Writer's Block

I have attempted to start many novels and over and over again, I come up with writer's block. I found out about a spread (via this forum) that helps one identify what it is that may be blocking them. It is a two part spread. I've done the first part. 3 cards are used--the first card stands for me--I got the 6 of Pentacles, the second card stands for what is blocking me-The Magician and the third card stands for what I need to do to overcome this block.

The card I'm having trouble with is the 6 of pentacles.

I'm new on the forum and not completely sure of the informal rules of posting. I have noticed that most people who post these types of questions usually just summarize briefly. I hope it is not a problem for me to post something longer as to what my thoughts are on the cards I drew. If so, please tell me.

Here is what I came up with: (6 of Pentacles) I think maybe it represents the fact that whenever I write, I can never get the critical audience out of my head. Instead of writing only for myself, I’m always doing it in view of how it might be perceived by someone else and this blocks and stagnates me. I also think it has to do with the fact that I have a hard time feeling like I’m doing something important and relevant when I write and instead feel like I’m just playing and wasting time and living in a fantasy world. In other words, feel guilty because I m not doing more practical things in the real world.

My first impression of the magician is that he is someone who has mastered whatever it is he has partaken. The way this applies to me is, I read a lot--not just popular novels but lots of literary novels and classic novels. I also read some weighty non-fiction books. And so I have a tendency to set too high of a bar for myself and don’t meet my own standards of what constitutes good writing--not by a long shot--because I compare myself with ‘the greats’.

What is needed to work through the stagnation is I suppose to get rid of all those thoughts (magician-air) and stop worrying so much about whether or not I’m making practical use of my time--and just to enjoy myself and be guided by my heart.

Anyway, does anyone else have insight on what the 6 of Pentacles might mean? Or any of the other cards for that matter?

One thing that strikes me is that both these cards are saying the same thing: you are capable of doing this IF you put the work in. The 6/Pents for me is all about the flow of resources--including your own personal time and energy. The side of the Magician I'm getting here is the view that here is someone at the top of his game that earned his way there through study and effort.

I've attached a pic of these cards from the Shadowscapes deck, because they popped into my head when I pondered your post. (They're slightly cropped to fit.) On the left, in this 6/Pents, we have a young man who is playing an instrument that encourages the flow of water (and coins) onto a plant below. He's nourishing it with his art. If he stops playing for too long, that flow will dry up, and the plant--his pet project--will wither away. The plant may be tiny now, but like all plants, it produces oxygen, the very stuff of life for us all. I'd say that's pretty important work he's doing, personally. But I'll also note you can overwater most plants. That means he doesn't have to put all his time into this task, and he should have time to do other necessary things, if he prioritizes well.

On the right, the Magician perches crouched upon a bit of stone. To balance in the way he has here for any significant length of time isn't something you do well the first time you try it--it's a trick that takes a great deal of practice to master, and obviously it's something he does regularly, because he's able to maintain that pose while wholly engaged in what he's doing with his hands. How would you go about mastering that pose? Well, for starters, I wouldn't recommend trying it on a rock perched over a thorny rosebush the way the Magician currently is, because when you fall--and you will!--you'll hurt yourself far more than you have to. You'd start on nice, clear, level ground, and work your way into it. Note too that his attention is wholly on his work. No mere distraction will disturb that focus; even the birds landing on him are beneath his notice. And this Magician isn't facing the reader the way many are. He's mastering his skills before he performs them before an audience.

So right now, I see someone unsure of where best to allocate their talents & time (6/Pents)--but obviously someone who has resources to contribute in the first place, which is a good thing. And I see a fairly simple block in that a great deal of work is needed--much of which, well, might not be much fun or bring applause from others, because a Magician's practice is never done onstage.

Translated to writer's block (and without the benefit of seeing the rest of the spread), I'd say that so far in this reading you have a message of "You're capable, but you need to write for for the sake of just writing at this point, trusting that you are doing what is needed to grow the way the plant does when watered. In that way, you'll master your ability and be able to do amazing things."

I'd be interested in knowing what the rest of the spread looked like, but that would definitely put us over the number of cards limit for this section and would have to be moved to Your Readings. Personal, non card advice: set a goal of writing for only fifteen minutes or so a day about absolutely anything. It doesn't have to be on the work in progress you're stuck on--do character interviews, or flash fiction (under 1K words, could be as little as 100, which is a heck of a challenge to work with). Anything at all will do. Fifteen minutes out of your day won't keep you from doing the "more important" things you're fretting over neglecting in that 6/Pents, and will keep you in practice while you sort through your internal roadblocks. And some of these little bits of writing you produce may turn out to be useful later. Also, learn the Magician's trick of focusing on one thing while still accomplishing another--in other words, there are tasks that might be a higher priority to get done, but can be accomplished while still working your way out of a plot thicket in your head. Some of my thorniest story problems will solve themselves while I'm doing the dishes, with one of my characters' favorite musical playlists on the kitchen stereo.

Best of luck,

~jolie

Wow, thank you Jolie,

I love the deck. I've been buying new decks lately, one a month, this may be my next one. You sound like you've really worked with it a lot.

I think your reading is exactly right. I'll spend quite a bit of time working on something and then get discouraged and just quit. It's not so much that I'm not willing to do the work as it is that I don't have confidence in my ability and then end up asking myself, "Why am I wasting my time doing this. My writing sucks!"

I'll put the rest of the reading in the other section--but probably not today. I don't have enough time and it's 7 cards.

Again, thank you.

I see it as you do: the 6 of Pentacles is when do I get the credit for what I am doing? So you see the critical audience that does not like what you write.

The Magician has the tools to do what he want, so you ARE a good writer. Are you afraid if you are not appreciated, that your talent isn't real? Answer: of course it is real, whether others like what you write or not.

The 6 of Pentacles to me is a message to "get over yourself." Write for YOURSELF not for the critical audience you think is out there. Just do it and see what happens.

Sometimes, I turn a card over (from reversed to upright, or in this case, upright to reversed) to change the energy. 6 of Pentacles Rx says, you are independent and doing your own thing.

The Magician Rx would say, you are whining that you never get what you want, but that you STILL have the tools to do it.

What is the 3rd card? the one that tells you how to defeat the block?

Barb