I don’t know about you, but I’m a visual person. I need to see it to retain it. I see better than I hear. When I see a list, I get tasks done. And organizing with colored notecards or Post-Its?
Be still my heart.
Just the way my brain works.
So it’s no wonder that I need images when I write. The words form much easier, flow much faster. And like any visual writer who is neck-deep in a manuscript and needing some help, I head straight for my friend, Pinterest.
Writing my contemporary western, A COWBOY AND A PROMISE, by Tule Publishing, was no different. If you’ve had a chance to read the book, you might enjoy seeing some of the images that inspired me.
If you haven’t read it yet, but want to . . .
Buy on Amazon
S P O I L E R A L E R T!
Here’s a few images, straight from my board:
When I saw this image for Beau Paxton, my hero, I thought “This is IT!” Beau to a T. Love, love.
While writing A COWBOY AND A PROMISE, my husband and I were totally binge-watching the thriller series, Homeland, and I was completely captivated by the lead character, played by Claire Danes. Hence, Ava Howell was born.
When Ava first arrives to the Blackstone Ranch and enters the little cabin where she’ll be staying while working, one of the first things she sees is a bouquet of Indian blanket that Beau’s mother thoughtfully picked for her in welcome. The wildflower is common in the Texas Hill Country. Beautiful, aren’t they?
This is a diagram of a Shotgun House, which I mention in the renovation of the Paxton family’s ghost town resort on the Blackstone Ranch. They say that a shotgun blast from the front door will go straight through the house and out the back door. I guess it’s true, eh?
Beau buys Ava her first cowboy hat, something she resists, but this is the one she picked out. On clearance, of course!
Another gift from Beau that Ava absolutely loves. Can you blame her?
Something really scary happens to Beau on the ranch, and that’s all I’ll say! But this hole was my inspiration!
And now I’m going to stop! I can’t give everything away, can I?
But you can see how much I depend on Pinterest. I took a Pinterest class recently, and my teacher said Pinterest is another Google. She’s right. It truly is!
Did you know Petticoats & Pistols has its own Pinterest account? Our sister filly, Julie Benson, keeps it up and running for us, and it’s hugely popular with almost 64,000 views per month! Come follow us and check out our boards. http://www.pinterest.com/thefillies/
How about you? Do you use the site to find recipes? Get help with ideas on re-decorating? Find gifts? Learn how to plant a garden? The list is endless, and I’d love to hear if you enjoy it as much as I do!
Pam has written 30 romances, most of them historical westerns, but she's proud of her contemporary sweet romances featuring the Blackstone Ranch series published by Tule Publishing, too! Stay up on the latest at www.pamcrooks.com
I used Pinterest a lot when I was trying to decide on hair colors and styles. Now, I like it for decorating ideas. I am dreaming of remodeling my bathroom. It’s something that will probably never happen, but it’s fun to dream and look at other people’s pictures.
Good morning, Janine! I used it for hair styles, too! No more flipping through magazines for ideas, eh? I even pulled up my board on my phone for my hair stylist to see what I wanted. Very helpful!
Hope you get that new bathroom some day. Don’t give up the dream, my dear.
Thank you for stopping by.
I enjoy looking at author’s Pinterest boards. I’m not a crafty person, so I don’t use it in that manner.
I hope you enjoyed my Pinterest-peak into A COWBOY AND A PROMISE, Caryl.
I do look at Pinterest. I use them for crafts a lot.
Pinterest is GREAT for crafts. I was looking for a knitted washcloth one year for Christmas, and I found an exceptionally beautiful one on Pinterest. I contacted the lady who made it (off her website) and she actually responded and gave me the pattern! So, so nice of her, and I made probably 1/2 dozen of those washcloths that year. I would never have gotten the pattern (for free!) without Pinterest!
Have never been to Pinterest.
I think you’d love it as much as I do, Estella. You can lose hours of time just looking at the images on ANYTHING!
I am a visual learner as well. People that learn through touch or hearing just do not get us. My daughter is auditory and frustrates me when she just wants to tell me a list of information and I do not get it.
Enjoyed the pictures. Thanks.
Yep! I’m with you. I would *never* be able to retain a list of information. Part of it maybe, but not all.
Isn’t that fascinating that your own daughter is the opposite as you?
Thanks, Jerri!
Welcome Pam. How fun that you get so much inspiration for pinterest. I am visual also. Especially if there is color. This is interesting about a shotgun house. Thanks for sharing today. Last December, I was on pinterest, for my MIL I made coupons she redeem through out the year. 12 of them. Each with a different border and a picture in the middle. It was so much fun. That I went again in January and found some pictures of pirate boys/girls for my great nieces and great nephews for birthday cards this year.
Oooh, Lori! Great idea! I bet your MIL *loved* that! It was a gift she could use all year, she thought of you every time she redeemed those coupons!
There’s nothing like a gift that you literally used your hands and heart and time to made. Truly a gift of love. Good for you!!
Pam, I wish I was better at using Pinterest. I can barely function there…and I do mean BARELY. But sometimes I just go over there and fall down the rabbit hole. LOL It’s dangerous! (I need one of those Pinterest classes like you took!)
Ha! Very dangerous, Cheryl. A huge time-suck if you let yourself get lost in all of those glorious pictures. It really and truly is the new Google!
Pam, I’m an image person too. It’s hard trying to describe something you can’t see and if you can find an image of it it’s so helpful. I can’t wait to get these RITA books out of the way so I can read you book! I’m so frustrated. Some of these entries are really bad. I want to read something I like!!
Absolutely, Linda! Very helpful, and we writers don’t have time to stress over details when an image can find them for us, and we can move on. But I feel it makes our writing richer and makes the reader feel like she’s more immersed in the story when she can ‘see’ what we ‘see’.
Ah, Rita books. I miss judging . . . next year, for sure!
I’m still fanning myself, Pam! What inspiration, and I’m not talking about the shotgun house or the hole in the ground! LOL!!
Ha, Kit!! I KNOW!!!!!
I love Pinterest. I use it for all kinds of things.
I’m already following the Fillies.
Good for you, Denise! That’s what we like to hear!!
I can see how those photos give great inspiration! I use it for house renovation ideas. We bought an old farmhouse and need to do many updating thing to it. I find quite a bit of inspiring ideas on there!
Oh, an old farm house. Fun, fun! Are you handy with a hammer and a paint brush? You must be to take on an update-project like that! But, oh, the end result will be worth it!
My daughters warned me not to even start checking out Pinterest. They were already addicted to it. The only time I’ve been to it was with one of them and oh I would be addicted.
There are a number of “shotgun” houses in this area. Most of them are wide enough that the bedrooms are on one side and the room between the living room and kitchen is a dining room. You definitely could shoot from the front door straight through to the back door.
Thank you for the floor plan for the shotgun house. I noticed the doors and the lack of a central hall. I thought it was similar to a different plan with an open breezeway/central hall and rooms on either side which is called a dogtrot style house. You would have a straight shot through the house.
I use Pinterest account primarily as a file. I enjoy checking peoples accounts. I have found lots of things I enjoy on them.
I use pinterest for a lot of things.