10 Tried and True Ways for Writers to Use Pinterest

1. Grow.  Pinterest is a fantastic place to develop all the non-writing skills.  Learn how to make your garden grow, how to remodel a house, or how to build anything from pallets.  Because it’s the sum of our experiences beyond the page that add depth to our writing.
2. Organize.  Pin creative ways to organize your workspace to make you more productive, or to decrease the amount of time you spend on laundry and meals so you can write more.
3. Avoidance.  Pinterest can be a fabulous time-suck for those moments when the words won’t come. (then after your short break, get back to work . . . see #6)
4. Find Readers.  Every single pinner has the potential of being a future reader.  But not if you bombard them with nothing but your covers.  Pinterest is like every other social media outlet: only 5-10% of pins should be sales related, the rest should be “you” related.
5. Recharge.  Writing takes brain energy, and powering-down by flipping through pictures can rejuvenate writing muscles.
6. Get Inspired.  Discover far-off places for your characters to live and interact.
7. Design.  Make a “cover art inspiration” board when images are either perfect for, or inspire, the next cover.
8. Keep track.  Inspiration can strike anytime, and having a single place like Pinterest to hold details for a future books can alleviate the stress of trying to find that one picture from 3 years ago.  Download the app to your phone too, so you can pin things while you’re waiting in the carpool lane or dentist office.
9. Dress, feed, and clothe.  Your characters have basic needs.  Use Pinterest to create a board for each character and fill it with their favorite foods, party ideas, and wardrobe.  Go one step further and make a “covet board” for each character–what are their deepest desires?  Use Pinterest as a unique way to get to know them.
10. Motivate.  Make a “reward board.”  Fill it with everything from a reward for meeting weekly writing goals, as well as enticing rewards for finishing the entire book.

Extra tip:  Add the “pin it” button to your sidebar to easily pin things as you’re surfing about on the internet.

What about you?  How are you using Pinterest for your writing?

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