have you ever tried to write and gotten stuck?
what if writing could be fun again?
the problem
It’s a big leap, taking a book from the idea in your head into words on a page. We believe this should be easy for us. That if we were “real writers” the words would just flow. But this is a huge leap you’re asking yourself to make.
If revising a book is like glazing a pot and firing it after having shaped it, writing the first draft is creating the clay out of thin air. Why do we expect this to be effortless?
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
It’s a big leap, taking a book from the idea in your head into words on a page. We believe this should be easy for us. That if we were “real writers” the words would just flow. But this is a huge leap you’re asking yourself to make.
If revising a book is like glazing a pot and firing it after having shaped it, writing the first draft is creating the clay out of thin air. Why do we expect this to be effortless?
THERE IS ANOTHER WAY.
your book wants to go deeper
Writing a story can still be fun. The secret I’ve found invaluable in bridging this gap is the tarot. Ideas are like dreams in our minds. On the way to becoming drafts, let the tarot serve as your stepping stone.
The hardest part about writing is turning the story in our imagination into words on a page. The universal imagery of the tarot helps you go from idea to story much more quickly and easily.
you don't have to know the tarot
You'll learn all you need to know in the course! The best part about this system is that you don't need any prior tarot knowledge to benefit.
We'll be using the cards as a shorthand with your imagination that's built on your relationship to the images you see, not anyone else's.
If you've studied the tarot for years, that's wonderful, but you'll still get the full benefit of this course even if you've never held a deck before.
Imagine having a secret code with your imagination
IN STORY ARCANA, YOU'LL LEARN TO
Create story arcs you're eager to draft
Write scenes that sizzle
Connect to story ideas with ease
Access the deeper meaning and symbology in your writing
Never fear the blank page again
Not only is this process incredibly effective, you also get to have fun along the way.
Beat writer's block with the magic of the tarot.
Story Arcana is everything you need to:
Navigate stuck points in your story
Find the subtext of your scenes to make them riveting
Face any stuck point in writing with a tool at the ready
meet caroline donahue, ma
I’ve read tarot for over twenty-five years, and the cards have become personal guides and advisors for me and for my writing community.
Studying Art History for my BA and Psychology and Expressive Arts for my Masters sparked a lifelong love for the magic of visual language. In developing a literary lexicon for tarot, I’ve transformed my relationship to writing, and my students’ and clients’ processes have evolved beyond my and their wildest expectations.
I've honed this process in several iterations of this course, as well as in ongoing work with individual clients and students.
It is my honor and my joy to share this method with you.
LESSON ONE
ways of seeing
We'll be starting at the foundation of working with tarot this week: how we look at images. Humans see stories in images naturally -- let's expand that skill!
You will learn:
How humans look at images
The psychology of pictures
Shifting the role of tarot to a writing tool
Introducing the tarot suits in fiction
LESSON TWO
questions + courts
In this lesson, we lay the foundation of the practice: questions and how to ask them so we unlock obstacles. In addition, we look at how characters appear in the tarot.
You will learn:
Creating effective questions for tarot
The anatomy of a useful question
Character + plot as they appear in the cards
LESSON THREE
recording the cycle
In this lesson, we'll be getting to the major arcana, the first 22 cards of the tarot and their role in building satisfying story structure.
Our topics:
Identifying major events in a character's life
Connecting your own life and experience to the archetypes of the deck
Building your own reference manual to store your discoveries for future projects
LESSON FOUR
story cartographer
Here we address tarot spreads, not only pre-existing ones, but how to create your own custom spreads to suit your precise needs
You'll learn:
The syntax of tarot spreads
How to transform a question into a spread
Techniques to add nuance and depth to your results
LESSON FIVE
story building
Let's take everything we've learned so far and see how these principles and steps combine to create something even bigger, like an entire book!
You'll learn:
Idea generation methods
Planning your story without overdoing it
Going from idea to novel
On top of all of that, you'll also get bonus goodies that will make this process easier AND more delicious
WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT TREATS?
case study series
Watch Caroline coach a student from murky to magical middle in three conversations. See a real novel transform as the course material is put into practice. Follow along to see how to do the same for your book.
Video, audio, and transcript formats included.
$197 VALUE
step-by-step workbook
Your map through the course, complete with checklists for the lesson material, maps to guide visual learners through the middle, as well as guided prompts for all the exercises. PLUS a tutorial on how to use the workbook digitally. Yours to reuse for future writing projects, too!
$97 VALUE
CLASS BEGINS TODAY
let's get started.ready for the magic?
DIVE IN AND BEGIN!
Our commitment to you-- Please read
We are 100% dedicated to your writing and creative process and believe wholeheartedly that you can complete your book. For this reason, we don't offer refunds for our courses. Once you enroll, we are totally behind you, cheering you on.
However, we are only half the equation. In order to create results, you must take action.
Our team is committed to doing everything we can to make this easy and straightforward to do. We have supported dozens of writers in overcoming writing challenges to complete books. We are confident we can help you, too.
Don't hesitate to reach out with questions before you join -- we want you to feel this is the right fit for you.
Students share their experiences with Caroline's courses:
"I feel empowered."
I learned a ton! It’s given me more tools for my creative projects and empowered me to trust my own intuition as well.
I feel empowered to build my own interpretations of images and cards and much less bound to books and rules. Thank you for the thought and care you put into the course.
