Pinterest and How it Helps Me Write

I held off on Pinterest as long as I could. Really, I did. I knew if I ever got started I'd be caught. But then one day I saw this thing on how to make Roman Shades out of...something...and I wanted to remember it and it had this cute little "pin it!" button. Well, the rest is history. 

What, exactly, does this have to do with writing? Well, several writer friends told me they use it as inspiration for their characters, their setting, all kinds of things, and I thought, "How fun!" But I never did anything with it, because I was too busy finding hairstyles and DIY projects for my husband to do (which he loves, by the way. Like how someone might love a tack in their foot). 

But, a friend is planning a Valentine month blog host where we create imaginary weddings for our characters. Finding things on Pinterest is the most fun I've had in weeks. So when I was done with that, I started looking for my Feudlings. 

If you've read it, or if you plan to read it, and want to check out what (sort of) my characters look like in my head, here's the link: The Characters.
The best part? Check out Dani - she's my real-life friend who ended up in my book without me even realizing it until after it was written, and yet, the character was her, the entire time.

For me, each of my characters has a distinctive characteristic - like Will had unruly hair, Shane has the piercing blue eyes, Ari was gorgeous...So when I was searching for them, I would put in that search term on Pinterest and spend the next five hours trying to find someone who looked closest to the image in my head. Of course, none of them are exactly right (except Hunter, who was based on Heath Miller from the very beginning so he was super easy to find) So I added notes at the bottom - you'll notice I say, Ari - but she needs red and black hair. Even though they aren't exact matches for who my characters are, the visualization is still very helpful. 

For example, Charity has white-blond hair and big eyes. So I typed in White-blond hair and searched until I found her. Wahla! My Charity

I think, although I haven't actually tried it yet, that if you search Pinterest before creating your characters, it could help you in the development of them, and you'd have a clear picture from the very beginning. I'm planning on trying this out before I start my battle unicorn story.

It's super fun, and I can totally see how it could help in the writing of stories. If you have an actual visual reminder of your character or your setting or whatever else, it is that much more real to you, and easier to create the world. Or at least, that's the way it seems to me. I've started a board for my new work in progress, Shattered Assassin, as well. 

Yes, I'm addicted. We all knew it would happen eventually.