Note: The following is an excerpt from Donna's booklet of writing tips at www.moonmavenpublications.com.

The astrology clients I most enjoy working with are professional wordsmiths who want to maximize their potential. Among the many functions chart readings can serve for writers—or potential writers—is to identify their personal niche among the endless topics covered by books, articles, and other media. The chart can also provide clues to their style and the conditions most conducive to getting the writing done. For instance, a Pluto or Scorpio writing signature would show a person who needs solitude and long uninterrupted stretches to devote to their work, while someone with a strong Libra or Seventh House writing signature might blossom with a collaborator.

What does a writing signature consist of? Naturally, we would think of Mercury first, and yet a strong Mercury does not automatically make you a writer—what it makes you is a communicator. Many bright, interesting, verbal people with Mercury conjunct the Sun, Moon, or Ascendant or with a strong Gemini emphasis (Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or a stellium) are brimming with ideas, yet never sit still long enough to get those ideas down on paper. They may use up their Mercury energy in communications-oriented careers, enjoy a reputation as a gifted raconteur, or simply graft a cell phone onto their ear and annoy the rest of us by carrying on long, animated, one-sided calls while we try to relax over a gourmet meal.

Natally or by transit, a strong, well-aspected Saturn or Pluto as an element in the signature helps such individuals apply the derriere to the chair long enough to write something of substance. (If you are an astrological novice or beginning student and also an aspiring author, the following may be too technical, but a chart interpretation can be a good investment.)

In working with pros over the years, I have observed some keys to a writing signature, given here in the order of importance. Look at all aspects to Mercury, especially watching for conjunctions and other hard aspects that lend the energy and motivation to write. The urge to work through inner conflicts, as described by such aspects, is often part of what spurs an author to wrestle words and ideas to the mat. Look, also, at planets in the Third House and aspects to them; consider Mercury's sign and house; and bring in the sign on the cusp of the Third House. Analyze all of the above and blend them together for a complete picture. To assess the potential for more creative types of writing like fiction, poetry, film, or music, look for Neptune in the mix. For creativity—and the conditions needed to inspire it—analyze the Fifth House. I won't go through all the possible sign/house combinations in cookbook fashion, but here are a few examples so you can get the picture of how this principle works.

For the person with Mercury in Aries, Mercury/Mars aspects, Mars in the Third House, or Aries on the Third House cusp, the best genres include action and adventure tales, sports reporting, war stories, how-to pieces, and romance with plenty of passion. You like to call yourself a groundbreaker and enjoy nothing better than being the first to explore and write about a particular topic. Keep your subjects—and your slant on them—fresh, for when the pack catches up with you, you tend to lose interest.

A series of short pieces—perhaps an ongoing column—on a particular area of interest can provide the immediate rewards that a Mars-Mercury type tends to need, while ultimately collecting enough material for a longer publication. Another way to maximize your output is to take an action-oriented approach in which you learn by doing—get out and interview people, go see the site where your story occurred, and participate in the actual activities you describe. Tape your notes on the fly, in the car coming and going. Lead groups who are doing the things you want to write about. A scrappy writing group with lots of male members can also provide the motivation and stimulation to keep you going—as well as the element of competition some of you like. In fact, creating something for a writing contest can also motivate you.

Health or self-improvement writing might be a fruitful field when Mercury or the Third House features the sign Virgo. Virgo health care practitioners tend toward the more physical forms of healing such as body work, herbalism, or nutrition, and when Mercury is in Virgo as well, they may want to share what they know in practical and yet detailed articles or books. For technical writing of many kinds, including instructional manuals, some connection between Virgo and Mercury or the Third House is an asset. To satisfy that relentless inner critic, Virgo authors can over-prepare, double-check all facts, and research, research, research. This is also the sign of editing. My best book and article editors have been Virgo Sun, Moon, or Ascendant, and, yes, they CAN be picky. The thing is, they are usually right, and putting your manuscript under their microscope before the public sees it can make you look great!

An element of romance in the writing would be indicated by a strong Fifth or Seventh House Mercury or else Venus or Libra planets in the Third, especially when Neptune is somehow involved. If this is you, you'd probably do your most impassioned work when you are either falling in love, falling out of love, or hopelessly enamored with someone inaccessible. Scorpio or Pluto as a top note in a writing signature could also be quite passionate, but not always about sex, whatever Plutonians' reputations might lead you to expect. They might be just as passionate about exposing and reforming corruption or about transformation and healing from traumatic experiences.

These examples should give you an idea how a writing signature works. Consider what matter to the sign Mercury is in—like finding the answer to life's larger questions when there is a strong Jupiter or Sagittarian emphasis, or exploring unusual perspectives on modern life to those with Uranus or Aquarius spotlighted. Think about the areas of life indicated by the house in question—such as foreign countries, education, or the justice system when the Ninth House is involved. Imagine what milieu might present the best writing conditions for natives of Mercury's sign—snugly tucked away at home for Cancerians, challenged by an eccentric bunch of gadflies for Aquarius, or involved in lively chat room discussions for Gemini.

If you want to write—or have a client or friend who does—you can find a wealth of helpful hints in the astrology chart. If you'd like to know more about the writing process and about what astrology can lend to it, this article is part of a booklet of tips based on my own 35-year writing career. You can find it at my publications website (www.moonmavenpublications.com), along with my new ebooks about astrology and other metaphysical topics. The newest of my ebooks is Counseling Principles for Astrologers: Becoming an Effective Change Agent.