Before Pinterest, this is how we gathered images. Photo by mboverload. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

So, I have a confession to make. I’m addicted to Pinterest. It’s like therapy for me.

The funny this is, I never understood the point of it until I approached it from a writer’s perspective. I decided that since I can’t tell you about the plot until the books get published (querying agents right now, in case you were wondering), I can at least show you a little of what’s going on in my head through some of my Pinterest boards.

What I didn’t anticipate was how much the boards would help with my writing. Many of my pins are like someone went into my head and pulled out exactly what I pictured. So when I’m working on a particularly stubborn scene, all I have to do is go pull up a pin that reminds me of it to get re-inspired all over again.

So what boards do I have? These are the ones that are book-related:

• Characters – I want everyone to be able to picture my characters however they like, but this is a board of my dream cast. If you want to know who I’m thinking of as I write these characters, look no further. Basically, this is an electronic version of my casting book.
• Guinevere/Isolde book inspiration – These are images that remind me in some way of this series of books. They can be models who remind me of the characters, objects I don’t want to forget, or even places that have relevance to the book, but aren’t exactly settings. If I see an image and it makes my author’s heart flutter, it goes here.
• Inspirations for future books – This is your sneak-peek into the other plots that are floating around in my head.
• Settings – Exactly what it sounds like, only these could be for any of the current novels or something I’m planning in the future. If it’s a locale I want to remember, I pin it to this board.
• Writers and bookworms unite – Admit it. We writers and readers are a strange bunch. Sometimes it’s fun to make fun of that. I also have lots of pictures of libraries and other things of interest to writers and readers.
• Books worth reading – A collection of books I’ve liked. I haven’t spent as much time with this board as I’d like.
• Traditional Arthurian art – Art from the masters of yore that depicts scenes from or inspired by Arthurian legend.
• Ideal places to write – I just started this board last night. A few pins have struck me as places that would provide ample inspiration for any writer, so I’m collecting them here.

I’ve seen other authors (and fans) do page-by-page walk-throughs of their books on Pinterest, which is a really neat way to immerse yourself in the books. The possibilities are endless. If you have suggestions for other things, please let me know.

And because there’s more to my life than just writing (well, not during NaNoWriMo!) I also have boards that reflect my other interests, like travel, religion/mythology, art, tattoos, nature, castles, home design, food, jokes, and yes, even wedding stuff (I think every woman is required to have one of those boards – some sort of universal rule).

The thing that makes Pinterest fun is following others who share your passions. That way, when Pinterest shows you what others have pinned, you’ll be seeing things you like and can relate to. It’s social media with all the fun and none of the pressure. Plus, who doesn’t like to look at pretty pictures?

I’ve been toying with the idea of featuring a Pin of the Week on this blog, but I’m afraid that may violate copyright law, so I haven’t acted on it. (Some people say that using Pinterest at all is a violation of copyright law, but that’s not my area of expertise, so I have no comment.)

If you’re interested in following me, you can click the little red “P” in the upper right corner of this site or visit my Pinterest profile. If you have a profile and would like me to follow you, please leave the URL in the comments.

Do you use Pinterest? Why or why not? How have you seen it effectively used by other writers? What would you like to see on my boards that you don’t see now? Did you see any pin that makes you want to read the Guinevere books?