But over the years I’ve also picked up a few writing aids that are a little different, and in fact, they might even be a little fun, if I’d just get off my lazy butt and use them. I have:
1. Story Cubes. This is more of a game, but it still looks kind of fun. There are nine, six-sided dice, with a picture on each of the six sides. You’re supposed to roll all nine dice and write according to the pictures that come up on the top of the dice – three for the beginning, three for the middle, and three for the ending. To be honest, I’d forgotten I had these until I was looking for something else in the drawer I’d stashed them in. But they look like they might be fun.
2. Once Upon A Time, the Storytelling Card Game. I’m pretty sure I bought this for my granddaughter, and it looked like so much fun I bought one for myself. It, too, ended up in a drawer, forgotten. This also is a card game, but looks kind of complicated. One player is the Storyteller, and the others use their cards to interrupt them and take over the story. The winner is the first one to use up all their cards, and you all end up with a story at the end.
3. The Archetype Cards, created by Caroline Myss. This is a set of 80 cards and it comes with an instruction booklet. Each card has an Archetype on it, with a description of both the light and the shadow attributes of the Archetype, and the booklet goes into a little more depth for each card. I was in a small writing group a few years ago, and sometimes we’d each pull a card at random and write about whatever Archetype we picked.
4. Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones Deck. These are a little more straightforward. It’s a set of 60 cards, with a topic (not a prompt) written on one side and an insight into writing on the other. Just pick one and start writing.
5. Tarot cards. At one time I used the Tarot to tell people their fortunes. I was pretty good at it too - so good that I scared myself so I gave them up. But I still have several decks, and I’m slowly trying to get back in the swing of it. And whether you tell fortunes with them or not, it’s still an interesting way to come up with a story idea. Pick one (or even better several) at random and write about what the cards say to you.
6. The Story Oracle. This was a Christmas gift from a friend. They’re billed as a creative writing inspiration deck, and seem to work on the same principle as the Tarot. There are 78 cards, like the Tarot, and two meanings for each card depending on whether it falls right side up or upside down. The accompanying booklet has suggestions for several different spreads, but I would think any Tarot spread would work.
My brilliant idea is to use one of these story aids a week, and then report back here as to how they worked and if they worked. If nothing else, I’ll have a guaranteed six weeks worth of blog posts. LOL
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