Pinterest Passion and 80s Rewind

Years ago I’d rip photos out of magazines and keep them in poly pockets filed inside A4 ring binders with dividers sorting them into categories such as ‘bathroom’, ‘kitchen’, living room’ and ‘bedroom’ – hey, don’t judge, everyone needs a hobby! The cuttings were all ideas for interior design. It’s something I’ve always been interested in as I’ve moved house six times as an adult, so it’s lucky that I‘ve loved decorating each home.

Looking back, I’ve probably spent quite a few pounds on magazines like House Beautiful and Ideal Home to then tear out pages showing ‘before’ and ‘after’ home makeovers. Nowadays, there’s no need to buy these expensive magazines to gather ideas, the images are only a click away online and I don’t need to paste the photos on to ‘mood’ boards. It’s so much simpler now there’s the Pinterest website, a virtual pin board to store all the images that I would hope to feature in my dream home decor.

After watching too many episodes of Escape to the Country, I feel jammy to live in a three hundred year old cottage in a rural village and have no intention of moving again in the near future. But I’ve discovered another use for Pinterest as more and more writers are using the website to share the inspiration for their novel with their readers.

Until my book is actually out there, I don’t have readers but as I’ve had a bit of a break from my day job I’ve started to dabble in building a Pinterest board for my book, Talk of the Toun. My novel is set in 1985 and I’ve found hunners of Pinterest boards indulging in 80s nostalgia.

I’m 2nd from the left in the front row.

I was also able to upload images of the Falkirk area setting for the book and if anyone wants to know what a council house in Bonnybridge similar to the one Angela, the main character might live in, then it’s now easy to visualise. Recently on Facebook, a new group has sprung up called, Bonnybridge Banter and the page has been buzzing with folk posting pics of their school class photos and of the area past and present.

Sleeves record shop in Falkirk – THE place to go to buy the latest no.1 single.

Of course, some readers might not want to have preconceived images related to the novel force-fed to them but there might be others like me who want to relive the 80s and might appreciate a sense of the setting as a character in itself to enhance their enjoyment of the book.

For me as a writer, and as a reader, Pinterest is a guilty pleasure where I can pretend I’m still a teenager (sad, I know) or where I can get an insight into the visuals that fired up other writer’s imagination.

If you fancy remembering the fashions, hair, makeup and music of the 80s then my board will transport you back to when Strawberry Switchblade was in the Top Ten with Since Yesterday. But I warn you, Pinterest is HIGHLY addictive…

Do you have a Pinterest board? Do prefer to imagine your own ideas and images for a book you’re reading?