Are desire and talent enough to turn a wannabe wordsmith into a successful one? Putting words and sentences in order is straightforward enough, and while many make the initial effort, few survive the subsequent emotional and financial roller coaster.

Donna Cunningham talks about the chart as potential and life as reality. Delineating an example of a person with a Gemini emphasis, a strong Mercury, or a strong Third House, but little Saturn or Pluto, who wants to be a writer, she points out that while the individual will undoubtedly have a gift for words he or she may lack saturnine discipline to stay still long enough to complete anything significant. Without a strong Saturn, the writer would be eager for immediate gratification, whereas the rewards of writing are long in coming. And then there's Pluto. When emphasized, Pluto indicates the ability to spend time alone, needed for writing anything lengthy. Stephen King, with late Cancer rising, has both Saturn and Pluto conjunct in Leo in his First House.

Elements and Angularity are Important

An emphasis in air suggests the importance of intellect and ideas, water gives imagination and fantasy, while a lack of earth may indicate the inability to bring forth anything tangible.

Michel Gauquelin found a Twelfth House Moon statistically significant in the charts of eminent writers, and Jupiter angular in the charts of eminent journalists and playwrights. Just as interestingly, he also found a tendency for Mars and Saturn not to be angular in the charts of writers. A strong Moon or Cancer can give a person the ability to appeal to large groups of people.

Charles Carter, writing in the 1920's, associated literary ability with a strong Mercury and Gemini influence, which he connects with the middle of the signs rather than the beginning or end. Other degree areas he finds common are 25 degrees Cancer, which appears connected with romance; 25 degrees Aries-Libra, idealism; 25 degrees Sagittarius with "sketches from life"; and 27 degrees Taurus-Scorpio, realism. While he admits these interpretations are conjectural, he maintains these degree areas are important and cannot be doubted.

Further, he finds that in nearly all imaginative literature the creative power is shown by planets in Cancer or a prominent Moon. Carter associates poetic ability with a strong Venus influence in addition to Mercury, suggesting that all art seems connected with 13 degrees Leo-Aquarius. He also has observed a strong connection between the Third and Tenth Houses in the horoscopes of authors.

Take the Whole Chart into Account

The French poet Baudelaire had Mercury in late Pisces trine the Moon in Cancer. However, his Mercury was also conjunct Pluto and Mars and square a Uranus-Neptune conjunction in early Capricorn. He also had Sun-Saturn and Venus-Jupiter conjunct in Aries in the Eighth House of sex, death and other people's money. As Seymour-Smith points out, Baudelaire's writing was transmitted in chaotic, uneven, but often very powerful and imaginative poetry. He inherited his father's fortune at the age of twenty-one, and lived extravagantly until what was left of the capital was placed in trust by his family two years later, forcing him to earn a living as a writer and critic. His only volume of poetry, Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil) contained several erotic poems that led to his being convicted for obscenity. He became increasingly disillusioned and while in Belgium in 1866 he became paralyzed as a result of venereal disease and died in Paris soon after.

Mercury Prominent in the Charts of Writers

Mercury can give a quick, inquiring mind and ready expression with tongue and pen. Mercury is not imaginative, which is more Neptunian and Lunar. Under affliction, the mental powers are seldom lessened, but there may be a tendency to dishonesty, exaggeration, sarcasm or ill-temper. As Hand suggests, Mercury can never be found in pure form; it is always colored by sign, house and other factors. In its pure form it would describe the completely rational and objective mind.

Unless it is unusually subdued, which it sometimes is with Saturn, Mercury is volatile, restless and even merry. Mercury has no emotion, except that it finds great amusement in teasing, in being skeptical or flippant. While Mercury is shrewd, it is not of itself profound. The sign, house and aspect relationships of natal Mercury will contribute to what we write about. Tompkins points out that hard aspects to a person's Mercury indicates that their opinions are likely to get tested and challenged, or that they expect them to, whereas soft aspects imply the reverse. Soft aspects indicate ease in expression and thereby skill in writing. Individuals are less likely to feel threatened if disagreed with and so can often express themselves more easily. As always, the soft aspects, especially the trine, can give rise to complacency, whereas the hard aspects offer the potential for growth.

