Are Visuals Important to You?

I recently borrowed The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond from our library, and I was impressed by the overall presentation of each page. Cookbooks make me happy; cookbooks with pictures take me to another level of enjoyment. This cookbook featured layers of pictures on every page, and not just photos of food, but photos of her life in general.


The Pioneer Woman started (and continues) as an extremely popular website. I've always been impressed by the visuals Ree includes. Not only does she share a recipe, she gives step-by-step instructions with pictures for each step. You get a real sense of who she is and what she's about. Her photography of their ranch, the horses, her children, even the sunsets all encapsulate why people keep coming back. Part of it is her warm humor, but another part is the feeling her site evokes.

I'm convinced her use of visuals sets her apart from other websites and from other cookbooks. I haven't purchased a cookbook in years, but I am buying hers this fall. Another chef who stands out for me is Giada DeLaurentiis. When I watch one of her cooking shows, I'm 99% more likely to cook one of her dishes than if I only read the recipe in a cookbook.

Seeing the dish, watching the preparation, knowing what it's supposed to look like midway through the recipe--these are powerful images that trigger me to act, not just watch.

Are you a visual person? Do you have any cookbooks or websites to recommend? I found The Pioneer Woman years ago based on a recommendation by a friend. Lucky me!

Have an amazing Monday!

Tweet

Share

A Taste Of Magic

Tracy Madison's debut book A Taste of Magic comes out this week!




Don't you love the cover? A Taste of Magic is a fun and delicious tale of magic, revenge, and falling in love. It will leave you with a satisfied smile on your lips and a longing to read more.

Check out the book trailer!

I could watch this over and over! (And I have...) If you'd like to learn more about Tracy's books, you can check out Tracy Madison's website. Her next book in this fabulous series, A Stroke of Magic, comes out in July.

As I promised, we're continuing our quest for gathering ideas. Here's another source: the internet. Obviously you spend some time surfing since you're reading this, but do you ever get ideas from blogs, pictures, videos, or articles from the internet?

There are tons of great sites on every imaginable subject. Just browsing through job openings on Monster.com or any of the other career sites can start a story. Read through agents' blogs; they often list what kind of books they're dying to see, and highly visual sites like The Pioneer Woman can trigger ideas, too.

So, if you have a little time on your hands and are looking for a story idea, sit down and browse the internet with an open mind. The perfect angle may jump out at you.

Join me next week as we delve into more ways to foster ideas. We're also going to be doing a check-up on goals. Don't groan--I promise it won't be that bad!

Enjoy your weekend!

Tweet

Share