Inspiration | Cathy C. Hall Writes

I’m just going to start by saying I didn’t think I was the Pinterest type. You know–the artsy-craftsy, look-what-I-can-do-with-duct-tape-and-shiitake-mushrooms type.

To be honest, I wouldn’t know a shiitake from a Shia Labeouf. But I will, on occasion, do something craftsy. Not fancy craftsy, mind you. I like my crafts the way I like cooking: if it takes more than fifteen minutes, I’m probably going to pass.

But Pinterest is not just about crafts and recipes. I mean, there’s an awful lot of crafts and recipes there, but you’ll find other stuff that may inspire you in other ways. And for a writer, inspiration can be a very good thing.

So here’s a very simple primer for Pinterest from those keen folks at Mashable: Pinterest: A Beginner’s Guide to the Hot New Social Network.

And notice that Pinterest is a social network. It can’t hurt to expand your social networks, if you’re a writer. That’s why I waded into Pinterest.

(It can hurt if you stay in those artsy-craftsy-social waters so long that you forget to write. I’m just sayin’.)

It’s nearly the end of the month and I’m afraid that I still do not have my picture book manuscript completed for the 12 x 12 in ’12 competition.

But I’d marked Mem Fox’s delightful website and most particularly, her list of 20 Do’s and Don’ts of picture book writing. That list was like a condensed class in picture book writing, and very, very helpful.

But if I’m being really honest, it was stumbling upon Mem reading The Goblin and The Empty Chair that truly inspired me. First, because she so obviously loves reading, and the joy in her voice is absolutely contagious. Secondly, because it’s such a lovely story, and I’m such a sucker for fairy tale stories. And thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, I was suddenly transported.

Just like that, I was a much younger mom, trooping through the library, watching my kidders pick out books, and bringing me their treasures. And there was a Mem Fox book in the bunch, and oh, how we loved her books.

Mem Fox’s books first came out way back when the Junior Halls were very Junior Halls. And the The Goblin and the Empty Chair was published in 2009. So there’s hope for me yet.