Pinterest for Writers: 12 Ideas

My big treat to myself over the holidays was to join (at last) Pinterest.com. After several months debating if I could afford the extra time to play amongst the pins, I finally decided I couldn't afford to NOT be there.

Although I'm still a total newcomer to the site (http://pinterest.com/valeriestorey)  and still figuring my way around, I'm already convinced Pinterest is a super-helpful place for writers. Whether it's about telling your personal story visually--any story, i.e., your sense of fashion style, where you went last summer, how much you love kittens, or just explaining what your next book is about, Pinterest is a serious way to deliver your message.

I must say that at first I was intimidated by all the zillions of pictures, and I did have some trouble seeing where I could fit into the mix. But that was last week. Now I can't stop coming up with ideas for "boards": the categorized pages where you actually put up your various pictures. Repinning from other people's boards has been a great way to get started, but I can also see how much fun it must be to find original pins to add to your own boards. (Hope this doesn't sound too confusing to non-Pinterest users--but stick with it--if I can do it, you can too!)

Right now I'm concentrating on creating boards that fit in with writing, and so far I've come up with 12 ways I hope to use this creative network. I haven't made all of these boards yet, but it's nice to plan for the future! Anyway, my first choices are:

1. A board just for my various book covers.
2. A board per book.
3. A board for my book trailers.
4. My favorite books, especially those that have influenced my writing.
5. Writing prompts--quotes.
6. Writing prompts--pictures.
7. Writing encouragement and inspiration.
8. A board per work-in-progress.
9. Favorite pieces of artwork I'd love to use in a book cover or trailer.
10. What I'm currently reading.
11. Literary "shrines" and famous writers I love.
12. Favorite creative supplies: pens, journals, sketchbooks, art goodies too.

Of course I'm sure I'll come up with more than 12 ideas as I become more familiar with the site, but I think this is plenty to keep anyone happy for a while. I think one of the elements I like best is being able to pin up a "secret" board that only I can see before I'm ready to release it to the world. I did this for the Overtaken board, and I have a couple of others hidden away at the moment. Oh, dear. Addicted already. (You didn't read that.)

Tip of the Day: If you're not already a member, do consider joining, or at least visiting, Pinterest.com. I think you'll find plenty of inspiration, even if you just use it to pin images to jump-start your daily freewriting. If you do decide to join, please be sure to follow me--I follow back! Happy pinning!

Setting My Goals for 2013

Happy 2013--and happy goal-setting!

At the start of every new year, I like to cast my resolutions in the form of goals; things I want to work toward to make the year both creative and meaningful. This year I've decided to go for 3 categories: Writing, Art, and Marketing with three goals each:

Writing:

1. Revise and submit my new novel, The Abyssal Plain.
2. Revise and submit my nonfiction manuscript, A Pet Owner's Book of Days.
3. Type up my short story and poetry notebooks.

Artwork:

1. Create 52 paintings--one a week. Sunday will be my dedicated painting day.
2. Commit to a daily drawing practice--even if it's just for 15 minutes.
3. This is the year I go professional. Everything is for sale!

Marketing:

1. Submit my two manuscripts until they're sold!
2. Create two more book trailers.
3. Participate in local opportunities to sell books and artwork.

So that's me--how about you? I'd love to hear your plans.

Tip of the Day: Goal-setting is all about what you truly WANT to accomplish, not what you think you SHOULD achieve, or what somebody else has told you is the "right move" for your career or personal life. Make sure your goals come from your heart and not some image of what you think fits the "perfect writer or artist."

Highlights of 2012

Merry Christmas, everyone! With just one week left 'til New Year's Eve ... can you believe it? 

So what did 2012 bring for you? For me it was a mixture of creativity, big changes, and a whole lot of fun, starting with:

1. Publishing my Gothic romance novel, Overtaken in both paperback and Kindle editions.
2. Creating the book trailer for Overtaken.
3. I sold my house (a miracle in this current market).
4. Moved into a rental condo--and I love it. No maintenance. No gardening. No "what if I want to sell it?"
5. My day job moved into spacious new premises.
6. Although I had a great little studio at my old house, I now have a new space three times bigger.
7. I participated in National Novel Writing Month, and reached my 50K goal!
8. Took a fantastic 3-day screenwriting seminar aka "screenwriting boot camp" and learned that writing a screenplay is just as difficult as I thought it was, LOL.
9. I also took a 6-week oil pastel class and found my true north. I absolutely adore oil pastels now--especially Sennelier brand.
10. Went camping in an RV for the very first time--and found out I love RVs. Will have to do this one again very soon.
11. Prepared two manuscripts for 2013 submission: my nonfiction book, A Pet Owner's Book of Days, and a new novel, The Abyssal Plain.
12. Kept up with this blog and had two fantastic giveaways. Big congratulations to my winners!

That's a lot--more than enough, I think--for one year's worth of memories. 2012 has been a fantastic year for me, and I hope the same is true for you. Drop me a line and let me know some of your favorite moments!

