What‽ Scrapbooking‽

Do you have piles of magazines or catalogs in your home? Can you not bring yourself to throw them away because there are a few things that you like in each one? CUT THEM UP! Actually, cut out what you like and recycle the rest. It will cut down clutter (which is a liberating feeling) and it will help you find a well of inspiration. You can scrapbook the clippings in whatever fashion you like!

For some reason, scrapbooking is a very popular craft right now. However, I think the purpose needs to be examined. There are many reasons people do it. I think perhaps the most common is to keep a fancy photo album. Others use them to keep flat remembrances of an event such as a party, cruise, or vacation. Some use them as visual documentation of one's life. Some people keep them as collections of clippings from magazines -- people, places, and things they dream of meeting, visiting, and owning. I think some even scrapbook for the purpose of the craft itself as a hobby.

I do not scrapbook per se. I take clippings from magazines and scan them. Most of these clippings are of beautiful or interesting things that inspire me or feel like they could inspire me. Granted, they would inspire me to paint or sculpt more than write, but some of them inspire stories.

If you have a stack of 20 or more magazines, I recommend picking one up RIGHT NOW. Find Post-it pad. Then go through the magazine slowly in a comfortable chair. Put a Post-it on any page with something you find truly inspiring or interesting, and then keep going. When you're done, if most of the pages are tagged, keep the magazine. If only a dozen or so pages are tagged, tear or cut out the images of interest. Put them in a folder/scrapbook/box. Decide to go through two magazines a day until they're all done. Don't think of the task ahead. Just think, '2 magazines -- I can do that!' If you want to organize them right away, you may. You can also wait until they're all done so you have an idea of how many "piles" you'll have.

If you already have a story in mind but need some inspiration, pull out your scrapbook or clippings. Flip through them to find images that fit your story. You can make a collage out of the winners. You can have the collage hanging in your writing place to refer back to. Feel free to draw or write on it. If you have pictures to represent your characters, their clothes, home, or car, you may find it easier to describe them when you write. You also won't forget what they look like!

Until next time!

I hope the Interrobang symbol shows up in the title when I post this.