How I Became A Pinterest Addict by Sarah J. McNeal

It all started innocently enough. I needed to do some research for a WIP and I remembered another author mentioning Pinterest and how it could help with research and inspire authors. So, I thought I’d give it a try. I decided to look up the cost of things in certain historical times.

You know how the cost of household necessities, houses, and services are important to people today. I realize the comfortable income I once had, doesn’t buy what it used to buy back in the 1970’s and 80’s. If I had to live off that kind of income now, I’d be living in a tent with nothing but rice and beans to eat. I knew the same concerns weighed on people throughout history.

If I was going to write about my characters worrying over costs of things like coffee, beans, a house, or milk, it might be a good idea to actually know what incomes were and costs of things. So far in my writing, I’ve only mentioned costs as “expensive” or “unaffordable.” I have avoided stating costs in my historical fiction. Why mention something about which I know nothing?

And then I found Pinterest.

In that delightful, sometimes overwhelming world of pictures and famous quotes, I found lists of costs for specific years in history. Well, let me tell you, that was such a relief. I got excited about them and chucked them into my Pinterest board titled “Writer’s Corner.”

But that’s not all I found on Pinterest. I also found photos of scenes, activities, people, as well as clothing from certain time periods that helped me formulate and tell my story with more accuracy. And, just so you know, helpful advice and quotes for writers.

I created a story board where I put interesting photos that may be used later to inspire or form a story. Pinterest is a visual research depot for authors.

When I’m outlining a story and preparing to write, I find pictures relevant to that story and put them on a board with my working title for that story. It’s so amazing to me how helpful it is to see those photos I’ve collected to depict a particular WIP. I’m totally inspired by them.

How 'bout some monsters from the deep?

Now I admit I can get lost in Pinterest. Sometimes I just need to get settled into some quiet time or get my mind off some persistent problem in my life. It is like therapy for anxiety and worry, especially for introverts like me. But therapy aside, I am convinced that Pinterest is a very positive asset for authors who are developing a story or need inspiration for a story. Of course, it’s possible I’m just trying to make Pinterest addicts out my author friends. It’s like crack to the imagination.

Another helpful thing about Pinterest is that an author’s boards can be shared with others. It can be used as a tool to promote an author’s work. An author can make a board for each book and include relevant, short excerpts or snippets under certain pictures that give an enticing introduction to their book or their work in progress. An author can create a board using their book covers to identify their bodies of work in a most charming and enticing way to increase interest.

If you haven’t already checked out Pinterest, here is a link for you to get started: https://www.pinterest.com/

I hope you will visit my Pinterest boards and see how I put together a visual collection of story elements. My Pinterest page is: https://www.pinterest.com/sarahmcneal9/

WARNING! Pinterest can be habit-forming.

Sarah J. McNeal is a multi-published author of several genres including time travel, paranormal, western and historical fiction. She is a retired ER and Critical Care nurse who lives in North Carolina with her four-legged children, Lily, the Golden Retriever and Liberty, the cat. Besides her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of music and plays several instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and harmonica. Her books and short stories may be found at Prairie Rose Publications and its imprints Painted Pony Books, and Fire Star Press. Some of her fantasy and paranormal books may also be found at Publishing by Rebecca Vickery and Victory Tales Press. She welcomes you to her website and social media:

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To Hull and Back by Linda Swift

                                             

I consider myself an author of historical and contemporary fiction, short stories, and poetry. So why in Hull am I about to have a non-fiction book released? And to compound the enigma, a book that is predominantly autobiographical. The answer can be found in Hull. Kingstson-upon-Hull, that is, which is located in a country my forebears sought to leave many years before my birth. (At times in my stay, I understood their reasons!)


England--a country of thatched cottages, medieval castles echoing the past glory of knights in shining armor, kings and queens,  lords and ladies . As you may suspect, I am a romantic who is enthralled with the pomp and pageantry of  yesteryear. Although I realized that life no longer existed, I longed to see the remnants of the place and time I had envisioned. Not just as a "walk-through" tourist; I wanted to live there. Imagine my elation when my husband's job enabled me to do so.

Did the experience live up to my expectations? In some ways, yes; in others, no. Was I inspired to write a novel while there? Regretfully, I was not. Since I have never kept a journal nor made notes (except in my head) to use in future stories, I realized I would not be able to record my life in Hull by that means. So I chose the only realistic mode of retention; I used my letters home to family and friends to describe our lives in Hull and kept copies. Now, when enough time has passed that I feel more objective about sharing my thoughts with casual acquaintances and strangers, I'm ready to publish my Letters from Hull. (Watch for the announcement of its release soon.)

