All Blog Posts Tagged 'writing' (43)

Interview with Ben Box - Travel Writing for a living

Originally posted here on tripwolf

„Willing to go everywhere and see everything“

For nearly 20 years, Ben Box, 57, has been the editor of the South American Handbook, Footprint’s flagship guide book that was first published in 1924. Sebastian from tripwolf reached him on the phone in Suffolk, UK, where Ben lives with his wife Sarah who edits Footprint’s Caribbean guide… Continue

Added by Adena on November 24, 2009 at 1:29pm — No Comments

Promo plug 'cause I love them - WorldHum travel writing course

If you're in Washington DC or the surrounding area, I recommend taking a look into an upcoming 2-day class on travel writing taught by the tough-but-fair editors at WorldHum. I wanted to post about it simply because I think they're great and I appreciate their strong online presence and terrific content that you won't see anywhere else.

Link:… Continue

Added by Sheila Scarborough on October 22, 2009 at 11:21am — 1 Comment

Hi everyone

Me in Cameroon with a biker gang. I'm the one who doesn't look like he belongs in some '70s Blaxploitation flick.

Great to join this group. I'm an author for Lonely Planet and contributor to websites like Worldhum and… Continue

Added by Adam Karlin on October 21, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments

The Expat Divide

Expatriatism is often a life apart. So how does a writer abroad get up to speed and compete in her home market?

Here's my answer in a guest post -- about the fortuitous intersection of expatriatism, epublishing and digital citizenship -- at former Writers Digest editor Maria Schneider's Editor Unleashed blog.

Are you culturally or geographically challenged? How do you level the playing… Continue

Added by Anastasia Ashman on September 2, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

GlobalGiving Travel Writing Competition

If you are an avid traveler and want to help a charity project enter the 'Act of Kindness' travel writing competition organized by GlobalGiving in partnership with The Travel Foundation. You can win a trip for two in the country of your choice and visit a GlobalGiving charity project.

Added by Marion on July 17, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

You’re a Freelance Travel Writer: You Need to Market

As a freelance travel writer, you’re a business owner. That means that it’s your responsibility to market yourself — it’s up to you to make sure that you grow your business, land new opportunities and continue to find new markets. Freelancing isn’t a ‘get out of marketing free’ card — but don’t let that scare you. Marketing yourself as a travel writer doesn’t need to be complicated.

Read the rest of the post at… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on May 1, 2009 at 10:11am — No Comments

Your Story’s Begging For A Sidebar

More than once, I’ve been able to turn a ‘maybe we can run your article’ to a ‘when can you get it to us’ with the addition of a sidebar. It’s been my experience that editors love sidebars, not because of the space they take up or the useful information they contain but because most readers focus on headlines, pull quotes and sidebars and then the story, if you’re lucky. That makes it a good practice to include a sidebar suggestion with almost every query. Even if the editor decides to give a… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 29, 2009 at 12:04pm — No Comments

Travel Writers and PR Reps Should Be Friends

Some freelance writers seem to view public relations specialists as some sort of conspiracy to control just what topics writers cover. The truth of the matter is, though, that PR folks can be crucial to your success as a travel writer. Want access to a hotel a little cushier than the one you’re staying at? Want a clue-in on any upcoming events? Want a chance at those ritzy junkets? All of those require a little help from our friends in the PR industry.

Read the rest of the post at… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 28, 2009 at 11:55am — No Comments

Dating pilots (just an update)

The last excerpt I posted, the one about my mother entitled, There's always Southwest, which was then changed to, I never wanted to be a flight attendant (my mother did), didn't go over so well with the big time NY editor. It's not that she didn't like it, but she did ask me to make quite a few changes. Since that chapter is my least favorite chapter I've decided to move on to another chapter, a more exciting chapter, a chapter about pilots. Because… Continue

Added by Heather Poole on April 26, 2009 at 11:37am — 1 Comment

10 Starting Points For New Stories

If you’ve been writing about one area for long enough, it can seem like you’ve gone through every story idea you can think of. Taking a look at your location through a new lens can help you find a new slant or story — and perhaps submit a query to a new market. Consider these questions as a starting point.

Read the rest of this article on Working Your Way Around the World.

