Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The New Procrastination Destination

I love Pinterest. And I have used it for quite some time now as a virtual version of the notebooks and binders I keep all over my house: as a place to collect and keep images of decorating ideas, DIY projects, recipes, and pretty things. But then the other day my friend (and fellow novelist), Miranda, gave me the idea of using Pinterest as a way to collect images which inspire or are inspired by my works-in-progress.

Bad idea.

I have spent hours -- and I mean HOURS -- gathering images, pinning, and organizing. I made one board for the novel I'm revising, and one for the project I just started. I have probably spent more time pinning than writing in the last few days. But they're beautiful! They evoke the mood of each piece...and represent the settings and characters as well. I'd almost be happy to just  keep pinning away and forget the novels altogether...just kidding.

I think my fascination stems from a very real need to make my fictional worlds as tangible and concrete as I can. And somehow, finding photos helps to solidify the hazier things. To sharpen the edges. If only in my own mind. I have found the same to be true when I've made trailers, and I can imagine that's what it would feel like to adapt a novel to film as well. It's like a waking dream of the novel.

So for you writers out there...here's a new way to put off the work of writing while still having all the fun of living inside your imagination. Pinterest: Station Procrastination.

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