As with other combinations, but especially those involving the outer planets, chart factors indicate potential that may lie dormant until a growing desire for greater self-expression, or a major transit, sets it off.

Mercury Retrograde

Of course we can't underestimate the importance of Mercury retrograde, which is often associated with a mind turned inwards with a greater propensity for reflection and subjectivity. It also represents, symbolically, a turning away from, or a returning to. Since by progression Mercury can, and often does change direction in the writer's life, it should mark a significant date in terms of a change of style or a desire to pick up one's pen, or keyboard, in the first place.

Sun-Mercury

Sun-Mercury conjunctions are relatively common since the two bodies are never more than 28 degrees apart. This combination indicates the ability to express thoughts and ideas easily. Words and ideas are conveyed with authority and decisiveness. This can come at the cost of objectivity, making it difficult for people to view their words and ideas impartially.

Moon-Mercury

With thinking often tied to the past, the Moon and Mercury can be quite a sentimental combination with a talent for writing about the home, family and domestic matters. There might also be an ability to write trivialities and tidbits that litter most mass-market magazines. This is a good combination for writers since, at its best, it indicates the ability to convey ideas simply, and express the writer's innermost feelings. This helps to link the unconscious mind and the conscious reasoning mind, making the person intellectually aware of their emotional nature and responses—especially to others.

Although changeable, Mercury gives the Moon neutrality. The trine and the sextile indicate common sense while the square suggests nervousness and difficulty separating the mind from the emotions. While the tongue and pen are sharp, the individual may have little control over them. An opposition indicates a similar problem, and suggests difficulty in maintaining concentration. Stephen King has the sextile while Oscar Wilde, Barbara Cartland, Victor Hugo and Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, had the square. The satirist Jonathan Swift of Gulliver's Travels had Mercury in Capricorn square the Moon and Mars in Libra.

Mercury-Venus

Since Venus bestows artistic tastes, Mercury-Venus can make a very idealistic combination with the conjunction giving a strong sense of beauty and desire to express one's emotions. Grace of expression in speech and writing produces literary talent, poetic and song writing ability. Money can be made through writing, especially concerning matters of love and relationships. Romances and pieces of light entertainment are favored rather than hard news since Venus bestows a love of ease and merriment. Depth and strength of mind are not the gift here, grace is. The sextile works in much the same way, giving ease of expression. The square, trine and opposition don't apply since Mercury and Venus are never more than 76 degrees apart. Marx, Jung, Mary Shelley and F. Scott Fitzgerald share the conjunction.

Mercury-Mars

When Mars and Mercury combine mental processes are apt to give a sharp, incisive mind with abundant mental energy. One recalls Benjamin Franklin who believed the tongue to be the only instrument that gets sharper with constant use. There is a tendency to take sides and become involved in partisan causes. This is a good aspect for reporters and investigators, of whom action for gaining information is required. Such a combination can indicate a critical, deadly opponent in debate. Therefore, critical essays or reviews are favored and working as a sports or war correspondent may appeal. Since the writer is mentally aggressive, this can indicate an interest in politics and speechmaking. The trine and sextile promise mental strength and control, with the trine bestowing an element of luck in bringing work to the individual. However, with the square or opposition, there could be a tendency towards harsh words and profanity, with the love of debate and stirring up controversial issues getting the person in hot water.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, like Baudelaire, had Virgo rising and Mercury in Pisces along with huge stellia incorporating close triple conjunctions of Mercury, Mars and Pluto. However, hers was in the Sixth House of health. Elizabeth, a reclusive poet, was a bedridden invalid prior to running off with poet Robert Browning. In later years she became involved in Italian politics, the abolition of slavery and spiritualism.

