The Ten of Swords Moment
It's different but the same in every story.
Pinch Point 2
All is Lost
The Breakup
The Crisis to Climax
The Death and Rebirth
Every book, theory, beat sheet about story that I've encountered insists on this moment. The Ten Of Swords moment.
When all the strategies have failed the protagonist and they're forced to make a a life changing, world altering decision: Do I stay down and play dead? or Do I get up and fight/change/love? It's the moment of ultimate destruction when all the tactics have failed. It's a moment of honesty when we (as readers) see what this character is made of. Was the time we spent cheering for the heroine worth the investment or will all our hopes be dashed?
This is one of the primary story rules. Maybe even the prime directive of story. We must reach a final crisis point that changes our character forever.
A little side-note on rules:
Personally, I have a love hate relationship with rules that goes like this:
Understanding the rules.
Following the rules.
Hating the rules.
Deciding the rules are more guidelines than actual rules.
I wanna break all the rules.
The rules are safe.
The rules are there for a reason.
If we don't break the rules we'll never have any fun.
Can I get away with this?
Rules are for suckers.
Oh! That's why we need that rule.
All of the above to point out that I’m the last person anyone should look to for a rule book. But, and, also this rule, the rule about the Ten of Swords story moment, is a rule that I believe is truly a rule.
The crisis moment, the catharsis, the epic fail, the 'all is lost' is a story moment we can’t skip. And, honestly, I love this rule. I don’t want to skip and I don’t want anyone else writing a story to skip it either. I mean, let me tell you, I am a fan of a great dramatic cathartic all or nothing moment. I don't enjoy living through those moments in real life, but I sure as hell enjoy watching a character go through it and I rarely feel satisfied with a book that doesn’t include this moment.
I also think this is the story moment that shows us why we need stories.
Because it strengthens us as readers. It gives us hope to see someone else get up off the ground and make the choice necessary to win the day. It could be a moment of defeat or it could be the moment of our greatest strength or our greatest humility. It's a razor's edge moment of surrender where the character realizes they can't hold on to the past anymore if they want to live/love/laugh ever again. They must be willing to sacrifice their old identity and actually become the hero of their story.
Let go and let love!
Take the ring off your finger!
Or, my favorite cuz I'm a fan of the revenge plot: Become the monster they think you are and destroy them all!
Ahem, have you read Slewfoot by Brom? It's delicious!
As a writer, this is the moment I need to understand before I can start writing the story. When I have clarity on this moment, I can begin.
So, in celebration of this crisis moment and how it shows up differently and the same in every story, let's look at the Ten of Swords from several decks and choose the one that fits best for our story at the moment.
And yes, I’m a tarot materialist also known as a deck collector. Don’t come at me. And no, this isn’t every deck I own. I’ll link to the deck creators or publishers where possible so you can add to you tarot hoard too.
Also, I’m not an affiliate so this isn’t about clicking for coins. There’s nothing wrong with that. I just want you to know this isn’t that. But I reserve the right to do that in the future maybe possibly…
and we’re moving on to the point now.
Starting on the left in column one:
‘Call me Ishmael’ The whale emerging from the waters is from the Ostara Tarot. This is a collaborative deck by Molly Applejohn, Eden Cooke, Krista Gibbard, and Julia Iredale. This deck is a celebration of the natural world and the re-emergence of life in the spring. In my mind this version of the ten of swords speaks to an epic battle for survival. It’s violent and turbulent and the battle isn’t over yet. This Ten of Swords is still fighting for its life.
In the second column on the top is from the Hush Tarot by Jeremy Hush. I bought this deck for the beautiful art and I haven’t read with it much. I just love looking at it. But, now that I have it out again, I’m thinking I want to play with it more. I also think this is the Ten Of Swords my story may be looking for. This choice is more internally focused than the Ostara tarot. This choice feels like a moment of surrender and integration. She can no longer deny that she is separate from the natural world. This is a moment of humility with a catharsis of insight. A letting go of self or ego.
Also, dandelions aren’t weeds!
Below that we have the MJ Cullinane’s Guardian of the Night Tarot. This deck has my favorite Nine of Swords. It’s the Nine of Swords that made me understand the Nine of Swords on a deeply personal level. It’s a very emotional deck. This card is about great loss. A loss that shapes who your character will be for(n)ever more. (If you know MJ Cullinane’s work, you’ll see what I did there.)
And here’s that Nine of Swords while we’re at it. I feel this one in my gut every time I look at it.
In the third column on top we have The Book of Shadows Tarot Volume 2 (So Below) by Barbara Moore. This card features a phoenix rising from the flame. This Ten of Swords is all about rebirth and victory. Does your character have enough faith to emerge from the flame victorious?
Below that is the classic Rider-Wait-Smith (RWS) image. This card is from the Radiant Rider-Waite-Smith which is marketed as the Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot, but I can’t leave out Pamela Colman Smith who is the artist behind these iconic tarot images. This Ten of Swords is down! This is the end of the battle and it didn’t end well. There’s no way our character is getting out of this one. Or is there?
The Linestrider’s Journey by Siolo Thompson is at the top of the fourth column. This speaks to me about the end of a great hunt. This is bittersweet - mostly bitter. This one makes me feel sad. I get the sense that our heroine is forced to sacrifice something or someone she loves in this one. She makes a difficult, but necessary choice and she will carry the ugliness and regret in her heart for the rest of her days.
Below that is our favorite drama queen, the Dark Wood Tarot by Sasha Graham and Abigail Larson. Which reminds me that I left a fabulous book out of my article from last week. I highly recommend Sasha Graham’s book The Magic of Tarot too. Back to the drama of the Ten of Swords. I’m seeing a drama queen sacrifice herself as only a drama queen can.
At the top of the fifth column from the left is The Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne. The choice has been made in this card. Our character must walk alone. They muster the strength to stand on their own two feet in spite of the pain and sorrow they will carry with them.
And underneath The Light Seer’s is The Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake with art by Elisabeth Alba. I read with this deck almost every day. It never goes back in the box. The images are whimsical and each one tells a complete story. What is this Ten of Swords moment about? I think of this as the ‘I’m not dead yet.’ card. It’s time to get to safety, heal, and regroup. Maybe this is the cliffhanger ending of book one in a series. There is definitely more to come, but maybe not right now.
I love this card! At the top of column six is the Modern Witch Tarot Deck by Lisa Sterle. I also put the Everything is Fine card in the picture because it makes me laugh. You know the kind of nervous laughter you hear coming out of your soul when you’re confronted with a harsh truth, “No. No. I’m fine. Ignore the swords sticking out of my back. It’s all good. I’m just going to doom scroll for the remainder of my days.” This card reminds me of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. It’s that kind of funny-not-funny-but-funny Ten of Swords moment.
And finally we have the Ten of Voices from The Muse Tarot also by Chris-Anne. Another internal crisis. Not necessarily a self-sacrificial moment, but definitely a catharsis of insight. One that will take some time to recover from or one that our heroine may never recover from. In this card our character may be realizing that she was the problem all along. Will she continue to be the problem or will she learn?
And, just for fun, this is what my writing desk looks like right now. It could be worse. It could look like this even if I weren’t writing about 10 versions of the Ten of Swords.
I’m curious to hear which card resonates with you the most or which card fits your story the best. I’m definitely feeling the Hush Tarot for my current WIP because there’s a theme of accepting the nature of who you are without illusion and letting go of everything you were ‘trying’ to be. I love the honesty of that moment for my character and I can feel myself writing towards it. What Ten of Swords moment are you writing towards?