Added by Thursday Bram on April 24, 2009 at 2:04pm — No Comments

Bump Up Your Bottom Line: Photography

One of the biggest worries for many full-time freelancers is making enough money on any given story to make writing it at least more lucrative than flipping burgers. For travel writers, this can be exceptionally true, but there is also a fairly fast way to add to your bottom line. Take your camera along with you when researching a story — for some of us, this might also be known as sight-seeing.

Read the rest of the post at… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 22, 2009 at 1:50pm — No Comments

Travel Writing: Online vs Print

This post is a guest post from Nikolas Tjhin, one of travelers behind Unearthing Asia — which, last week, was named Guardian.co.uk’s Travel Blog of the Month. Congratulations, Nik!

As is the case with almost everything else, the world wide web has changed the way travel works. Gone are the times when you had to call and book an appointment with a travel agency, relying solely on letters printed on a five-years old guide book, or on the advice of a stranger, your travel… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 21, 2009 at 3:14pm — No Comments

5 Tips for Intercultural Sensitivity in Your Travel Writing

One of the most important things that travel writers need to be aware of when traveling - and sharing their experiences - is intercultural sensitivity. Take, for instance, a case of extreme cultural differences and values. A writer could slant the article in several ways - one that is ethnocentric and value-laden, while at the other end of the spectrum, one that is completely culture-free and just reports facts. However, neither option is a good one for either the writer or the… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 16, 2009 at 7:22pm — No Comments

Picking Your Travel Writing Niche

If you want a fast way to increase the number of your queries that are accepted, focusing on a very specific niche can truly help. A niche can make it much easier for you to find markets that match your audience, as well as decide on just which facets of a trip will be most interesting. I know I’ve had a lot of trouble in a big city like Washington, DC, when I need to decide on just what attractions or restaurants I want to mention in an article. Knowing exactly the niche I’m writing for,… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 15, 2009 at 9:26pm — No Comments

Interview With A Travel Writer: Sheila Scarborough

Sheila Scarborough has serious travel writing cred — especially in travel blogging circles. Her blog with the BootsnAll Travel Network, Family Travel Logue, has caught the attention of publications like Real Simple and The Guardian newspaper. The Telegraph newspaper called her blog on of the “world’s best travel blogs.” Sheila also blogs at the Perceptive Travel Blog and maintains her own website.

Just because I mentioned Sheila’s blogging credentials, though, don’t think that’s all… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 14, 2009 at 11:56am — No Comments

Travel Writing Without A Market

On the surface, travel writing means working for someone else. Whether you’re sending off an article to a magazine editor or contributing an essay to an anthology, you’re writing primarily for someone else. It’s not impossible to take a more entrepreneurial approach to your travel writing, however.

Read the rest of the post at Working Your Way Around the World.

Added by Thursday Bram on April 13, 2009 at 12:20pm — 1 Comment

Read to Write: Good Travel Writing

In a way, National Geographic is responsible for my interest in both traveling and writing. When I was little, my grandmother would plunk me down in stacks of books and magazines and let me read for hours on end. Those stacks included National Geographics far older than I am — there were even a few from the sixties. One in particular fascinated me: the writer had experienced an adventure any kid would love to share. He had explored a sunken ship full of treasure, something that I still would… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 9, 2009 at 1:04pm — No Comments

Deconstructing Travel Markets: Your Options

As you’re putting together an article on your travels, it’s important to keep the wide variety of travel markets you can be published in on your mind. Blogs, magazines, even books can provide you with an opportunity to share your work and maybe even bring in a few bucks.

Read the whole post at Working Your Way Around the World.

Added by Thursday Bram on April 7, 2009 at 10:03am — No Comments

10 Travel Writing Markets

The first step of writing an article is research — but not the kind you’re thinking of. When you have an idea for a topic, your first step should be to research which writing market will take it. The writing market affects everything, from style to length, which makes it doubly important to nail down the market before you ever start writing. These ten markets will give you a head start.

Read the rest of this post at… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 4, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

4 Ways to Pick Up Travel Writing Clips

Whenever you’re pitching a potential story to an editor — whether we’re talking about a magazine or an online publication — you’ll be asked about your clips. Editors want to see the quality of your writing before agreeing to give you money and, honestly, I don’t blame them. But if you’re just starting out in your travel writing efforts, you may not have a collection of bought-and-paid-for articles you can show off. That doesn’t mean you’re out of luck when it comes to clips,… Continue

Added by Thursday Bram on April 3, 2009 at 7:30am — No Comments