The Secret Tool Pro Writers Use to Stay Inspired (It’s Not What You Think)
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Ask any seasoned author about the hardest part of writing, and you will rarely hear “finding an idea.” Instead, the real struggle is staying inspired long enough to turn a spark into a finished manuscript. Deadlines creep closer, passion plateaus, and even the most brilliant concept starts to feel bland after so many drafts and rounds of revision. Many pro writers actually use something that you’d never expect in order to maintain a solid level of focus and that’s the secret tool that is building a mood board.
A mood board is not a vision board that you might see in things like lifestyle blogs where it’s just a collection of pictures that simply fit a sort of aesthetic or vibe; instead, a mood board allows for a digital collage to be designed that keeps up the tone, imagery, and emotional intent of the story.
If you prefer to jump straight in, my ready-to-use Canva Mood Board Templates (vertical and horizontal) remove all formatting friction and let you focus on the fun part: choosing images.
1. Mood Boards Are an Inspiration Battery, Not a One-Time Exercise
A lot of writers often start creating mood boards during the early phases of brainstorming for a story. However, the mood board often then gets left behind and forgotten. However, professionals treat mood boards more like a refresher for their writing sessions. They let the colors, textures, and symbolism recharge the emotions of their mind and the connection of said emotions to the story. You’d be surprised to know just how much the image of a story’s vibe matters.
2. Visual Glue for Complex Story Worlds
If you’re writing a story with complex world building involved and lots of characters and arcs (like epic fantasy books), then chances are, you’ll find that it can get complicated to continue keeping up with so much happening all at once. A mood board sort of acts like a visual glue that keeps all these different pieces unified in a story.
For instance, if your epic fantasy book has underground cities and trade routes and sprawling deserts, then having a mood board for each area lets you understand how to reorient your mind’s image when you’re writing across these different things.
Organizing huge collections of reference images is easier than it looks when you start with my horizontal board set. The horizontal mood board templates I’ve made have tons of room for a lot of images and even some cool text pieces and names so that you can keep a really neat visual look to everything.
3. The Silent Prompt During Writing Sessions
Writer’s block tends to happen when the imagination of the writer disconnects from the sensory detail. Keeping your mood boards open in a different tab or at least just having them near you in some capacity allows for you to have a quick visual reference so that you can go back to them and “warm-up” your brain in a way. It also reduces potential time spent on something like social media trying to find inspiration.
Check out this post to learn how to overcome writer’s block fast!
4. Character Consistency Through Visual Anchors
If you rely on just a simple text description on its own for your characters, then you may find that you might not always be so consistent with how your character looks and acts. I talk about character development in my Ultimate Character Creation Guide (which you can check out over on my shop) and one of the exercises in the guide is to build visuals with an image component attached to it.
Having a mood board helps with visual consistency and also the “vibes” consistency. The way your character holds themself or thinks or acts and presents themself matters and a mood board can keep that concentrated and consistent throughout your book.
5. Built-In Marketing Assets That Save Time Later
Mood boards are also great marketing assets that can save you time later when you go to actually start your marketing process. That’s one of the reasons why mood boards are a secret tool for pro writers: you already have marketing graphics before you are ready to launch. Your visuals are already curated, cohesive, and can be shown to your audience so that they can get excited too.
FAQ
Q: Do mood boards work for plotters and pantsers alike?
Yes. Plotters use boards to reinforce themes in outlines, while discovery writers keep inspiration fresh during exploratory drafting.
Q: How often should I update the board?
Whenever a new scene setting or motif comes up, add it. If an image no longer fits, remove it. The goal is alignment and inspiration.
Q: Can I share boards with beta readers?
Absolutely. Visual context helps critique partners catch tonal inconsistencies and suggests cover ideas earlier. If you want to learn more about beta readers, check out this post.
Q: Is Pinterest enough?
Pinterest is a great source library, but exporting pins into a standalone board prevents algorithm distractions. That’s why I recommend you find relevant images and place them into something like my mood board templates.
Q: How can I make a mood board?
Check out this guide I have that teaches the process.
Ready to Build Yours?
Mood boards can be some of the most helpful tools for writers in that they help maintain your tone, spark inspiration, and are great for marketing.
Get the four-template vertical pack for focused character or setting boards, or choose the nine-template horizontal pack to tame an entire epic at once. Whichever you pick, the design work is already done. You supply the imagination.
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