They say a picture can speak a thousand words. For writers, they do more than speak. They motivate, inspire, and most of all, help us bring our story to life. The colors. The emotions. The beauty…All of it adds up to a delectable candy store for a writer’s imagination to gorge upon.
As I work on my short ghost story, or Fallers, or whichever project I’m currently focusing on (one at a time, right? 😉 ), I always put photos of my characters in front of me. That way I can see them as I’m writing them. I can study their smile, their frown, their pain, their hopes, their dreams! It’s all right there, staring back at me. Motivating me. Pushing me. Urging me to dig deeper, understand them better.
I even use book-inspired photos as my computer’s wallpaper. That way I’m constantly reminded about my story even if I’m not sitting there working on it. They keep me in the zone–in my characters’ minds–inside their world. All the time. They’re like oil for my creative cogs, helping me power up the writing machine when it’s time to run.
Better yet, having these photos set as my wallpaper is like having a strict proctor tapping their foot in disapproval whenever I’m slacking off. It’s like the pictures are lecturing me, “Okay missy, that’s enough Project Runway on Hulu. Get back to work!” (Seriously guys, I’m so addicted to that show right now!)
Over the past couple of years, I’ve collected over 1,500 images on my “Book Inspiration” boards on Pinterest. And I’m constantly adding more. Whenever I start a new project or I’m feeling uninspired, I’ll trek over to this picture-licious site and scroll through my vast inventory. And I always find something to use to get the creative juices flowing.
(Side Note: If you’re inspired by images like me, then USE Pinterest! It’s an awesome resource. Plus, it helps keep all of your pictures organized.).
Many times I won’t even be looking for a picture to inspire me, but I’ll stumble upon one that sets off a plot firework inside my brain. And, before I know it, I have a concept for a new story or character.
So how about you? Do you like using pictures to inspire your writing? Do you pin your protagonist’s “face” right in front of you while you write so you can understand them better? What are some of your other forms of inspiration? Music is another big one for me, but that’s a post for another day 😉 .
Related articles
- What Can Pinterest Do For Writers? (darlagdenton.com)
- A Writers Notebook (darlagdenton.com)
- Inspiration is Everywhere (wordsofprocrastination2.wordpress.com)
Jen's Pen Den 
HI Jen, Thanks for linking my articles to this one. I enjoyed reading your post. I actually do the same thing as you in regards to finding pictures and scenes relevant to my book. Especially with my characters. I’ll fill out a character work sheet and once I’ve got the basic idea of my character I search the internet for an image of someone who reminds me of them. Then I pin and print out their pictures for inspiration as I’m writing them into my story. I love Pinterest (as I’m sure you’ve read in my “What can Pinterest Do for Writers” article. I can’t wait to check out your Pinterest board! Thanks again.
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I don’t know what I’d do without Pinterest. So many beautiful. inspiring images to use!
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What a fabulous idea using images to motivate you and to always keep your writer’s mind thinking! Thank you for all the helpful tips and I will definitely check out Pinterest! 🙂
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You’re very welcome! Always glad to offer tips that are helpful 🙂
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