Mercury-Jupiter

When Mercury conjuncts Jupiter, one would expect the individual never to be short of an opinion (or of an opinion that is short) and that writing ability is to be almost certainly assured, whether it's developed is another matter.
The Jupiter-Mercury combination broadens the mind, and gives an interest in philosophy, religion, law and higher education. People are confident of their mental abilities and skilful in influencing others through their words. Intellectual integrity enables the person to use writing talents for the advancement of humanity. This, in turn, often brings respect and recognition.

Such a combination suggests an element of luck and good judgment in getting words into print. With the expansive influence of Jupiter at work, we might expect this to be the aspect of the seasoned hack or potboiler with a strong moral overtone. As Mencken has pointed out, nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the general public.

Wit and humor also go with this combination and may have a talent for writing adventure stories for children, although it might be necessary to focus writing on the essentials. The sextile gives ease to writing attempts but not drive, so potential here may go unnoticed. A trine, however, should bring an element of luck in getting published. The waning trine may be more inclined to reflective thinking and less overtly optimistic, adventurous or infectious than the waxing trine. With the hard aspects we might find a lack of discretion or inability to stop leaking secrets and salacious rumor like a gossip columnist.

The square or opposition is not necessarily bad, though the person may have trouble coping with detail. Either aspect may also cause an individual to promise more than can be delivered, difficulty with reducing a piece to fit a specific word length, and rushing to meet deadlines until editors would rather find a burglar in their office than this writer.

Mercury-Saturn

As one might expect with Mercury-Saturn combinations, individuals may feel inhibited in expressing themselves, especially until the time of the Saturn return when finding one's voice may be a major issue. While not as fluent or as expressive as the Mercury-Jupiter combination, Mercury-Saturn is more painstaking, logical and exact, with a mathematical and scientific bent. It can indicate the skeptic, unwilling to accept ideas that are not traditional or easy to assimilate. Writing books and articles offering practical advice, such as money management, would come to the fore and add a dose of the Moon, Venus or Neptune and we could have the next Dear Abby.

Saturn bestows depth, patience and conscientiousness. The conjunction gives the ability to focus on a single task for long periods. The Belgium novelist Georges Simenon, famous as the inventor of Inspector Maigret, has the conjunction in the humanitarian Sun sign of Aquarius with Scorpio rising and Neptune and Pluto in the Eighth House. Although he set out to write popular novels, he finds himself admired as a serious novelist by the majority of academic critics, one of whom has called him superior to Balzac. He was prolific, something one wouldn't necessarily associate with Mercury-Saturn, but apt for his Sun-Jupiter conjunction. He wrote each of his novels—which are really long short stories—in a very short time, more or less locking himself up to do it. He gave up writing because of dizziness and bad nerves.

The sextile or trine is rather helpful since it denotes capacity for constructive thinking, and ability to structure a piece of work. The aspects also bestow perseverance and dedication, and are the best aspects to have for putting pen to paper in the first place. Astrologer Dane Rudhyar had the trine of Saturn in Scorpio to his Mercury in Pisces, with his Mercury in a wide waning square to his Pluto-Mars-Neptune conjunction in Gemini. The trine provides the golden thread through the rich tapestry of his cosmological ideas.

While the square can indicate a logical mind, it can also reflect an over concern with details. While a waxing square may indicate work too tied to a traditional way of thinking or expression, a waning square may bring the reverse, the writer may find his or her work having difficulty gaining acceptance and publication because it challenges the established way of thinking or writing. Melancholy would be expected with such a combination, as would a certain cynicism. The Saturnine cynic can be both wise and witty, and the traditional sadness of the clown or "funny man" is often Saturnine.

