travel writing - beyond what i did on vacation
TRANSCRIPT
TRAVEL
WRITING
Claritas est etiam
processus dynamicus, qui
sequitur mutationem
consuetudium lectorum.
Beyond “What I did on vacation.”
1
2
TRAVEL WRITINGSHOULD INSPIRE CHANGE AND ACTION IN THE READER
When we look into the mirror of landscape we see initially a
reflection of ourselves: our own emotions, preferences and
cultural references applied to the natural world. But it is possible
to go further, to see through the looking-glass and engage with
the essence of place.
~Wendy Mewes, The Spirit of Place
3
MULTIPLE SPECIALTIES
INFORMATIVE TRAVEL STORY BLOGGING
Writing to impart
information such as
tips, hints and guide-
type information
about a destination.
Narrative non-fiction
that pulls the reader
into the story and
entertains – while
inspiring the reader
to travel.
Short, continual,
news-type stories
about travel in a
particular niche.
4
WHICH SUITS YOU?
Black bears rarely attack. But here’s
the thing. Sometimes they do. All
bears are agile, cunning, and
immensely strong, and they are
always hungry. If they want to kill you
and eat you, they can, and pretty
much whenever they want. That
doesn’t happen often, but - and here
is the absolutely salient point - once
would enough.
PICK A NICHE
FIND YOUR VOICE
~ Bill Bryson, A Walk in the Woods
CRAFTINGWRITING THE TRAVEL STORY, ARTICLE, BLOG POST
c
6
THREE STAGES
PLAN WRITE EDIT
7
PLAN
• What’s the subject?
• What’s the hook or angle?
• List the details.
• Characters?
• Dialogue?
• Block Sections
• Strong Intro
• Photo(s)
• Title (may change)
ELEMENTS OF
PLANNING
The more time you spend planning, the less time you’ll spend writing.
DETAILS ARE THE
BONESThe details support the structure – not your voice, photos, cleverness or your
general information. Details + descriptive voice = winning story
8
SENSE OF PLACEDETAILS CREATE THE SENSE OF PLACE
To describe growing up in the low country of South Carolina, I would have to take you to the
marsh on a spring day, flush the great blue heron from its silent occupation, scatter marsh
hens as we sink to our knees in mud, open you an oyster with a pocketknife and feed it to you
from the shell and say, “There. That taste. That’s the taste of my childhood.” I would say
“Breathe deeply,” and you would breathe and remember that smell for the rest of your life, the
bod, fecund aroma of the tidal marsh, exquisite and sensual, the smell of the South in heat, a
smell like new milk, semen and spilled wine, all perfumed with seawater. My soul grazes like a
lamb on the beauty of indrawn tides.
Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides.
10
11
WRITE
• Offer valuable information
• Be honest – be real
• Write to the reader in your voice
• Be descriptive using language to
ignite the imagination.
• Stir the reader’s emotions
• Inspire the reader to take action
• Craft a killer title
KEY POINTS OF WRITING
TRAVEL STORY
12
CRAFTING - FRAMING
1. Intro – draws reader in. Introduces the angle
2. Body – full of details, tells the story, build suspense in order to
keep the reader engaged.
3. Outro – inspires the reader to take action – hopefully to travel.
3 ELEMENTS OF THE TRAVEL STORY
SCENES
Every few seconds his wife would shriek as the back of a truck loomed up and
filled the windshield and he would attend to the road for perhaps two and a half
seconds before returning his attention to my comfort. She constantly belated him
for his driving, but he acted as if this were some engaging quirk of hers, and kept
throwing me mugging, conspiratorial, deeply Gallic looks, as if her squeaky
bitching were a private joke between the two of us.
I have seldom been more certain that I was about to die. The man drove as if we
were in an arcade game. The highway was a three-lane affair—something else I
had never seen before—with one lane going east, one lane going wet, and a
shared middle lane for overtaking from either direction. My new friend did not
appear to grasp the system. He would zip into the middle lane and seem
genuinely astonished to find a forty-ton truck bearing down on us like something
out of a Road Runner cartoon. He would veer out of the way at the last possible
instant and then hang out the window shouting abuse at the passing driver before
being shrieked back to the next crisis by me and his wife. I later learned that
Luxembourg has the highest highway fatality rate in Europe, which does not
surprise me in the smallest degree.
Bill Bryson, Neither Here nor There
SETTING
The highway made un expected jog toward Navajo Bridge,
a melding of silvery girders and rock cliffs. Suddenly, there
it was, far below in the deep and scary canyon of sides so
sheer they might have been cut with a stone saw, the
naturally silted water turned an unnatural green (colorado
means “reddish”) by the big settling basin a few miles
upriver called Glen Canyon Dam.
William Least Heat-Moon, Blue Highways
EMOTION
Ever since childhood when I lived within earshot of the
Boston and Maine, I have seldom heard a train go by and not
wished I were on it. Those whistles sing bewitchment:
railways are irresistible bazaars, snaking along perfectly level
no matter what the landscape, improving your mood with
speed, and never upsetting your drink …you can be one of
those travelers who stay in motion, straddling the tracks, and
never arrive or feel they ought to.
Paul Theroux, The Great Railway Bazaar
16
EDIT
• Leave the first draft for a day
• Eliminate “death” words
• Tighten the writing
• Check grammar and spelling
• FACT CHECK your information
• Kill ordinary adjectives and verbs
• Work on drawing in with intro and
inspiring with outro.
• Finalize title
REWRITE - TIGHTEN
17
INTRO - OUTRO
INTRO – This should pull in the reader, set the tone of the article,
identify your voice and build suspense.
