Do you find keys to connection and understanding in astrology? You’re not alone. Like other spiritual baddies before me, I’ve utilized astrology as one of my many tools for learning about myself and increasing my empathy and awareness of others.
If the zodiac has never resonated with your way of thinking, I’d like to introduce you to a new way of looking at it—especially if you’re an artist looking to up your empathy and connectivity in your work. Whether or not you resonate with what the stars have to say, there’s no denying they tell a rich story about humankind. Let me show you how to use those celestial bits and pieces to inspire a story of your own.

Writing the zodiac: Aquarius season
Let’s start by focusing on Aquarius season, which takes place from January 20 to February 18. Without worrying about the zodiac, I want you to do a quick assessment of your current environment. If this season is defined by waves of unique and somewhat independent energy, what has that looked like for you? What have you rebelled against lately? How have you demonstrated loyalty in the past few weeks? Take a moment to think about it and take some notes.
Now, let’s bring it back to the zodiac. Aquarius season brings innovation, passion for humanitarianism, eccentric tastes, and unapologetic realness. With these characteristics in mind, what sort of person do you feel inspired to bring to life?
Prompt with me
Ready to practice writing with the zodiac together? Grab a pen and paper—or pull up a fresh Google Doc—and let’s explore this prompt, submitted by my friend Holly Marchese, with Aquarian energy in mind. I challenge you to start and finish your creative brainstorm within five minutes. I like to give myself this time limit for creative exercises, because it forces you to find your point quickly. From there, you start to build strong reflexes so you can eliminate all of that time spent ruminating your way out of actually getting the writing done.
Creative Writing Prompt: Write a story about a journal you found on the beach. You discover it’s from a time traveler.

To tackle this, I’d quickly start out by jotting down some one-word Aquarian characteristics with the knowledge that I want my character to emulate these vibes:
Innovative
Independent
Eccentric
Intellectual
Visionary
Analytical
Logical
Humanitarian
Empathetic
Loyal
Family-oriented
Unconventional
Now, let’s set our timer for five minutes and see what happens…
Taylor’s Example:
A small rectangle catches the right light and glints in the corner of Ana’s eye as she walks along Strands Beach. She slows her stroll, reaching down to pick it up. She realizes it’s a journal, and her curiosity is piqued; she journals daily. She wants to respect the fellow journaler’s privacy, but her curiosity gets the best of her. Just one peek.
She’s unprepared for what she discovers. If it’s real, it’s from the future, and while she isn’t sure how it got here, she’s sure that if she doesn’t act fast, particularly by February 17, the entire state of California will be underwater. She flips frantically through the journal, but she finds no other context that lets her know how or why this happens. All she has is the line, “I’ll never forget Feb. 17, 2025, when the state of California sank and my family was lost forever,” and the looming feeling that she’s not only the one person who can change this horrific fate—it’s her mission to do so.
That’s what I came up with in exactly five minutes, the goal being to get from the start of the story to the end without overthinking too much. Of course, from here I’d go back, refine, add in some details, and flesh out a fuller story from this quick idea.
Okay, now you’ve seen my raw process. What did your brain do in five minutes, and what did you think of this exercise? Let me know in the comments below.
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