oh, so you want to write a book? start with a pinterest board
how to turn a moodboard into a full story
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I have already talked about how much I love Pinterest. In my post pinterest, but make it intentional, I shared a formula I created for using the app more mindfully, avoiding algorithmic manipulation and ads.
But if I’m being honest, the main reason I use Pinterest is to get inspiration for my books. I have talked before about how much I love writing fiction, so much that I’m thinking about starting a second blog here just to talk about my creative process (let me know in the comments if you’d be into that!).
The reason I started using Pinterest was to collect inspiration for my novels. The problem? Well, now I have too many ideas and not nearly enough time. But hey, at least that means it’s effective, right?
But how do you actually turn a moodboard into a book? How do you go from scattered aesthetic images to a full story with characters, plot, and feelings?
It might seem like a stretch, but it’s more intuitive than you’d think.
Let’s break it down into easy steps.
STEP 1. Create a board full of boards.
When I’m in the very first stage of writing a book—that stage where I feel the urge to write something, but I have no idea what, who, how, where, or when—I just need a quick trip to Pinterest to figure out where to start.
Over the past few years, I’ve curated a Pinterest board called moods, where I save images with a certain feeling or aesthetic that could become a book someday.
I organize those images into smaller boards, each with its own distinct vibe. And as you’ll see—please, ignore the cringe-worthy names—they are all completely different from each other.
dystopic badlands ended up inspiring a story about a world completely ruled by technology. Think crumbling cities, neon lights, and rebellion in the air. Pretty cliché, if you ask me.
london calling exists just in case I ever want to set a novel in London.
kdrama insp is one of my favorites. It sparked a story about a group of friends growing up in Korea during the late ’90s and early 2000s—and, yes. I took inspiration from Twenty-Five, Twenty-One, my favorite k-drama in the world.
Then there’s under the sea, which is patiently waiting for the day I decide to write about mermaids. And celebrity au and glam are both perfect for anything involving Hollywood, celebrity culture, or whatever rich people are into these days.
You get the idea, right? In this first stage, the algorithm is your friend. You don’t need names or plotlines yet, just a moodboard filled with images that could turn into something bigger.
STEP 2. Your idea deserves its own board now.
This is one of my favorite steps. When you start getting notions of an idea—maybe you want to set a story in Oregon in the 80s? And you want to include aliens too? No worries, I’ve got you. Pinterest is the perfect place to make these ideas come alive.
I’m a very visual person. I love photography, and there was a time in my life when I truly wanted to study cinema—storytelling through writing and through images has always been one of my biggest passions. And seeing my ideas, even in their earliest form, come to life through Pinterest pins is incredibly rewarding.
In this board, you can add anything, really. It’s time to get creative: start pinning settings, images that might inspire scenes in your book, quotes that remind you of the vibe, even some face claims—famous actors or random people you find on Pinterest—to help shape your characters.
STEP 3. Make your characters come to life.
My favorite thing about writing is creating characters.
I’m a characters-over-plot girlie forever. No matter how elaborate your plot is or how much I agree with the point you're trying to make—if your characters don’t feel three-dimensional, you’ve lost me.
I love creating little moodboards for my characters that help me visualize them better. Sure, knowing their age and background is important. But seeing the outfits they would wear? How they style their hair, what their room looks like, or having a collection of quotes they would relate to? That’s next level to me.
You can either add these little boards inside your main story board, or keep them separate—it’s up to you.
Personally, since I like my story moodboards to stay mostly aesthetic-driven, I usually create a separate one just for the characters’ smaller boards. It helps me focus on their vibe without mixing it too much with the overall vibe of the story.
STEP 4. Set the mood for your own world.
I used to hate worldbuilding. I told myself I would never write a fantasy novel—but here I am, I guess. I love writing YA and New Adult fiction the most, but the worldbuilding part of one of my latest projects has been incredibly entertaining.
It can be super elaborate—like creating your own universe from scratch—or something smaller. You choose. For the fantasy book I’ve been working on this year, it’s been incredibly helpful to visualize the different regions of the world I created.
But you can also use it to gather inspiration for cafés, forests, or even streets in your invented small town. Or you can create a board full of photos from a real city where your story takes place. The possibilities are endless, and the way you use them is totally up to you.
STEP 5. Get inspiration for your plot.
I’ve built entire novels around a single picture I found on Pinterest. For example, the fantasy novel I mentioned earlier started with me stumbling upon the picture below. The characters, the scene, and everything else came to me without even asking for it. You know how the muses work.
You can also create a smaller board to save quotes, aesthetics, images, or even prompts that might spark new ideas. If you’re a compass writer like me and you don’t like having absolutely everything planned before writing, this kind of moodboard can be a total lifesaver when you’re feeling stuck or uninspired.
STEP 6. Extras, extras, extras.
Depending on what your story needs, you can also create moodboards based entirely on extras. That could mean the clothes your characters are wearing, for example. For the fantasy novel I mentioned earlier, I needed tons of references for what my characters would wear—so I made a board just for that.
To be fair, the floor is yours. It’s your story, and you know what it needs. A clothes moodboard? Got it. Hairstyles? Sure, why not. Extra information about a certain topic? I’d always recommend doing proper research, but Pinterest also has plenty of helpful graphics that can be used as a starting point.
STEP 7. Keep Pinterest intentional, though.
I’ll be honest, sometimes I procrastinate and don’t actually write. I just keep playing with my little Pinterest boards.
With this formula, I promise you will never run out of inspiration. But too much inspiration can also be a problem, and it’s one I’m dealing with right now. I have quite a few unfinished stories, and I always want to jump to the next one, hungry with the novelty of new ideas.
As I already mentioned before, I truly believe we need to keep Pinterest intentional. For me, I have certain personal rules when it comes to use the app for my writing, and I try not to break them:
No scrolling on Pinterest when I’m actually supposed to be writing.
No creating a super elaborate board unless I’m seriously considering turning it into a novel.
No using it as a way to escape the harder parts of writing—just for visual support and inspiration.
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Last thoughts
Pinterest helps me imagine and get excited about my own stories… But it can also be a trap if I’m not careful. So I try to stay grounded.
I remind myself that moodboards are just the beginning. They’re not the story. The story is what happens when I sit down and actually write.
Lately, I’ve also been using Notion as a tool for writing, and it’s been surprisingly helpful, since it keeps things organized when my brain feels a little too chaotic.
Would you be interested in a post about how I use it? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to share more of my creative process on Substack!
Until then, happy pinning (and, hopefully, happy writing too). 💌
Creating a Pinterest board for the novel I’m working on has been one of my favorite things! It’s amazing how you can tune in to the overall vibe of a story by creating a visual story through a board. Great writing as always!
Yes! I always use Pinterest to vision board for my novels, and it's so helpful! I also use it for short stories and visual writing prompts! If you use it intentionally it can be such a great tool, rather than a distraction! Thanks for this JC :)