Building Character and Plot with the Tarot

What to Expect

Whether you’re starting a new project, working on a rewrite, or want to learn new skills - join us to hone your craft.

All Classes take place 100% online utilizing free video conferencing software ZOOM so you can participate from anywhere in the world with an internet connection!

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This 4 Week Course will be a deep dive into the 22 cards that comprise the Major Arcana of the Tarot (The Fool card to The World card), using them as a tool to shape layered, fascinating characters and story points. The Major Arcana is Latin for “big mystery” and really makes the Tarot the Tarot.

A Tarot deck is not required for class though participants are welcome to have a personal deck on hand. The only musts are an adventurous, open, creative heart and mind.

NOTE: We will be using the Smith-Rider-Waite deck for our discussions. The Smith deck is influenced by religious iconography which is symbolic only and is in no way connected to any belief system.

This Four Week Class Will Cover:

Overview of the Tarot
Character beats and development
In class exercises

WHO IS THIS FOR?: Writers, creatives, artists, humans, non-humans, and curious folk. You do NOT have to have any prior understanding of the Tarot before class - this class is for beginners and scholars and anyone somewhere in the middle.

Week One - Introduction

Date / Time

Sun, 10/06/2024 @ 12:00PM PT

Summary

This week, your Instructor will:

Overview of the Tarot: what it is and what it is not; why it is valuable
Overview of the Major Arcana, the 22 cards from The Fool to The World
An in depth look at The Fool
A Tarot card pull for each participant, an individual anchor for the class
In class exercises
Q&A

Week Two - MAGICIAN to CHARIOT

Date / Time

Sun, 10/13/2024 @ 12:00PM PT

Summary

This week, your Instructor will cover:

In depth exploration of Cards 1-7
The Significance of the first Horizontal Line (cards 1-7)
A Tarot card pull for or your Protagonist and Antagonist
In class exercises
Q&A

Week Three - STRENGTH to TEMPERANCE

Date / Time

Sun, 10/20/2024 @ 12:00PM PT

Summary

This week, your Instructor will guide the class through:

In depth exploration of Cards 8-14
The Significance of the second Horizontal Line (cards 8-14)
In class exercises
Individual review of homework
Q&A

Week Four - THE DEVIL to THE WORLD

Date / Time

Sun, 10/27/2024 @ 12:00AM PT

Summary

This week, your Instructor will guide the class through:

In depth exploration of Cards 15-21
The Significance of the third and final Horizontal Line (cards 15-21)
A final Tarot pull of the participant’s choosing (self, character, plot)
A Look at the Vertical Lines (#1-7) of the Major Arcana
In class exercise developing and shaping character based on cards 15-21
Review of your character(s) and story, a look back at Week #1’s submission
Q&A

More about

Justin Ross

EVP of Development & Production

Bohemia Group Originals

Justin Ross began his film career as a screenwriter. Mr. Ross’ script, THE ANSWER, was made into a short by Nebula Films in 2007.

In 2008, he joined Intrinsic Value Films as a Creative Executive. During his tenure at Intrinsic, he secured relationships with top talent, including Scott Free Productions and the estates of two of his favorite authors Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick. Mr. Ross joined Bohemia Group Originals as Director of Production in 2015 and was promoted to Executive Vice President of Development and Production in 2016 where he championed the company’s first feature, A DARK PLACE (distributed by Gravitas Ventures); winner of “Best Thriller” at the Manhattan Film Festival. Further credits include Associate Producer on the Spike Lee Executive Produced SON OF THE SOUTH. Upcoming projects include PREY with Oscar winner Sir Ben Kingsley and GLASS MOUNTAIN with Oscar winner Helen Hunt.

Testimonials

I registered for a four-week rewrite clinic with several friends hoping to find a solution to a problem we all shared in finding the right learning environment to workshop our material. When you teach creative writing to others, it’s challenging to find a group that allows you as a more experienced yet still evolving writer to get the same substantive feedback you provide your students. Furthermore, when you’re a creative from marginalized identities, you often get discouraging notes that imply you can either write commercial stories or stories that center your communities’ interests as if those two objectives are mutually exclusive. Justin Ross proved to be the perfect mentor for our group. He respected the stories each of us was trying to tell and provided specific notes and actionable exercises that gave us new ways into our revisions. There are few critique spaces where we feel we get the support we need, and having found Roadmap Writers and Justin Ross has gotten our creative year off to a wonderful start.

~ Sofia Quintero, Screenwriter

Justin is awesome. His notes are specific and valuable. He listens to the writer and wants to make sure that he understands what is trying to be accomplished with the script. I would highly recommend him for feedback.

~ Brenda Lynn Bynum, Screenwriter

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Building Character and Plot with the Tarot

Online Classes