How to Pin Down Your Characters
I thought Pinterest was just for brides and interior decorators, which it definitely is, but it’s also a great place to map out your characters visually.
Start by making a “board” for each character, especially main and main-adjacent characters
I started with my MC, because duh. She’s an older woman in the near future. There’s a dystopic vibe. I went searching for cyberpunk clothing and “braided hair for older women.” I thought about what she might wear, celebrities that come to mind when I think of her.
Cast your book
If you’re struggling to get started, try “casting” your book. If your book was already a bestseller and Reese was already posing with it on instagram, who would play your MC in the movie? One of my side characters has been wearing Michelle Yeoh’s face in my mind for months, so it was nice to finally connect her beautiful face to that character.
Come up with a list of random words to associate with each character
My MC is a forager. By searching for “foraging tools” a whole world of details opened up.
Be open to new ideas
One of my characters is a Viking, but I also have one in another time period who is descended from Vikings. I started searching for Viking aesthetics to put on the first character’s board but ended up wondering if some of that latent Viking sensibility will show up in my other character, for example, boots wrapped in fur--even if my near future dystopia is not exactly rich with large mammals to hunt, maybe my man in the future will wrap his boots garishly.
You can make character boards anytime in your writing process.
This is a decent early step to get ideas, but I waited until after I’d finished my first draft to make my boards. By then. I already really knew my characters but I needed extra details to include that really made my characters come to life.
Don’t stop at characters
Make a board for each of your settings. Pinterest is filled with great travel photos and will really bring your locations to life.
If you’re like me and this is the only thing you use Pinterest for, your “Home” page will start to look like the world of your book. This is a great place to dive into when you need a little inspiration.
Do you use Pinterest or another tool to “see” your characters/setting/etc.? I’d love to exchange tips!
