3 WAYS PINTEREST CAN BOOST YOUR WRITING CAREER

 

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My sister and I were talking the other day about Pinterest. She told me she had an account and quite frankly I was surprised. Janet doesn't enjoy participating in social networking like I do. Her Facebook friends probably number less than twenty, but she likes it that way. That is why I was surprised to discover she even had a Pinterest account. I'm pretty sure she will only use it like a glorified photo album and that's just fine for her.

But not for writers.

 

If we are serious about our careers, writers have to consider how a social site like Pinterest can not only support our writing muse, but also help connect us with our intended audience. Ours is a visual world and here are three ways Pinterest can help us accomplish that task.

PROVIDES STORY LINE IDEAS

I love searching through Pinterest for wonderful illustrations to post to my PB IDEAS board (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/pb-ideas/). Something catches my eye and I pin it on my board for consideration later. I am a visual picture book writer and just studying whimsical or silly artwork will trigger a nugget of a story idea and I run with it. 

When I was writing my fantasy novel I created my LUNADAR board (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/lunadar/). It was there I would skip through the pictures and daydream of a world where my characters could come alive. It help ground me in the fantasy world I was creating until it was as real to me as I imagined my readers would hope it would become for them.

And when I work on my creative nonfiction manuscripts, I sometimes turn to my HISTORY board (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/history/) to maybe discover a little known fact that can become the spotlight of my next book. Why not use a picture based social site for gathering great research pictures?

SHOWCASING ONE'S WORK

Pinterest is a great way for people to take a look at your work. Right now I might only a couple of books available for purchase but MY PUBLISHED WORK board (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/my-published-work/) shows where readers can find my stories, view my STORY CATCHER book trailer, or check out my latest business postcards. My STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB board (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/story-catcher-fan-club/) has info about my picture book and butterflies because they are part of my STORY CATCHER logo. I would love to add Pinterest links of my FREE STORY CATCHER newsletters but haven't figure that one out yet. If you know how to turn a PDF file into a Pinterest pin let me know in the comments or shoot me an email. I would really appreciate it!

If you have a number of books out you could always set up a board for each board and show things like book covers, illustration art, pictures of book signings, Common Core activities linked to each book, etc. The more you are able to pin, the more connected your readers will be to your work.

SHARING WITH OTHERS

I have also created a number of boards to help others like writers, teachers, readers, etc. My FOR TEACHERS board (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/for-teachers/) has a plethora of activities to help support wonderful educators out there. I have a number of "writing" based boards like WRITING (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/writing/), NANOWRIMO (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/nanowrimo/), WRITING RESOURCES (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/writing-resources/),
and BOOK MARKETING (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/book-marketing/). Lastly, for all the lovely book lovers out there I have my BOOKS (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/books/) and WONDERFUL BOOKCASES (https://www.pinterest.com/donasdays/wonderful-bookcases/). 

The possibilities are endless with Pinterest. Whether you are more like my sister and just want a convenient space to post all your cool pictures or you are a serious professional working on furthering your writing career, Pinterest is definitely an avenue worth looking into!

Blurb: Addie comes from a long line of readers or "story catchers" as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own the wiggly words play tricks on her. She tries different ways to make those words sit still but it will take a little faith for Addie to become the next STORY CATCHER.

Buy Links:Amazon Kindle ¦ Paperback ¦ B&N ¦ Smashwords

JOIN THE STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB! Membership includes:

 
Membership Certificate

Bi-montly Newsletter full of mazes, puzzles, games, news, and other goodies

Reading Log for earning STORY CATCHER AWARD

A To Z Challenge: BOOK NOOK REVIEWS "N"

Title:  Nurse, Soldier, Spy...The Story of Sarah Edmonds
Author: Marissa Moss
Illustrator:  John Hendrix
Publisher:  Abrams Books For Young Readers
Ages: 9-11

Synopsis:

When Frank Thompson sees a poster requesting recruits for the new Union army, he is ready and willing to enlist. Except Frank isn't his real name. He is really Sarah Emma Edmonds. Dressing like a man, she becomes a soldier, battlefield nurse, and even a spy in this incredible true story of one woman's fight for her country's freedom.

Why you should read it: 

I'm really fascinated with the "human side" of history and find myself reading a lot about the Civil War lately. This well written story by author Marissa Moss allows her readers to step into the shoes of an otherwise genteel lady as she fights beside Union soldiers trying to free the slaves and unite a country. Kids will be amazed at the life Sarah led and the dangers she endured during a time when "ladies" were thought to be nothing more than gentle creatures to be protected from the horrors of the real world instead of vibrant, strong women capable of protecting themselves as well as those around them on the field of battle.


Like-o-meter Rating scale**: 5 out of 5…grab it!

**Rating scale**

 5 out of 5...grab it!

 4 out of 5...think about it.

 3 out of 5...take or leave it.

 2 out of 5...maybe not for you.

 1 out of 5...forget about it!

Blurb:

Addie comes from a long line of readers or "story catchers" as her family likes to call themselves. Every time Addie tries to catch a story on her own the wiggly words play tricks on her. She tries different ways to make those words sit still but it will take a little faith for Addie to become the next STORY CATCHER.

Buy Links:
Amazon Kindle ¦ Paperback ¦ B&N ¦ Smashwords



JOIN THE STORY CATCHER FAN CLUB!

Membership includes:

Membership Certificate
Bi-montly Newsletter full of mazes, puzzles, games, news, and other goodies
Reading Log for earning STORY CATCHER AWARD
Short story starring YOU!