Welcome to Part IV of my Divination and Writing Series. Today we’re going to talk about characters and the character arc. This is so important because a strong story does not necessarily have to have the most interesting plot in the world, but it needs interesting characters who change.

That change is the character arc.

A character arc is the emotional, psychological, or spiritual movement a character undergoes over the course of a story. It is the distance between who they are at the beginning, what the story forces them to face, and who they become by the end.

For writers, this can be one of the hardest parts of storytelling to fully see. You may know your plot. You may know your setting, your themes, and even your ending, but if the inner transformation feels vague, the story can still fall flat.

This is another reason tarot can be such a powerful creative tool.

Tarot speaks in symbols, archetypes, shadow, revelation, and change. It can help writers glimpse the deeper emotional pattern beneath a story and better understand what a character is moving through internally. Plus, tarot has a basic meaning but everyone who reads it is going to get something different. Your intuition will guide you to something completely separate from someone else. Even though you are using the tarot, you’re still coming up with your own story!

In this post, we will look at why character arcs matter, and use a simple three-card tarot reading to map transformation in fiction.

Why Character Arcs Matter in Fiction

A memorable character usually does not remain exactly the same from beginning to end.

That does not mean every protagonist must become wiser, kinder, or more successful. Some arcs are healing arcs. Some are awakening arcs. Some are tragic arcs. In most stories, however, the character is shaped by what they experience.

Story pressure (conflict) reveals who they are.

A character may begin the novel guarded, prideful, naive, approval-seeking, emotionally shut down, controlling, fearful, or disconnected from some deeper truth. Then the plot applies pressure. Conflict tests them. Relationships challenge them. Loss strips something away. Desire leads them into difficult territory. By the end, they have either changed, resisted change, or paid the price for refusing it.

Without that movement, a story can feel static, even if many things happen on the surface.

Why Tarot Works for Character Development

Tarot is especially useful for writers because it works in the language of archetype and transformation.

A tarot reading can reveal:

• the emotional state a character begins with
• the wound or pattern beneath their behavior
• the challenge that reshapes them
• the lesson they must learn
• the person they are becoming

Tarot does not replace story structure, but it can deepen your understanding of what your character is really going through. It can help you move beyond plot summary and into emotional meaning.

If you know your character feels flat or unfinished, tarot may help you see the hidden thread that connects their beginning to their end. What happened to them to force change? Let’s consult the cards.

A Three-Card Tarot Spread for the Character Arc

One of the easiest ways to use tarot for character development is with a three-card spread:

1. Where they begin (card 1)

Who is this character at the start of the story? What emotional state, worldview, identity, or wound are they carrying?

2. What they go through (card 2)

What central challenge, lesson, pressure, or conflict shapes them over the course of the story?

3. Where they end up (card 3)

Who are they by the end? What has changed in them? What truth have they learned, embodied, rejected, or lost?

This three-card reading gives you a clean emotional framework for a character arc. It shows the beginning self, the crucible, and the transformed self.

Example: Using a Three-Card Tarot Reading to Build a Character Arc

Below are three original examples to show how a tarot character arc reading can work in practice.

Example 1: Ambition

Mara is a doctoral student who has built her identity around achievement. Her grades have always been excellent and school comes first. She wants to be respected, admired, and exceptional. Beneath that ambition is a quiet terror of being ordinary. Mara would have no personality if her achievements were taken from her.

The reading

Where she begins: Six of Wands
Mara begins the story driven by validation, recognition, and the need to succeed publicly. She is nothing without the adoration of those placing her on a pedestal for her achievements. Her confidence depends too much on being seen as impressive.

What she goes through: Five of Pentacles
She experiences rejection, exclusion, or failure that strips away the version of herself she depended on. She is forced into a season of loss and humility. How does this loss come about? Well, the possibilities are endless. Think about what might fit the narrative and take your story down that path. It all depends on the type of novel you’re writing and who you are as a writer.

Where she ends up: The Hermit
By the end, Mara becomes more inwardly grounded. She values truth, depth, and wisdom over applause. She is quieter, but more real. Her ordeal has changed her and brought her to a place that is more socially palatable.

Character arc summary

Mara begins hungry for external praise, is humbled by loss, and ends with a deeper sense of purpose. Her arc moves from performance to authenticity.

Example 2: Charisma

Eli is charismatic, funny, and impossible to hold onto. He uses sarcasm, humor, and spontaneity to avoid vulnerability. He believes freedom means never being tied down. He never gets into a serious relationship and is always travelling. On the outside his life seems glamorous, but it feels hollow nonetheless.

The reading

Where he begins: The Fool
Eli begins unbothered, impulsive, and always ready to leap into something new, especially a relationship. His outlook on life is “leap before you look” because that is way more Instagram-able. He resists structure and treats commitment like a trap.

What he goes through: Eight of Swords
Over the course of the story, Eli becomes trapped by the very patterns he thought would keep him free. Even constant change become tiresome after a time. Maybe he meets someone who can finally see through his avoidance and calls him out on his behavior. Eli must confront the fear beneath his constant escape and get to the root of the problem.

Where he ends up: King of Pentacles
By the end, Eli has grown into someone more stable, reliable, and rooted. He learns that maturity and commitment are not the enemies of freedom. Perhaps they’re the pieces that freed him from his self-imposed prison.

Character arc summary

Eli begins as someone who runs from depth, is forced to face the prison of his own avoidance, and ends with a more grounded sense of self. His arc moves from restlessness to rooted.

How to Use This Tarot Spread in Your Own Writing Practice

In your journal, write down a few characters you are considering for your novel. At the very least, write down the protagonist. Then, pull three cards and ask:

• Who are they at the beginning?
• What pressure changes them?
• Who are they by the end?

Then study the cards and start putting together the puzzle.

Often, the tension between the first and third card will reveal the true shape of the story. The middle card shows the conflict they must pass through.

If you need help interpreting the cards, the website Biddy Tarot is an excellent site for information on the tarot!

Final Thoughts on Tarot and the Character Arc

A strong character arc gives a story its emotional resonance. It is what allows plot to become transformation. Flat characters are fine, but not so much when it’s your protagonist or antagonist.

Tarot can help writers see that transformation more clearly. It offers a symbolic way to interpret where a character begins, what they must go through to grow, and who they may become by the end. Maybe it’s good or maybe it’s bad. There are stories of every kind.

Sometimes a three-card reading will show you what your outline could not. Sometimes it will uncover the inner journey hidden beneath the external events. Sometimes it will reveal that the real story is not about what your character does, but about what finally changes within them.

For writers who like to blend intuition with craft, tarot can become a meaningful part of the creative process.

If you enjoy using divination as part of your writing life, explore the rest of the Divination and Writing series for more ways to use tarot and symbolic tools to deepen your fiction.

Grab my FREE download A Writer’s Guide to The Major Arcana!