Creative Inspiration: How I use Pinterest to write romance novels!
Ya know, writing is hard sometimes. You have all these ideas swirling around in your head, but they don't ever seem to make it onto the page how you want. A lot of times, you may feel like you lack the motivation to get any words written (this has totally been me for the past week and a half. It's been AWFUL). As you sit at your computer, staring at the blank page, hating yourself a tiny bit for choosing such a taxing career or hobby, it may occur to you that there are other ways to get your brain moving . . .
Hi, I'm Kamery, and I'm an author who struggles more often than not with getting in the words I want each day. Sometimes, it's like I've found the Holy Grail and the words just spill out. Other days I feel like I'm trying to yank my characters teeth out in an attempt to get them to move along, haha!
Usually, when I'm having a bad writing day (or several in a row, as this current streak is going #authorproblems), I turn to outside sources of information. And by "outside sources" I mean the internet and books, haha!
One of my favorite places to turn for ideas when I'm stuck is Pinterest. It's full of great resources for writers and there are so many talented artists who have shared their content there. All I have to do is search the genre or feeling I'm wanting to create with my writing that day and Pinterest gives it to me.
For example, I'm currently writing Buried Away (The Swept Away Saga #5). My Pinterest is filled with pirate ships, 18th century clothing, historical facts, and images that captured how I want my story to feel. I even have a whole entire board (secret, sorry! No spoilers for you ☺) that I'll look through and add to when I'm searching for inspiration.
I added the photo of the woman standing in the surf to my board when I was writing Stolen Away. For a brief period of time, I knew Samantha and Tristan were going to be separated. This image captured the feeling I wanted and instantly tapped me into the emotions of the story. She's standing in the water in her beautiful dress, staring across the water, wondering where her love could be. It made me think of distances and lost love, as well as worry and anticipation. Not to mention, this dress is a lot like the style of that time period and it helped to get the whole image in my head.
Sometimes, I find images that capture what I want out of a scene exactly, like the driftwood image. When William MacDonald arrived at the entrance to the Otherworld in Hidden Away, he revealed that the spirit on the beach, sitting on the driftwood, was his long lost love, waiting for him to come speak with her. As soon as I saw this picture, the scene really came to life for me. Also, poor Will!
Pinterest also has great villain inspiration (try searching character inspiration, villain. There's tons of good stuff!). Thomas Randall doesn't have scars all over his face, but something about this image just says his name for me. Maybe it's the angry desperation in his eyes, or the feeling I get that he would do anything to get what he wanted. I don't know. All I know is it works for me!
There's also so many romantic images on Pinterest. Read that--romantic, not erotic! (Though, I do have a secret Kisses board, too, for things that are more steamy, haha) I can pin this stuff all day! I'm all about feelings (if you haven't guessed by now) over actual image, and there is plenty to help me get my characters up and moving when I'm having a rough day. Here's a few of those images:
Don't forget the setting inspiration pictures, either!
Overall, what I like to do is capture the feeling and the mood of the picture, not copy it completely. Pinterest is used to augment my own thoughts and ideas, not copy other people's hard work. It's a fun break for your brain that tricks it into story mode without it realizing. You just have to be careful not to spend hours and hours looking at pins, haha!
Aside from Pinterest, I usually watch something related to what I'm writing (Black Sails, Outlander, Master and Commander, etc., for The Swept Away Saga) and I have a writing playlist I listen to when I work. If I'm having a really hard time, I'll shut everything down and read for a while. Writing is all about creating habits that get the creative juices flowing and browsing Pinterest is one of mine!
If you like seeing images like the ones I shared above, you can follow me on Pinterest. I've just started a new business profile, so it's a little bare at the moment, but I'll be creating Creative Inspiration boards and sharing the photos I love.
