Using the Tarot to Outline your Novel (i.e. How to Hit all of the Emotional Beats in your Story) Pt. 3
You can find parts 1 and 2 below, which cover how to outline Act I and Act II respectively
https://elizzawrites.tumblr.com/post/649373445019271168/using-the-tarot-to-outline-your-novel-ie-how-to
The Tarot has a built in story in the form of the Major Arcana that is all about learning lessons and personal growth, which makes it perfec
https://elizzawrites.tumblr.com/post/649373715585433600/using-the-tarot-to-outline-your-novel-ie-how-to
This is a follow up to my post about using the tarot to outline your novel. You can find Pt.1/Act I here:...
Act III
The Devil: The protagonist is still vulnerable and uncertain of what path they should be taking. Now is the ideal moment for the antagonist to mess with them psychologically; though, the antagonist does not inherently need to be responsible for this beat. Force your protagonist to face temptation. Offer them what they want but at a great cost. Perhaps if they listen to the advice from Temperance, they will overcome the temptation. Otherwise, they’ll fail. This should force the protagonist to question what they really want and what they’re willing to do to get it.
The Tower: Whether or not the protagonist succumbed to the temptation, the rug needs to be pulled out from under them and it needs to be their fault. The Devil exposed their flaws as well as their desires, and they’ll need to confront those flaws. Perhaps now is the time for the foreshadowing in Justice to pay off.
The Star: The protagonist has hit absolute rock bottom. Ever since Death, things have been going steadily downhill. They’ll need to rally themselves, but they can’t do it alone. They need support from their Lovers character and any other allies they made along the way. These allies are the Star that will guide them out of the darkness. The protagonist can’t be held up by their goals alone anymore.
The Moon: Just because the protagonist has found their guiding Star doesn’t mean their out of the woods yet. The Moon is a moment of both confusion and reflection that should mirror the High Priestess in a lot of ways. The protagonist is forming a new plan, but they know it won’t be easy to pull off.
The Sun: The protagonist has their allies and they have a plan. Now they need to put it into action. Things should be going well for the protagonist during the Sun, and it should look like they’ll succeed without a problem.
Judgement: Before the protagonist can succeed and live happily ever after, the antagonist has one more road block in store for them and it's the toughest one yet. The question you need to answer during Judgement is, did the protagonist learn their lesson? If they did, then they’ll be able to overcome the roadblock. If they didn’t, then they’ll fail. This is a literal judgement of your main character and shouldn’t hinge on the actions of the side characters, even if they are there to support them.
The World: This is the exact opposite of the Fool. Whether your protagonist failed or succeeded, they are an entirely different person and their World has changed because of it. Go back to the beginning and give the audience a glimpse of how the protagonist’s everyday life has changed for the better or worse.
