Tip of the Day: As a journaling exercise for next year, make a practice every evening of writing down 12 things that made the day special for you in some way: for instance, accomplishments both large and small; important insights that arrived unexpectedly; a line from a book that caught your imagination. Remember to not judge, just write.

My Top 7 Reads of 2012

Here we are nearly at the end of the year and my TBR pile is growing at an alarming rate--not that I mind in the least. There's nothing more satisfying to me than a delicious pile of good books to read, especially in the winter when I go to bed early, snuggle under the duvet, and disappear between the pages.

It's also the time of year when I reflect on the books that have really mattered to me over the past twelve months; the ones I couldn't put down and that I wanted to journal about after I was finished reading. For 2012 this came down to a list of seven:

Best Historical Romance: Dagon's Blood, by Virginia Lee. This is one big, riveting swashbuckler--and thoroughly researched--five-hankie read. If you enjoy eighteenth-century Scottish romance along the lines of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, you will love Dagon's Blood. Rich with detail, emotion, and a complex plot, Dagon's Blood goes beyond "just romance." Lady Leigha's life journey and the eventual choices she makes are perfect material for book club discussions. Unforgettable.

Best Contemporary Romance: The Secrets Between Us, by Louise Douglas. Talk about tension. I wanted to read this book in one sitting, but like Dagon's Blood, it's a big book that kept me happy (and scared to death) for days--weeks, actually. As soon as I thought I had the main secret figured out, the next few pages would convince me I was wrong; and then back and forth right up until the end. Whew.

Best Mystery: Death Comes to Pemberley, by P.D. James. As a life-long P.D. James fan, it's always been my opinion that her writing voice is remarkably close to that of Jane Austen. So who else could do a better job writing a sequel to Pride and Prejudice, and one with murder thrown into the mix? This is a fine and elegant book, and as engrossing as the mystery is, my favorite part was James's take on the continued and maturing relationship between Elizabeth and the esteemed Mr. D'Arcy. A must-read.

Best Mainstream: Returning to Earth, by Jim Harrison. Because this is a book about death, it's really a book about life, or I should say, the acceptance of life and all it has to offer. Much of the plot delves into Native American beliefs and interpretations of what it means to be a family walking upon this earth, at this time--and in the future.

Best Literary: Small as a Mustard Seed, by Shelli Johnson. This award-winning book is so strong, so sad, and so important. The plot revolves around post-traumatic stress disorder and how it affects the lives of two young sisters and their war-ravaged parents. Growing up in an unpredictable household of terror and denial, the girls find two very different and heartbreaking ways to cope with problems no one, especially children, should ever have to deal with.

Best Short Story Collection: Beneath the Liquid Skin, by Berit Ellingsen. I debated whether the contents of this small but evocative book were actually stories, or poetry, prose poetry, or something entirely new. I think they are something entirely new. I love experimental, edgy, unexpected books that take me to places I've never been before. And I love it when the writer uses language in a way that I know will stay with me for the rest of my life. I can't explain this book, and quite frankly I think explanations would destroy it--like when a well-meaning friend tries to analyze a dream for you. I'll be re-reading, and re-analyzing, this dream of a book for a long time to come.

Best Nonfiction: The Principles of Uncertainty, by Maira Kalman. This book is like reading someone else's art journal without getting into trouble for snooping! A grown-up's picture book, the text is full of pithy non sequiturs, memoir, literary factoids, and is exactly where I'm trying to go with my own attempts at creating an altered book. Definitely a keeper.

Tip of the Day: Recording your thoughts in a dedicated book journal is a good way to explore what you'd like to include, or discard, in your own writing. Daily entries can be used as starting points for freewriting, which can then be used as handy references for book reviews. And everyone needs a good review!

In the meantime, Happy Holidays, book fans!

Keep reading; keep writing!

 

Season's Greetings From Dava Books, and a Special Giveaway!

Happy Holidays, Everyone! Deck the halls, spread good cheer, dress up, eat cake, and . . . get ready to write in 2013!

From now until the end of the year, I'm having a special book giveaway on my website, Valeriestorey.com. With any book order placed from my site, I'll include a FREE copy of The Essential Guide for New Writers, From Idea to Finished Manuscript. All book orders from my site always include free domestic shipping, too. Offer will end at the stroke of midnight, January 1, 2013.

Tip of the Day: Books make the best holiday gifts. Ever. (And they're so easy to wrap.) Share your favorites with friends and family, and don't miss out on my FREE offer. Enjoy the season!

12 Ways to Break Through Writer's Block

Yay! Our first question from the first winner of my blog birthday giveaway:

LadyDBooks.

Diana asks: "How do you deal with writer's block?" A great question, especially now that Nanowrimo has finished and some of us may be feeling completely burnt-out.

To answer Diana, I think it's important to define "writer's block." For me, it's whatever makes me want to run away from my writing:

• Perfectionism.
• Fear that my words won't match my vision.
• Fear of not making the right choices.
• Fear that I'm going too slow.
• Fear of submission.
• Fear of my own voice.
• The WIP is just too big and ambitious.