OUTRO– Inspire the reader to take some kind of action. Most markets
are interested in promoting destinations. They want your writing to
inspire the readers to travel.
It’s not what you write that is important. It’s what the audience takes
away.
JUDGE
YOUR
ARTICLE
After reviewing your final
draft, ask these three
questions:
1. Is it creative?
2. Does it show
originality?
3. Do is impart information
that will inspire the
reader to travel?
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
TIPS AND HINTSLITTLE THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN CRAFTING YOUR STORY
30
1. USE A TRAVEL JOURNAL
Get a small notebook (or use your phone) and
carry it with you for travel journaling.
Globejotting, How to Write Extraordinary Travel
Journals by Dave Fox is an excellent resource.
31
2. ELIMINATE THE “DEATH” WORDS
According to many travel editors, certain words
kill a piece and usually warrant immediate
discarding.Incredible
Amazing
Breathtaking
Quaint
Charming
Nestled Spud Hilton
Awesome
Spectacular
Picturesque
Sunkist beaches
Land of contrasts
Masses of humanity
Kaleidoscope of color
Tropical Paradise
Beckons, beckoning
Emerald Isle, emerald
shore
Hit me like sunbeam
Piercing blue eyes
32
3. BE DESCRIPTIVE
Don’t rely on photographs to tell the story.
Imagine you had to explain the landscape to a
blind person. “Awesome,” “Spectacular” and
Amazing wouldn’t help communicate the actual
destination. Go deeper. Use adjectives
sparingly and deliberatley.
33
4. THE ORDER OF THINGS
Don’t feel the need to tell the story
chronologically. This is predictable and leads to
boredom. Be creative with the details.
34
5. NO TRAVEL DIARIES
The most common sign of poor travel writing is
that it reads like a diary …. “We did this, then
we did that, then we did this and it was good.”
35
6.POINT OF VIEW
Travel articles / stories are told from 1st or 3rd
person. Referring directly to the reader a “you”
or evoking the 2nd person POV is not cool.
Use the first person – or yourself only to help
the reader identify with qualities in his or her
own character. This is a tender balance.
36
7. NO THANKS
Avoid thanking people in the article. If
something is not of interest to your reader, don’t
mention it.
37
8. CHECK & RECHECK FACTS
Every detail is important – and it is important
that every detail is correct and true. What you
put in writing has a life of its own. Errors will
haunt you and forever discredit you.
38
9. DON’T GET TOO PERSONAL
Watch the ego. Don’t overshare or focus too
much on yourself. You are not focus. Refer to
yourself only in as much as it engages the
reader with a similar side of him or herself or
relate to the travel experience.
Also…. Never discuss bathroom stuff in a travel
article.
39
10. WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
Stick to your niche and write about what you
know – what you are passionate about. This
kind of personal connection to content is felt by
the reader.
A farmer can write about cows in the field much
better than a musician can.
40
11. TITLE IS PARAMOUNT
The title of the article (especially in blogging)
can make or break and article. It must pull in
the reader immediately and the Intro must
support that draw.
It’s good to have several titles. Don’t be afraid
to revise it right up to the end. It should be short
and catchy.
41
12. BE HONEST
People who read travel articles don’t want to
feel like they’re reading a commercial. What
wasn’t pleasant is often as important as what
was. Don’t be afraid to share what the
destination lacks, but keep a balance.
MARKETSWHERE TO PITCH YOUR TRAVEL STORIES
43
PRESENTING A PITCH
• Pitch before you write the article
• If you’re new – pitch after you travel
• Niche / Angle is key to the pitch
• Provide clips – write for free to get
first clips
44
PRESENTING A PITCH
• GUIDELINES -know the publication
• CALL - if daily or weekly print pub
• EMAIL - gripping subject line – no
attachments
45
PITCH ELEMENTS
• HEADLINE & INTRO – 90% of pitch power
• OUTLINE – Article outline showing content
and relevance to publication.
• YOU- why you are the best person to write
this (include clips)
Sample http://www.pitchtravelwrite.com/query-letter-sample.html
46
WHO DO YOU PITCH?
Editors - Travel
Editors
• Magazines – local and national
• Newspapers
• Community newsletters
• University newsletters
• Online outlets – Matador, Bootsnall,
Gonomad, Huffington Post
47
IT’S IN THE NUMBERS
Pitches are Timely
• Pitch often – twice a month
• Look for accurate email addresses
• Look for guidelines and follow
• Look up editorial calendars.
48
IT’S IN THE NUMBERS
Pitches are Timely
• Pitch often – twice a month
• Look for accurate email addresses
• Look for guidelines and follow
• Look up editorial calendars.
PAY?• Don’t write for free
• CLIPS = Pay
• Pay is relative to experience and notoriety
49
• Content relevant to the
publication
• An interesting angle
• Well crafted travel copy
• Writers who meet
deadlines
WHAT ARE EDITORS
LOOKING FOR?
EDITORS50
51
ACTION PLAN
• Take a trip (or 2 or 3 or 4)
• Develop several angles for each trip.
• Keep a travel journal
• Develop a list of editors to pitch
• Practice pitches – write write write
• Get some clips
Once you’ve developed the craft and gotten a
few clips ……. It’s a numbers game with
pitching.
52
RESOURCES
53
CONTACT MINDIE
301.648.2010
BLOGSTravelhag.com
Chesapeakeghosts.com
ThinPlacestour.com
Writingthevision.com
MINDIE BURGOYNE