The opposition may be the most testing or hardest to deal with, as it may frustrate writers' attempts to publish their work or they may find their ideas challenged in some way. In the chart of Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson, Mercury is afflicted by being retrograde and in opposition to Saturn. As Vernon Wells points out, since Mercury is the ruler of the Third in the Ninth House, as well as being the universal significator of writing, we would expect it to signify her writing style. It is perhaps surprising that she wrote anything at all with such an afflicted Mercury. In Aries, her words come in a rush and feel like they have been put down without too much thought. Sometimes her sentences don't make complete sense and we struggle to understand them.

Mercury-Uranus

The Mercury-Uranus combination can confer intuition, originality and a good intellect but also self-will. Reinhold Ebertin, who had Mercury square both Uranus and Pluto, refers to intellectual flexibility, and negatively to "too many irons in the fire." Uranus turns the mind to original things and has similar effects to that of Mars. When Mercury contacts Uranus we can expect the unexpected and bizarre humor may be part of the writing style. The person may write on subjects such as science fact, science fiction, occultism or astrology. Lilly and Kepler had the conjunction. This aspect bestows originality and inventiveness, but may also indicate an erratic and unpredictable nature, qualities in short demand come deadline day. While the sextile or trine mitigates against this somewhat, individuals may find themselves called upon to write when least expected, or of clinching an unusual or even seemingly impossible deal. While the square or opposition can make thought processes difficult to control, an individual may have brilliant ideas, but to succeed in such a competitive field, a healthy fixity will need to be developed if the writer is ever to see anything through.

Mercury-Neptune

Mercury-Neptune can confer vivid imagination and awareness of a person's unconscious. Since this combination can indicate clairvoyance and the ability to act as a channel for ideas emanating from the great beyond, automatic or prophetic writing are possible. The combination can indicate the dreamer who might prefer to be left alone to follow their fantasies. While Neptune is more often associated with music and song writing, such a lively imagination can give poetic and literary talent. Along with Venus, poetry seems peculiarly Neptunian. T.S. Eliot pointed out that the most important difference between poetry and any other branch of publishing is, that whereas with most categories of books the aim is to make as much money as possible, with poetry the aim is to lose as little as possible. Stephen King, who has the conjunction, has been criticized for being long-winded and writing muddled syntax. Writing for film or espionage and mystery novels should appeal. Subjects such as mysticism, psychic phenomena, psychology and spirituality are appropriate, or even scandal, gossip and salacious exposes of the gutter press. The trine and sextile should ameliorate some of the more negative features. Oscar Wilde, Alexandre Dumas, George Bernard Shaw and Victor Hugo had the trine, bringing their talent to the fore. The square or opposition should be handled with care. Both comedian Eddie Izzard and Garth Brooks, born on the same day, share a tight waxing square. The Mercury-Neptune combination may tempt a person to copy the ideas of others, appropriating them as their own. With the soft aspects the individual may get away with calling it research, with the hard aspects they may find themselves in an embarrassing and costly situation.

Mercury-Pluto

The combination of Mercury and Pluto can give a penetrating and resourceful mind, with the ability to see through others and to ferret out secrets. Since this aspect tends to make the person disinterested, they are often able to see and say things as they really are. Here truth is more important than comfort. Since mental work is associated with secret or hidden information, spy stories and detective stories would be likely. There is an interest in the occult and in power in all its manifestations. Writing could focus on the usual suspects of sex, death, money, power, rebirth and, of course, the underworld. Ebertin gives the art of persuasion and suggestion to the realm of Mercury-Pluto. Alternatively we have the critic, or the specialist writer. The combination could give the ability to write works of great depth and conviction that could benefit mankind. However, desire to remake others' thoughts and mental perceptions can lead to an interest in propaganda and wielding influence. The trine or sextile should help to lift some of the intensity of the conjunction, while a square or opposition may symbolize a restless and obsessive nature. This, like a Scorpio emphasis, could lead a person into investigative reporting with the harder aspects bestowing fanatical zeal.

Finally, I would like to conclude with the comforting words of Somerset Maugham who said, "There are just three rules for writing—but nobody knows what they are."

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