The book has a number of pictures taken in Hull (including both interior and exterior of our flat) and on some of our adventures around the country. It was difficult to choose from the many we had available and I finally selected the ones most important to me and/or my husband. I won't spoil viewing them in context with the story by offering a preview of them in this post.

These letters are not a travelogue. I have not attempted to describe the beauty and majesty of every castle, abbey, and great hall visited. Nor have I sought to praise the people who were always accepting, gracious, and helpful.  First referred to in my letters as "Impressions of England" these are my honest reactions to my surroundings. They describe my efforts to adjust to a new culture, speak the English language, and learn as much about the country of my ancestors as time and opportunity would allow. Readers have found them humorous and enlightening, but those readers have known me. As the release date nears, I obsess about the reactions of others. I did not live in a vacuum and family and friends on both sides of the pond have walk-on roles in this narration. Will they be pleased? Or will they stop sending me Christmas greetings?  I hope this book will be taken in the way it was intended--a view of Hull from one who came from the other side and has since returned to tell about it.

P.S. I did eventually write two historical novels inspired by my stay in England. They can be found on Amazon. Here are the links:

                                                                                                                                               
        









  

Link:https://amzn.com/B007H0QF4Q   

                                                                                                   

Link: https://amzn.com/B009AHTXF2 

Thank you for visiting today. Do stop in again. And please check out the links above and below for more information about my books and me.

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http://www.lindaswift.net/

Writers, Authors, and Storytellers By Celia Yeary #celiayeary #rebeccajvickery

Celia Yeary…Romance, and a little bit of Texas

Are you a Writer, an Author, or a Storyteller?

The question might seem obvious, but a subtle distinction exists between the three. Of course, we are writers. Practically everyone is a writer--"a person who uses written words to communicate ideas." Another way to describe a writer is: "the word refers to the creation of human language."

Man has conveyed his thoughts and stories from the age of the Caveman.

We've grown up writing. At age three, we used crayons to draw a picture and add a crooked letter here and there, "writing a letter to Grandmother."As we grow up, we write notes to friends, essays for a class, or a love letter to someone we adore. We write something every day, some way. We might even keep a diary.

A professional writer uses words to produce creative pieces such as literary art, novels, short stories, poetry, plays, news articles, essays, or songs. Writers often write about how to write, or why they write, or write critical articles about someone else's writing. Often a professional writer gets paid when a piece is published.

An author is one who originates any written work. An author can claim responsibility for creating the writing.
A storyteller is one who conveys events in words, images, and sounds, often by embellishing and improvising the tale. The storyteller educates, preserves cultural phenomenon, instills moral values, and entertains. The narration, then, includes a plot and characters, complete with a point of view.

When I began writing, I did not refer to myself as anything other than "someone who wrote stories." Calling myself an author didn't sound right. All my stories were stored in files and folders in my computer. But with my first contract, I felt perfectly at ease referring to myself as an author. I became...Celia Yeary, Author.

With published stories came reviews. I will never forget the day when one reviewer called me a true "storyteller." Wow. That somehow made an impression, as though I had reached some pinnacle of success. I held that thought close and still do. For someone to refer to me as a storyteller still makes me proud.

Today, my local readers are very generous is telling me what they think of my newest book. Often the person will say something similar: "How do you think of all these stories? They're so good. I can almost see the people and landscape," I'm actually hearing, "You're such a good storyteller."

No one uses "author," and I take their words to mean, "storyteller."

I love lists, so I Googled “World’s Greatest Story Tellers.” As with any topic, lists varied except in the case of several unique names that always appeared. So, here is my list, compiled from several other lists:
Jesus
William Shakespeare
Charles Dickens
Stephen King
Jane Austen
J. K. Rowling
Roal Dahl
Neil Gaiman.

I knew of all these except the last two—which I had to Google!
Okay, do you know—without looking—why these last two are on the list? What did they write that became so enduring?

To me, a real “storyteller” is one who creates images in the mind of the readers.
My short list of those I would add to the list are:

Louis L’Amour-wrote Western adventure/love stories.

Willa Cather—told of Frontier Life on the Great Plains.

What do you think about this idea? Which are you? Have you been called a storyteller? Is it really the best compliment?
I like all three terms--writer, author, storyteller. Me...You...all wrapped up in one package.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/celiayeary

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