Suitable for all novelists. No prior knowledge of Tarot needed.

Whether you know a lot or a little about Tarot it can help unblock your writing or offer surprising directions for narrative or character. Bring something to write on and your own Tarot deck if you have one. Come prepared to write! Jill will look at writing blocks and negative beliefs; unconscious material for you and your protagonist; how to bring your writing out into the sunshine. This is a generative and playful workshop and will include writing, discussion and a chance to ask Jill questions about her own writing practice.

In 2000, while writing her novel Fred and Edie, Jill Dawson was stuck and decided to give her protagonist, Edie Thompson, a Tarot reading. Twenty-six years later, and now a qualified Jungian Tarot reader, Jill has used the Tarot many times and in various ways: to help with character development, or shake up the narrative; to unlock voice and form; to understand herself as a writer. She has helped many new writers reach publication via her mentoring scheme. In her twelfth and most recent novel Pixie (Bloomsbury) she looks at the life of the world’s most famous but unsung tarot artist, Pamela Colman Smith.

About the author:

Jill Dawson has won prizes for poetry, short stories and fiction. Twice nominated for the Women’s Prize, she has written twelve novels. Her latest is Pixie, published by Bloomsbury described as ‘captivating’ ‘profoundly feminist’ and ‘a work of genius.’ Jill has taught writing in many different settings from the Faber Academy to the University of East Anglia. She founded her own writing programme, Gold Dust Mentoring, which helps new writers reach publication.