Day 5: Tarot, spiders and a strange addition to the character list

So I've written 1692 words today, bringing my total up to 8665 words in 5 days. That's a hell of a lot more than I've ever thought I could write in that short time. I know there are things I've written that sound like something I wrote earlier but with different wording, but this is such a rough draft that I'm tempted to go along with a blog I read and call it a Zero Draft :) (as opposed to first draft)

Tarot is starting to feature, which was really only a matter of time. I find tarot mesmerising, and love the different images on them. My favourite ones are usually the more obscure ones with images that do not relate at all with the Rider Waite version. The tarot deck that is featuring in my novel is the Mantegna Tarot, which I bought a while ago and have left in Sydney so I have to go by pictures online (which you can see on this link). It's interesting because it has the different economic statuses from medieval times, as well as the seven muses and Apollo, and some alchemical references. I'm kind of missing them at the moment.

Spiders are also featuring. I've had such a connection with spiders lately; they seem to be getting in my way a lot. Today we had one coming down from the ceiling in our shop and it landed on me and kept going down my arm. I find them fascinating and I'm taking it as a good sign really - according to some cultures, spiders taught the primordial language and so they are connected to writers of all kinds. But they are also essentially part of the dreaming, which makes them perfect for the novel.

And finally a new character, which is really a character I had thought about for a series of novellas that is still on the shelf, has made a cameo appearance and it's had a huge impact on the path of the novel. He's the one who brought in the Tarot bit. Sly dog, that one :)

Till Tomorrow x