"Making it up, as I go along..."

BLOGGING ABOUT WHATEVER

ENTRY - 22

TITLE: "Making it up, as I go along..."

AUTHOR: J. William Bell

DATE POSTED: 2026-05-02

Sometimes, people ask me: "Where do you get your ideas from?" I do my best to say something clever and mysterious, then hope they'll be satisfied. Too often, a writer has to be like a magician; he cannot reveal all of his secrets. But just in case this blog is being read by an aspiring writer-- I will provide you with an exercise that some writers use (whether or not they can do it while being sober; I'd rather not say).

To begin with; You will need a standard deck of playing cards, and to remember that the four basic character archetypes you'll find in a well-written and epic fantasy story are:

- The Wizard

- The Warrior

- The Holy/Spiritual Pilgrim

- The Rogue

Also do your best to remember which suit represents which archetype:

- Clubs = Wizard

- Spades = Warrior

- Hearts = Pilgrim

- Diamonds = Rogue

Next: Remove the Jokers (unless you're writing a comedy, then all of the cards are technically Jokers). Shuffle the deck, then randomly choose three cards and reveal them in a row. For this blog entry, I got the following three:

Eight of Spades, King of Hearts, King of Clubs

Now what kind of story could I tell with these elements? The 8 could represent 8 Warriors or 8 weapons (or something else Warrior-related and involving the number eight). The King of Hearts could represent a Holy/Spiritual Pilgrim with a high rank in their religion; or they might be someone who will be a high rank someday (meaning that they have what some writers refer to as "Plot Armour," which protects them from a dramatic death-- ironic/tragic deaths are still an option, if properly executed). The King of Clubs might be a very clever, dangerous, or even famous Wizard (had we gotten the Queen; this character would've been a Sorceress or a Witch instead; or even a potentially incompetent Witch/Wizard's Apprentice if we had drawn the Jack).

And here is the hard part; How do I blend these elements together for a basic plot summary (what the story is all about within a small number of words). I could come up with something like:

- As the Archbishop lies on his deathbed, he tells a young monk the story of how he, when he was also a young monk, and a relunctant wizard; fooled a gang of mercenaries into slaying a dragon.

- A Wizard who wants to retire has to go on one last quest to destroy eight enchanted swords, while being accompanied by a Monk who will one day be a famous writer/story-teller.

- The Abbot; a monk in charge of a monastery; allows a dying Wizard a chance to confess all of his sins before it is too late. The Wizard then explains how it is possible to perform all Seven of the Deadly Sins for best of reasons, and then accidentally discover an Eighth.

If you want to be a writer, try this out for yourself. Your only limitation is the current state of your talent, and your imagination!

Excelsior!