Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 5, Issue 6 | Page 21

PRESS “CONTROL” THEN CLICK “BUY” TO PURCHASE ANY BOOK ARE YOU USING PINTREST (CONT’D) 2. FOLLOW OTHER WRITERS OR PUBLISHERS One of Pinterest’s best features is the ability to follow other users’ boards. Chances are that when you find a pin you love, the original pinner of that pin will have similar interests as you. So after you pin that new piece of inspiration, check out the user that you pinned from. If you like what they pin, consider following some or all of their boards. This will allow you to view all of the pins they savein the future, increasing your chances of finding another piece of motivation. 3. WRITING INFOGRAPHICS AND TIP LISTS There are a ton of super helpful tips and tricks for writers on Pinterest. Simply search “writing tips” and you will come across hundreds of writing infographics and tip lists. Take advantage of these pins and learn about how to improve your own writing, find a writing style, outline your novel, improve your story arcs, begin background research, and so much more! Need a dose of motivation while you are struggling with your story? Refer back to these tips to help you flesh out your ideas. BUY 4. KEEP TRACK OF THE BOOKS YOU’VE READ If you are a writer and you aren’t reading voraciously, its time to get started! Reading extensively is one of the best ways that a writer can develop their writing style and improve upon their skills. Create a board to keep track of the books you read (you can do this by pinning images of the book covers to that board). After several months, look back on the books you have read and search for any patterns. Have you skipped certain genres? Were the books you read all modern or only non-fiction? Keeping tabs on this board will help you discover where you need to fill in the cracks as a reader so in turn you can become a better writer! 5. QUOTE BOARDS Some of the most inspirational tidbits are gleaned from quotes by authors or their novels. Keep track of the ones that have impacted you by creating a board for poignant quotes. See what lines of literature have struck your fancy and compare those popular lines to see what has attracted them to readers. Then utilize what you discover in your writing. Try pinning author’s wisdom as well. Many authors have shared bits of their expertise in memoirs, autobiographies, and interviews. These quotes are indeed floating around the web, just waiting for you to discover them, be inspired, and pin! When even your inspiration boards can’t seem to unclog your dreaded writer’s block, reading a few encouraging words from renowned authors can really do the trick! BUY The above article was contributed to diyauthor.com by KRISTEN A. KIEFFER Kristen A. Kieffer is the founder and head writer of the everyday creative writing blog, Book Jacket, and an aspiring young author working on her first fantasy epic. She loves helping amateur writers tell better stories, holding conversations with her characters, and drinking coffee like its water. Connect with her online on Pinterest (of course), Google+, and Twitter. WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE 19 BUY NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2015