SHOW & TELL

Every card in this deck is a new opportunity to tell a story. The big text provides your prompt, while the small text offers a nudge if you’d like a little more to get started. 

All prompts can be interpreted as abstractly or concretely as you’d like. When in doubt, go with whatever pops into your head first and don’t worry about “getting it right” or how well it matches the prompt.

If you’re using the cards to build on a pre-existing story, you can let them derail your intentions or stay the course and get creative about how to integrate them.

The cards are designed with fiction-writing in mind but can be used for memoir, poetry, oral storytelling, improv, tarot, and more. Like any deck of cards, there are countless games you can play with these. We’ve included a few of them below.

Solo Play

  • Game 1: Draw 1 card. Write for 5 minutes using the card as your prompt. Repeat 2-4 times, building on your first story with each new card. 

  • Game 2: Draw 3 cards at once. Order the cards in a way that tells a single story, then write that story.

  • Game 3: Draw 3 cards at once. Develop a single story using each card in the exact order you drew them from the deck, then write that story.

Group Play

  • Game 1: (1) Everyone draws 1 card, face-up. (2) As a group, decide on one story that includes everyone’s card. (3) Assign scenes, then write individually for a predetermined amount of time. When you’re finished, share in the order the scenes appear in the story. 

  • Game 2: (1) Make a grid of 3x4 cards, face-down. (2) Take turns revealing one card at a time to the entire group. (3) After each card is revealed, individually write for a predetermined time, building on your same story with each card.  (4) Once each participant has had the chance to reveal a card, share the individual stories you wrote using the shared cards. 

The Joker

The joker is the most flexible card in the deck and can be used to disrupt your game in a number of ways. Here are a few ideas, though you’re encouraged to invent your own.

When you draw the joker:

  • Collect a word/phrase/sentence from each player and use them in your next scene.

  • Give a word/phrase/sentence to each player that they have to use in their next scene.

  • Swap stories with another writer and continue their story while they continue yours.

  • Write the opposite of your previous card. Get creative about what that means. 

  • Multiply an aspect of your most recent card. Get creative about what that means. 

  • Invert the values of a character (the hero goes bad, the villain does good, etc.)

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