Last weekend I attended my first Missouri Romance Writers of America meeting. The pre-meeting Coffee Talk guest, Linda Gilman, historical western romance author from Troy, MO, showed us how to use the Zodiac to deepen characterization. Informative. Her handouts were amazing. Visit Linda's website: http://www.lindagilman.com/index.html.
Today, I flashed back to the 1970s. Seems everyone I knew back in the Age of Aquarius, was asking "What's your sign?" Cheesy pick-up line--maybe. Great ice-breaker--probably. Major turn-off--absolutely. Did I know enough then to recognize what characteristics might be lurking behind the mask? No, of course not. But, today, as I review the charts and descriptions of each sign that Linda prepared for her chat, I'm armed with a smattering of knowledge which will come in handy if I ever hear that trite "What's your sign?" again.
So now I need to add a reference book on the Zodiac to my collection. Besides checking my trusty Writer's Guide to Character Traits, or The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters, Tarot cards, and enneagrams (Are You My Type, Am I Yours?: Relationships Made Easy Through the Enneagram), I can add the characteristics of the Zodiac.
