Words are written or typed. Pinterest is all about pictures. So…there’s no place for authors on Pinterest, right?
Wrong.
Pinterest is a fabulous tool for writers as Kathy Boyd Fellure shared with us at an Inspire Christian Writers workshop. It didn’t make much since to me at first, but now I have trouble staying off the site. There are so many ways to use the pinning site. Let me share a few of my favorites.
BASIC BOARDS
There are the most obvious options for boards to begin with. Author advice is all over Pinterest. Quotes from famous authors, prompts, and oodles of advice abound. I pin something to my writing board almost every time I’m logged in. Then you can branch out to other writing interests with boards on: editing tips, reader nooks, and writing cabins. Or you may want to narrow down with boards on: great hooks, plot aids, writing believable villains, realistic fight scenes, or worldbuilding advice. But we haven’t even begun to have real fun yet.
Wrong.
Pinterest is a fabulous tool for writers as Kathy Boyd Fellure shared with us at an Inspire Christian Writers workshop. It didn’t make much since to me at first, but now I have trouble staying off the site. There are so many ways to use the pinning site. Let me share a few of my favorites.
BASIC BOARDS
There are the most obvious options for boards to begin with. Author advice is all over Pinterest. Quotes from famous authors, prompts, and oodles of advice abound. I pin something to my writing board almost every time I’m logged in. Then you can branch out to other writing interests with boards on: editing tips, reader nooks, and writing cabins. Or you may want to narrow down with boards on: great hooks, plot aids, writing believable villains, realistic fight scenes, or worldbuilding advice. But we haven’t even begun to have real fun yet.
GENRE FOCUS BOARDS
Need an idea for a character? What about a setting? Do your novels focus on a specific time period? Or location of the world? Look, you have ideas for four more boards. As I’m scrolling through I may find a beautiful dragon. It immediately gets pinned to my fantasy board. A brooding guy or medieval wench, they go to my character idea board. Anything medieval has a home. Swords, daggers, and archery—they get their own board. Now this is getting fun.
NEVER SUFFER WRITER’S BLOCK
Pinterest can be a wellspring of ideas to spark the imagination and get your words flowing. Having a bit of writer’s block? Spend some time looking at your stream and see what ignites the fire again. The more boards and the more you pin, the wider variety of what will show up on your stream to peruse. Flit through the forest of pictures and quotes, and see where they might take you.
Need an idea for a character? What about a setting? Do your novels focus on a specific time period? Or location of the world? Look, you have ideas for four more boards. As I’m scrolling through I may find a beautiful dragon. It immediately gets pinned to my fantasy board. A brooding guy or medieval wench, they go to my character idea board. Anything medieval has a home. Swords, daggers, and archery—they get their own board. Now this is getting fun.
NEVER SUFFER WRITER’S BLOCK
Pinterest can be a wellspring of ideas to spark the imagination and get your words flowing. Having a bit of writer’s block? Spend some time looking at your stream and see what ignites the fire again. The more boards and the more you pin, the wider variety of what will show up on your stream to peruse. Flit through the forest of pictures and quotes, and see where they might take you.
NOVEL BOARDS
But the real power of Pinterest for authors is in creating boards for each of your novels. Before you start writing or as you go, create a board for that novel alone. I title all mine, Novel: __(title)____ Then I start looking for pins that are specific to the characters, events and locations in that book. Have a cop as your protagonists? Pin some men in uniform, badges, handcuffs, jail, and crime tape. Does your story take place in 15th century London? There are pins for that. Need a cityscape, a flying dragon, or halberd? Yep, you’ll find that too. Fill the board with images that could be found in your story if it were ever made into a movie.
ADD YOUR COVERS
When your novel is complete and you have a cover, make it the first picture on the board for that novel. Add information that will link your fellow pinners to your website and where they can purchase your book. If you take your own pictures and upload them make sure you add the link to your website so more people are driven to your books. That’s the point after all.
What are you waiting for? Get out there and pin your way to more book sales. Happy pinning everyone.
But the real power of Pinterest for authors is in creating boards for each of your novels. Before you start writing or as you go, create a board for that novel alone. I title all mine, Novel: __(title)____ Then I start looking for pins that are specific to the characters, events and locations in that book. Have a cop as your protagonists? Pin some men in uniform, badges, handcuffs, jail, and crime tape. Does your story take place in 15th century London? There are pins for that. Need a cityscape, a flying dragon, or halberd? Yep, you’ll find that too. Fill the board with images that could be found in your story if it were ever made into a movie.
ADD YOUR COVERS
When your novel is complete and you have a cover, make it the first picture on the board for that novel. Add information that will link your fellow pinners to your website and where they can purchase your book. If you take your own pictures and upload them make sure you add the link to your website so more people are driven to your books. That’s the point after all.
What are you waiting for? Get out there and pin your way to more book sales. Happy pinning everyone.
Want to visit my boards? Find me here:
Want more great ideas for Pinterest of authors? Check out A. J. Cattapan’s great Youtube video.
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