are excellent creative tools (especially the cards), as that is half of what they were created for: originally one played the Tarot. Of course, it depends on how well you relate with those tools and your intuitive, creative insight. Have fun with it!

I absolutely support any form of character/story creation in alternative ways. I'm a gypsy on my mother side, lucky to have characters pop out onto the page as if they created themselves, however, you just gave me a great idea for a character who could drive an entire story. Thanks, and good luck with yours.