If you've followed me for a while, you know how I feel about Scrivener as a writing tool.
(If you haven't and don't know how I feel about it: I love it. There is no comparison. It's like it was made for my ADHD brain. If you're in the market for a new word processing program and ask my advice, I will proselytize--Scrivener--and thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.)
So one of the things I love most about Scrivener is that I can keep everything related to a project I'm working on in a single file. I have my chapter sections organized in Draft, sure, but Research is where I have the most fun.
This is where I keep my brainstorming pages, links to any web pages I might need, my project Bible, and my...
INSPIRATION PAGE.
What's an inspiration page, you ask?
An inspiration page (also inspiration "board" or "folder" or "box," depending on the method of collection) is exactly what it sounds like: a page where I keep the items that inspire me most as they relate to the particular project on which I'm working.
What's on my inspiration page?
-Pictures of my main characters.
-Pictures of their houses or the key places they go (if they're described in the book).
-Pictures of important articles of clothing--like a prom dress--or a hairstyle or piece of jewelry that plays a prominent role.
-Seasonal images (spring, Christmas, etc.) for world-building purposes.
-Links to songs that I associate with certain scenes.
I do have playlists for most of my books, but the inspiration page tells me exactly where the song fits into the book because I often put the song on a loop when I'm working on that particular scene. For instance, the Library Gala in The Guardian when Seth appears and dances with Genesis is linked to "So Close" by Jon McLaughlin.
Here, we have an inspiration "wall." ;)
The inspiration pages vary from project to project, but what they help with most is grounding me in my story and the world in which it takes place. I keep pictures of my characters so I don't have to remember if I've written them with blue eyes or green. If I can't remember if the guy's hair is brown or black, it's easy to click over to my inspiration page to look at the image I've based him on.
As an example: Luke Castellani (Revelation) was my young Gerard Butler. ;)
Thank you, Inspiration Page!
Every now and again I'll toss in a YouTube link to a movie scene or trailer that elicits some kind of emotional response--anything that triggers the mood I need to capture for a certain scene.
The Bridgerton trailers are great at triggering, FYI, but I also love the scene from My Best Friend's Wedding when Jules confesses she's in love with Michael, and when Miles shows up for Arthur's big night, plops down beside Iris, and tells her she looks beautiful in The Holiday.
I can't always trust myself to remember the color of my character's hair or the dress she wore or the song to which the love interest confesses his adoration, but if I upload an image or paste a link on my Inspiration Page in my project file, the information is always at my fingertips.
But Katie, you've just described Pinterest! Novel boards! Links! Images!
My dear Reader, do you even know what would happen to my ADHD-addled brain if I left my story to access a Pinterest board?
Nothing.
As in NOTHING would get accomplished for the rest of the day.
(My Pinterest board, however, would look lovely.)
Ergo, the Inspiration Page is built in Scrivener, and it stays in Scrivener.
Why an Inspiration Page?
Because I believe if we sit down and get to work expecting the Muse will show up, she will. I also believe we can hurry her along--get her moving a little faster--if we can tap into the mood of our story, and that becomes possible once we've collected audio and visual material representative of what we're trying to create.
Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
