Pin This!
I am a late comer to the social media bandwagon. I just joined Facebook a few months ago; I’m not on Twitter. But I have to admit — I’m pinning like crazy.
Remember the collages you made as a kid, where you ripped all the things you liked out of a magazine and glued them on poster board? Pinterest is just like that — a giant virtual bulletin board where you can collect any image that catches your fancy, without the messy glue and scissors part.
How can this help you? Well, first off, it’s fun. And we all need a little more fun, right? Second, it’s a great place to store that lustful list of shoes or bags or whatever it is you are coveting. (Shoe girl, right here.) You can also create a board of craft projects for your four-year-old, a list of gifts to give for the holidays next year, even a board for home improvement projects.
Since this is kind of a writing blog (and sadly, not a shoe blog), you might be reading for ideas on how Pinterest can improve your writing. Here’s a great article on how to use the site as a writer, and here’s another. The takeaway is that Pinterest can be a handy tool for building worlds and characters. You can stay broad or break your writing boards down by specific category.
I haven’t gone so far as to break my boards down by character, clothing, etc.., but I am keeping a general inspiration board, and I’ve found some fabulous images that have helped to spark scenes or descriptions for me. I’m also pinning snippets of text from my work in progress under relevant photos – a fun way to share a little bit of what I’m working on with readers. And I’m following some amazing artists and writers who inspire me every day with their work. (Okay, I’m following some shoe mavens too. Don’t judge.)
If you are on Pinterest, how do you use it? I’d love to hear your thoughts. (If you aren’t, and want to be, let me know and I’ll send you an invitation.)
Three things got me to start a vision board on Pinterest. The first two were the blogs you link to, but neither quite got me there. You gave me the final nudge. When I saw your lovely girl with the tree in bloom visual with your poetic description, I knew I had to at least give it a go (well, that and my friend Dee DeTarsio’s teasing on your thread).
You’re right, it is fun. Fun for me to see several visuals from my fantasy world-building all in one spot. I think it will be useful going forward, in writing the next one, too (if I’m judicious about allocating time to it – it can be a time-suck). So thanks… I think. 😉
Thank you, Vaughn! I’m glad you liked that little snippet. It definitely can be a time-suck though, especially with all the different categories. Do you spend much time looking at other things? (I’m guessing maybe furniture and hand-carved
items…)
There is definitely something to the visual-centered setup of the website. It’s great for looking at pretty things! http://pinterest.com/veganmaster/
Thanks for stopping by, Thomas. I’m also starting to see lots of quotes and snippets of interviews or stories on Pinterest, too.
Did anyone check out those sweet Mac-n-cheese bites in prosciutto cups? Ah, Pinterest…you are such a pretty way to feel bad about myself!
I saw those via Vaughn today … I was all about the frozen hot chocolate last week!
Sounds fun and interesting; however, like much of Apple’s products, it’s only available for their devices 🙁
Hey Chris! I think the pinterest site can be used on any type of device — check it out and give it a try. The app may only be for Apple products, but I have to admit I’ve never used it — I like seeing the pictures on my laptop screen.
I saw a co-worker browsing pinterest and asked her what she was looking at. After she told me, I thought: “well, that’s interesting, but what’s the point?” Then I saw an article about how writers are using it to store pics to inspire creativity, gain ideas on costumes and characters, etc. So….I joined! Okay, I’m off to create my board. I have no idea what I’m doing!
I’m over there under my name – I looked for you but couldn’t find you!
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