March 21 – April 20: I know you are wishing for umbrellas in your drink instead of dripping in your hallway, muumuus instead of mackintoshes in your closet. The trick is to remember you can have both at the same time. Beware of false dichotomies in your work right now as well. Sure, you may have to re-write the first two chapters, but think of the possibilities if your protagonist had a little more to lose – or a lot more. Try on “having it all”.
April 21 – May 20: It’s time, Taurus. That idea – you know the one – you’ve been lovingly dreaming about working on but always putting back on the shelf for later? It’s time to take that idea down from the closet or out from under the bed, bring it out into the light, and get to work. The time to percolate is over; the time to initiate is here. The best thing about taking the chance of working on something you really love is how rewarding and right it will feel.
May 21 – June 20: At certain points in history, storytellers have been more or less equated to be liars. When you sat down around the campfire or the tavern table to listen to someone tell a tale, it was almost a given that exaggeration would be involved, if not outright fabrication. The spinner of yarns walked a fine line between mountebank and mentor, and if they played you a trick it was instructive – you’d know better the second time around. If you can bring a little edge to your earnestness, Gemini, you may find it just the seasoning your opus needs.
June 21 – July 20: One of the things you excel at, Cancer, is perseverance. If you can’t go around it, you’ll damn well go thru it, head-first and heart-dedicated. Lately a project has come to a bit of a standstill, and you have to admit you are no longer moving forward. Remember you have the option to walk away – there’s no shame in pausing to regroup, and no shame in changing your mind altogether. No experience is wasted in the long run.
July 21 – August 20: Faking it till you make it is great, because people are often more prepared and fit than they give themselves credit. Boasting about how you aced the report and passed the class without actually cracking the cover of the text is disingenuous, as it looks like you aren’t willing to put in the actual work a project requires. Time to show your peers you won’t slack the job and steal the credit if you want to be a professional.
August 21 – September 20: As the holiday season commences, you may find yourself wanting to run away. Your normal love of all things cozy, pumpkin spiced or no, is hiding under the bed with Aunt Sally’s Siamese when all the relatives troop home for the traditional dinner. If you can’t use your novel’s deadline as an excuse to absent yourself for some blessed peace and writing time, take advantage of your alienation to look at the people around you with an altered perspective. It may be the breakthrough to finally writing that scene in chapter 6.
September 21 – October 20: It’s hard to feel balanced when the world seems to be spinning off its axis. The year is rushing to its close, the weather seems to herald the apocalypse, and the cat keeps barfing in your shoe. What seems like utter chaos is actually your cue: embrace the chance to let go, to get a little wild. Too often balance means restraint – put that off until the new year. Now is the perfect time to experiment with writing some sort of script or other dialog-intensive format.
October 21 – November 20: This is your time of the year, Scorpio, and your moment to shine. You’ve crossed the finish line and it’s time to accept some well deserved accolades. Celebrate whole-heartedly, and share your good fortune with the people who helped you in tiny but powerful ways. The indexer, the proofreader, the intern who finally fixed that printer which always printed the graphs slightly to the left of where they belonged – make sure they get a piece of the victory cake.
November 21 – December 20: Try to be patient as you watch the office Scorpio in full-on party mode, flush with hitting that prestigious goal. Now is the time to play the long game, and cultivate patience, difficult though it may be. If you can join in the celebration with an open heart, you’ll be surprised at the inspiration you invite, and the offer you receive. A trilogy? A ten-book series? It’s up to your willingness and fortitude.
December 21 – January 20: Writing is a solitary occupation, and right now you need connection. Make sure you come down out of your garret and out of your head and enjoy the some seasonal recreation. Extra points if you can combine reaching out to people with your literary pursuits; haiku holiday cards, if you are so inclined, would be the perfect sort of thing.
January 21 – February 20: I suspect this will be the year you travel for the holidays. Kinetic energy has been building in your life, and your boots are made for walking. Even if you don’t travel physically, you may find yourself in new or unusual circumstances. Travel writing is the most mundane of the possibilities on the road ahead of you, but it’s a great jumping off point.
February 21 – March 20: Don’t be alarmed by the string of strange coincidences you keep encountering. It isn’t that your writing group is plagiarizing your work, it’s that you are all using the NameMyBaby site as character generating resource. Don’t be afraid to branch out or try plain-seeming names from your family history. ‘Ezmirellda’ may be doomed to wield a blaster in B-movie space opera, but ‘Francis’ could be anything, anyone.
