I recently created a board on Pinterest for my novel 'The Grandson'. When writing/ editing, I use photos quite a lot to help visualise a scene. Many of the photos on this board are my own which I've uploaded.
When editing my manuscript recently, I got stuck on a scene set in Florence where the hero and heroine are standing on the Ponte Vecchio.
I've stood on this bridge a few times, but I couldn't remember exactly what you can see from the bridge. Then I found photos which I took when standing on the bridge a few years ago. Suddenly I could see: rowing boats and a man speaking into a megaphone on a motorboat alongside them; a series of bridges, the next one along with cars driving over it. There were flats with balconies and graffiti on the wall where the hero and heroine would have been standing.
About the Ponte Vecchio:
The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge in Florence which wasn't destroyed during The Second World War. However, buildings at each end of the Ponte Vecchio were destroyed to deny access to it.
There is a statue of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571)-an artist, sculptor and painter-on the Ponte Vecchio. In recent years lovers have locked padlocks to the railing around the statue and thrown the key into the river Arno. There is now a fine for doing this. I spent a few hours once researching Benvenuto Cellini and the padlock story hoping to use it in some way (all fascinating stuff), then I realised I couldn't use it because my novel is set in 1994-before anyone was doing it.
Have you created a board for your novel on Pinterest?Do you find photos useful when writing/editing?
I'd be interested to read your comments on anything relating to the above.
A similar post-Bringing scenes to life with photographs