The NOVEL POINTS OF VIEW blog is
now also on Pinterest! You can find us here. Below are our top tips and
opinions on how to get the best out of this social media platform.
Jennie - I like making
secret boards! I’ve
made secret boards for inspiration at the beginning of my last three books.
If I hit a block, I spend some time on the board looking at all the photos of
the setting, the characters, the clothes they wear and I find it helps to get
me back on track. Once I’ve written the book, the board goes public. I’ve also
got a secret ‘Vision Board’ full of things that I either have in my life or
would like. This link https://uk.pinterest.com/jenniebohnet/french-life-and-inspiration/
is not for a secret board (well it woudn’t be would it?) but it’s the one I
turn to when I write my stories set in France.
Rae - Pinterest is one of my
favourite social media platforms, as it’s the one I find most relaxing. Now
there are two phrases I never thought I’d write in the same sentence – social
media and relaxing. But it’s true. Pinterest doesn’t have the urgency of
Twitter or produce the same guilt I feel when I miss liking posts on Facebook. Pretty pictures of
nature and the world… tick. Inspirational quotes and writing tips… tick.
Discovering fantastic authors and their bookshelves… tick. Like a good
friend, Pinterest makes little demands. If I’m too busy to share, that’s ok,
but it would be great if I could pop by.
However, as well as being fun, I
also find Pinterest useful. When beginning a project, I create a secret board
then Pin anything and everything I think might be inspiring – views of the
location, food, character pics, character clothing, encouraging quotes, blog
posts, interesting websites etc. I know authors who take this exercise a
step further, revealing their secret WIP board when their novel is published,
offering readers a sneak peak into the inspiration behind their work. Fantastic
for nosy readers like me!
It’s an exciting step, venturing into
Pinterest as a blog team, and it would be wonderful if our new Novel Points
of View board proves valuable to someone too.
Victoria - When I write a novel, I have a cork board on the wall with
images pinned to it of people who best resemble the characters in my
story. It acts as a motivator and helps to keep my character's appearance
stable. It is easy to start the novel with a brunette, but end it with a
heroine having black hair! After the novel is complete the images are thrown
away and a new set pinned up to represent my next novel. Pinterest enables me
to keep a more permanent record of the images I have used, which in
turn helps to prevent me from duplicating the appearance of a character
I have used in a previous novel. Pinterest caters for more images than a
cork board can hold so I can also include buildings, gardens, other characters
and the fashion of the time. It is very satisfying to see the theme of the book
emerge and it is a
great way to introduce your book to potential readers. They can see, at a
glance, the type of book it is without even turning a page. For a moment the
reader can get inside the head of the writer, have a search around and get a
feel for the book in a very visual way.
Jennifer - The best thing about Pinterest? My favourite thing about
Pinterest? Hmmm…
Pinterest is a bit like one of those super-diets that your
friends do. It’s a mighty success for them: they lose three stone and they tell
you how easy it is, and you look at them, stunning and slim, and you think “gonna
do that, all it takes is a bit of self-discipline”.
You probably see where I’m going with this. It’s the
self-discipline bit. I love Pinterest — when other people do it. I’d love to be
able to use it as effectively as they do. I love its richness and its colour,
though I’m not so keen on some of the things it thinks I might be interested in
(I’ve never been a pipe smoker or a basket-weaver, thanks, Pinterest).
Pinterest has been on my to-do list for a long time, and I
did once get as far as setting up my account. Now I’m going to have to buckle
down and learn to
be a Pinterest practitioner. Just now the best thing about it is watching other
people do it well. And if I want a bit of that look-good-feel-good
vibe…just like the weight loss, I’m going to have to be disciplined about it!
Gill – I’ve been on
Pinterest for over a year (as Gill-Marie Stewart) and have finally moved from
the ‘what’s this all about’ phase to the ‘ah that’s how it works’ phase. My
principle use is secret
boards where I can save things relevant to my current project – or to possible
multiple future projects. Having a separate board for
each project is an easy way to keep the ideas from getting tangled up with
each other. These ease of setting up a new board and the easy way most things
on the internet now let you ‘pin’ things is ideal for this.
Having a joint board for our blog
is going to take some getting used to. But then that’s true about all things on
social media!
Neil - Although there is a
Neil Donald Photography Pinterest page it is Audrey that has set that up so I
will hand over to her:
I have struggled to get to grips
with Pinterest in the past. However, having taken my time to have a look around
the site I am slowly getting to grips with it. I enjoy losing myself in the
travel blogs, mentally adding to my must visit list. Neil often
receives a nudge when I find a photograph that piques my interest.
Uploading a selection of Neil's
photographs onto Pinterest provides another platform for
people to view them and introduce his work to a new audience. See Not My Castles for an example.
Linda - Pinterest is a whole new learning curve for me. I was
dragged, kicking and screaming, onto Facebook and Twitter but have seen (and
reaped!) the benefits of those in my writing life. So, there’s no reason I won’t
come to love Pinterest in time .... I hope!
