Instagram is a wonderful place for creatives. Knitters, weavers, illustrators, photographers. So many people showing their work, talking about it, showing their process, their inspirations. But I never see many writers there. Perhaps because it's a photo-sharing app so writers aren't immediately drawn to it. But I think it's a fabulous place for writers; a great place to grow your audience and to be inspired and connect with other creatives.
Want some ideas? Here are five ways you could make Instagram work for you.
1. Show us where you work. Your desk, the table at the coffee shop, a crumpled duvet cover with notebooks scattered around. Cups of coffee, pots of tea and cake, stacks of books and notebooks are adored on Instagram. People love to see where writers are writing. I know I do. Don't you?
2. Show us your work. Your notepads, notes, ideas and rough drafts. This is one of my favourite things to share on Instagram and it has inspired my creativity as well as given me ideas for blog posts and non-fiction. Again it's that need to see how an author works and how they create.
3. What inspires you? Nature, buildings, front doors, cities, roads, chickens (the last one might be just me). Take a photograph and show us. Then tell us about it, why does it inspire you?
4. Use your captions creatively. Create some flash fiction or flash non-fiction to go with the photograph. Or use it as a prompt for others thereby creating a community. Really think about your caption - use it as a place to practice your descriptive writing. As you took the photograph what could you smell, hear, taste?
The day breaks. A muted crow from the cockerel. Breath chuffing like a steam train. Frost so heavy the ice is over an inch thick. A solitary leaf on a silver birch smothered in miniature icicles. Crunchy water in the stream. The willow weeps tiny flakes of ice onto my shoulders. Hands, stuffed into pockets, feeling like they're burning. A heron rises in front of me and soars over the field. The sun appears, liquified orange merging with the landscape. The orb's glow spreads around my heart.
5. Show us what you're reading. Have you heard of the bookstagram community? It's huge. Readers photograph their current read and chat about it in the description.
I'm using Instagram more and more like a micro-blog. I use it to share my notebooks, my desk, my writing process, books I'm reading but also to share what I'm seeing and feeling outside.
Tips
Always use (your own) good quality, non-blurry photographs taken in natural light.
Think about using a filter so when you look at the grid as a whole (the top three or four lines) there is a cohesiveness and attractiveness to it. I use VSCO.
Use hashtags to increase your reach. Don't use #writing #desk #coffee - these are far too generic. Hashtags are used to evoke a mood or an action. #createmakeshare #makersandthinkers and #momentsofmine are just three of the hashtags I used in one of my notebook shots.
Think about your profile page. Tell us you're a writer. Link to your blog, website or twitter.
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