Grrr! So how to burst through those blocks? How about:

 1. Collage. A stack of old magazines, a glue stick, a damp clean-up cloth, and some kind of paper or journal can keep me happy and "writing" for hours. There's something so dreamy and magical about the process, I could almost say it's the answer for every life problem in existence! Whether it's a scene, a character's wardrobe, or the solution to a plot-hole, collage can save the day.

2. Change genres. It's good advice to "write what you love to read," but sometimes you can too easily compare yourself to your favorite writers, and bingo--you're blocked. Try reading and/or writing in a genre you've never met before.

3. Make an appointment to meet yourself somewhere outside the house or usual work place. I particularly like bookstore cafes, but laundromats, hotel lobbies, and waiting rooms make great places to sit down and "just write" without the need to explain myself.

4. Take an old manuscript and tackle it from a different approach . An old,  unsold manuscript can feel like a millstone, one that's sapping your energy for fresh work. So start over: maybe the wrong character is telling the story. Or maybe you need several points of view. Perhaps present tense will add a new tension. Experiment.

5. Write with a friend. Writing with a buddy or a writer's group is a great way to stay productive. Go for at least an hour (no talking!); read your work to each other, then write for another hour.

6. Use a book of prompts such as A Writer's Book of Days by Judith Reeves for a month. Decide how many pages to write per day (5 is a good number), but don't re-read any of your writing until the end of the month.

7. At the end of the month, find the connections between your entries. The mind loves to create order out of chaos. Reading through a month's worth of freewriting is an excellent way to find a theme, a character, or a setting you want to explore more deeply.

8. What's on your mind? Try some letters to the editor, or concentrate on writing blog comments as a daily writing exercise.

9. Start a new blog on a topic you love, but don't usually write about. Save and print out your entries--submit them as articles, or turn them into a complete book!

10. Forget about publication. Get a special journal, pens, whatever makes you happy, and just write--anything. It's your writing, written for yourself and nobody else.

11. Write about your resistance to writing. What's stopping you from writing? Let it all out. Interview your writing and your characters. Ask them what the problem is. The answers may surprise you--and get you writing again.

12. Keep a "still-life" journal or notebook. Instead of worrying about transitions, plots, and character arcs, spend some time just writing descriptions. Take a cue from still-life paintings: what objects are included? What's the setting? Mood? Why? What is the artist trying to say? Keep adding entries even on the days you're writing full steam ahead.

Tip of the Day: As lofty as "write every day" may sound, the truth is you don't always HAVE to write to be a writer. Enjoying and participating in the world around you can be just as important, and necessary, as a daily word count. Read, draw, travel, visit antique or thrift stores, go for a walk, observe and play. Taking regular time-outs goes a long way to preventing creative block. And be sure to pay a visit to LadyDBooks--rest and renewal guaranteed!

Why I Love National Novel Writing Month

Here we are at the last week of National Novel Writing Month and the big question looms: how's your word count? If you're falling behind (like me), take heart. We still have a good five days to catch up, and I suggest we grab those pens and/or open those Word files right now, or at least as soon as you finish reading this post!

On the other hand (and there always is another side to every story), you may have reached the point in your manuscript where you're thinking it doesn't matter whether you make it to the required 50K or not. You've done your best to write when you could during the month; you've made a great start to your story; and you got what you came for: inspiration. That's a good result too. It would still be nice if you could cross the finishing line, but there's more to Nanowrimo than just printing out your winner's certificate on 11/30. Some of my reasons for participating regardless of whether or not I win include:

• Nanowrimo is an excellent break and time-out away from my regular schedule of editing and rewriting my current WIP.
• It's a chance to re-discover and reconnect with my writer's soul.
• I get a new book out of it!
• It reminds me of why I do any of this: I can't wait to find out what happens next. And if I want to know, I have to write it.
• I can turn it into a writer's retreat during what is usually a very hectic month and time of year.
• It's a meditation.
• It's a chance to practice a new genre or style I might not ordinarily explore.
• I get to do some artwork. Whether it's a collage with my magazine cut-outs grouped together for writing prompts, or a drawing of one of my character's homes or ball gowns, it's all creative expression.
• Nanowrimo is community. All those other writers in the same boat; it's the one time of year when we can seriously discuss our progress, problems, plans and ideas.
• It's an opportunity to throw "publishing" and all it entails out the window. Yay!
• It renews my writer's license: I can make left-hand turns! Parallel park! Reverse! Easy-peasy. So take THAT, Inner Critic!

No matter where you are in your manuscript this week--and many of you may have already reached your goal (my hearty congratulations to you)--the main thing to keep in mind is, you're a creative genius. The fact you signed up for Nanowrimo is the proof in the pudding. Now all you have to do is choose whether you want chocolate, butterscotch, or pistachio. And ... keep writing.

Tip of the Day: Five days, people. You can do a lot with that. If you're feeling a little blah about everything, here's an idea:  make yourself a digital collage using a site such as Pinterest.com or a royalty-free picture library that illustrates a scene in your story. I did that last week with the picture heading this post. The autumn leaves and violet earrings matched a section of Four Girls and Six Colleges perfectly and got my pen moving in the right direction--toward THE END.