CARA FINNEGAN,
United States
STORY ARCANA
I learned a ton! It’s given me more tools for my creative projects and empowered me to trust my own intuition as well.
I feel empowered to build my own interpretations of images and cards and much less bound to books and rules. Thank you for the thought and care you put into the course.
CARA FINNEGAN,
United States
STORY ARCANA
"You will learn soooo much."
Definitely take it...Doing this course has demystified the rough draft novel. It doesn't scare me as much as it used to. I understand better how much the rough draft is a lump of clay and that it can be messy as it needs to be!I really enjoyed the support and ...willingness to be an empathetic witness to my process.
NANCY SULAIMAN,
Canada
DREAM TO DRAFT
Definitely take it...Doing this course has demystified the rough draft novel. It doesn't scare me as much as it used to. I understand better how much the rough draft is a lump of clay and that it can be messy as it needs to be!I really enjoyed the support and ...willingness to be an empathetic witness to my process.
NANCY SULAIMAN,
Canada
DREAM TO DRAFT
"I just assumed that there was something wrong with me"
Finding a community of other writers, and discovering how encouraging and supportive that felt was a huge shift for me. Before I took the course, I had a lot of doubt about whether I was “really” a writer, and it was finding a community of other writers, plus your encouragement and validation, that made me believe that I am a writer and to feel confident claiming that identity.
For the first time, I’ve found a writing process that feels not only sustainable but enjoyable, and I can’t believe it’s that simple!
TAMSIN SMITH,
United Kingdom
NEXT DRAFT
Finding a community of other writers, and discovering how encouraging and supportive that felt was a huge shift for me. Before I took the course, I had a lot of doubt about whether I was “really” a writer, and it was finding a community of other writers, plus your encouragement and validation, that made me believe that I am a writer and to feel confident claiming that identity.
For the first time, I’ve found a writing process that feels not only sustainable but enjoyable, and I can’t believe it’s that simple!
TAMSIN SMITH,
United Kingdom
NEXT DRAFT
CLASS BEGINS TODAY
what are you waiting for?
all the goodies
GET THIS PARTY STARTED TODAY!
is this the right course?
There are lots of writing courses out there. Is Story Arcana a match for your needs? Let’s find out.
YOU ARE A FIT FOR STORY ARCANA IF:
You are working on a novel project
You loved your story at first, but now you're worried it can't work
You feel stuck and you want the magic back
You need tools to address the parts of the book that don't clickYou're ready to open a new door to your imagination
You're much closer to writing flow than you know.
All you need are the keys to your imagination.
LET'S DO THIS
If you’re ready to stop tearing your hair out, worrying that your idea won't work, we're here for you..
Writing a novel is a challenge, but it doesn't have to be a painful one. After getting through the rush of excitement at the beginning of the draft, everyone gets stuck.
The difference between those who get through and whose who give up is often a tiny tweak and some help from a tool, like the method you'll learn in Story Arcana. How much longer are you willing to let your writing dreams gather dust?
Writing a novel is a challenge, but it doesn't have to be a painful one. After getting through the rush of excitement at the beginning of the draft, everyone gets stuck.
The difference between those who get through and whose who give up is often a tiny tweak and some help from a tool, like the method you'll learn in Story Arcana. How much longer are you willing to let your writing dreams gather dust?
Class is now in session!
FAQs
Story Arcana’s classroom is hosted on Kajabi, a course platform we have tested thoroughly. You’ll receive a username and login, and access to the classroom right after you sign up.
You get access to Lesson One immediately, and the remaining lessons open as you complete the previous sections. The Case study videos appear between lesson videos.
If you need help, Team BA is here to assist you Monday- Thursday at [email protected]
Is there a schedule I have to follow?
The course is self-paced, so planning your schedule is entirely under your control. You receive access to new content as you complete the lessons, so you can go as fast or as slow as you like.
How much time do the lessons take?
The lessons videos range from 30 minutes to an hour, but the majority of the work is your application of the techniques by doing experiments. These can be as short as 5 or 10 minutes and work best when done alongside your existing writing practice.
You keep access to this material for the lifetime of the course, so take your time to absorb and apply the techniques on the schedule that works best for you.
Do I need to be super tech-savvy to take this class?
Kajabi is a simple and user-friendly platform we've used for numerous courses with high approval ratings from students. All you need to be able to do is to sign in with a username and password to access the material.
You may email us for help with tech issues if needed - we’ve sorted out most common hiccups and can get you sorted quickly.
Does this course include readings with Caroline?
The course covers the method Caroline uses to do readings for writers, but as it's self-paced she doesn't do readings for course students. If you’d like a reading with her in addition to the course, you can book one here.
How long do I keep access to course material?
We offer lesson access for the lifetime of the course.
What this means is you will have access as long as we offer this course.
Occasionally, after a number of years, we determine that a significant update is appropriate, in order to provide the most useful material possible.
In the event of such an update for this course, you would be given the option to access the new version at a substantial discount.
If I change my mind after signing up, can I get my money back?
Please be certain you want to do the course when you sign up, as we don't offer refunds. Please see the "Our commitment to your writing" section of this page.
If you're on the fence about joining, get to know Caroline better via the Secret Library Podcast, her instagram lives and IGTV videos, and Footnotes weekly email.
LET'S BEGIN
transform your writing today!the story arcana lineup
BRING BACK THE FLOW
© 2024 Caroline Donahue :: Book Alchemy