Edited by Lori Appling in Bethany Beach, DE
"Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was." -- Richard L. Evans
TODAY:
- How One Never-Before-Published Travel Writer Landed a Bi-weekly Travel Column
- From Virginia to Vancouver -- Here's What a Few of Your Fellow Readers are Doing to Land Bylines
- Tax Savings Every Freelancer Should Take
- On Spec: Request for Articles on Argentina
- This Week's Featured Travel Publication: Travelwise
- More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
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Dear Reader,
There's something about the festive spirit of the holiday season that makes this an ideal time of year to write about travel.
Everywhere you look, people are getting dolled up. Foods taste better. Shops smell sweeter. I mean, on Maine Streets across America, music is being piped to outdoor speakers, for goodness sake. Destinations the world over have never been more inviting.
So whether you focus on a holiday celebration in your own town or one on the other side of the globe, I assure you: This is an ideal time to start (or jumpstart) your career. Don't just make it a New Year's resolution. This weekend find yourself a holiday-related story to write before the month is out.
AWAI student Cecilia Greyson sent us this inspiring note from Vancouver this week:
"Well, I'm not even half-way through the Travel Writing Course yet (I've been busy finishing my college degree as a mature student and working part-time), but I had to share my news: I've already landed a regular, paid job as a freelance writer!
"With the confidence I gained from working through the exercises in the TW course, I contacted an editor at a local community newspaper and pitched some ideas for their arts and culture section (I've been working in the arts community for years so it's a natural fit for me). I never expected to hear from the editor, so I was surprised to get a call in just a few days.
"They offered to take my first article on spec (a 750-word profile), and were so pleased with the result that they offered me a contract as a regular freelance contributor. The newspaper has an audited circulation of 30,000, and my first article earned me kudos (from the editor right down to my supportive friends and family). That article paid $125, which sounds like peanuts, but considering I spent about 4 hours to research, interview, and write the piece, I'm already earning a better hourly wage than any job I've held previously.
"I've dreamt of being a published writer for over 10 years, but have never felt courageous enough to make it happen. Working on the exercises in the TW course helped give me the confidence to kick-start my writing.
"This week, I'm working on my second article, a profile of a jazz band from New York that's performing locally next month. And I'm planning to keep growing my writing career, one step at a time. My next challenge is to start writing travel and arts articles for other publications. Now that I've seen my name in print, I'm addicted!"
Congratulations as well to Gail Lambert in Virginia. She says, "I write a monthly travel story for City Magazine in Roanoke, Virginia. The places are usually assigned, but are often stories of trips I have taken. I've been writing for City two years now. I also write a monthly travel article for Senior News Blue Ridge Edition on a volunteer basis. Your travel writing course gave me usable and solid instruction and the confidence to interview for the City position. Thank you!"
Cecilia and Gail aren't the only ones who have landed regular paying gigs. We also heard this week from student Judy Ruck. I met Judy in Paris this last May when she came to our live travel-writing workshop there. Since then, she's landed a bi-weekly travel column in her local paper as well as a few other clips in publications like France Today and The Traveler.
I've asked her to tell us how she did it. You'll find her advice below. Let me know if there are any more success stories I've missed. Send me a quick note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com if you've been published after taking our course or attending a live workshop.
Have a great weekend,
-- Lori
Lori Appling
Director, AWAI's Travel Writer Program
P.S. Know a friend or two who'd enjoy the freedom and independence of a writer's life? They, too, can sign up to receive this free e-letter weekly at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/eletter
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HOW ONE NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED TRAVEL WRITER LANDED A BI-WEEKLY TRAVEL COLUMN
An Interview with AWAI student Judy Ruck by Lori Appling
LA: Before we get started why don't you tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from?
JR: I am "from" a variety of places. I was raised in the Midwest, spent 17 years in Newport, RI, and have resided in Arizona for the last 15 years.
Prior to February 2004, I was a learning disabilities consultant. I was ready for a major lifestyle change, and the information I read about The Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop in Paris hooked me.
LA: What attracted you to Travel Writing? Had you ever considered being a Travel Writer before you saw our course?
JR: When our work schedules allow, my husband and I enjoy all types of travel. Actually I never thought much about becoming a travel writer but rather a travel agent. That was only wishful thinking.
I expected to come away from the workshop being able to write well enough so that magazine editors would seek me out. That hasn't happened yet but still, I attended the course with great expectations, and they are now being fulfilled.
LA: You've recently had some success getting published and I hear you talked a local editor into giving you your own bi-weekly travel column. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
JR: With a little nerve, but without being pushy, I approached a newspaper editor in my hometown. The paper has a circulation of 65,000 but did not have a travel column. I soon convinced him that the newspaper and its readers needed one! The editor wanted to see my clips but I didn't have any. I suggested to him that I submit a few articles strictly on speculation. He agreed, and I went home and reworked a story I started in Paris. I also submitted an article about a bus ride in Barcelona. He liked both ideas, and now I have a biweekly column in that newspaper.
LA: What other travel writing projects are you currently working on?
JR: Tom Schueneman, editor of The Traveler and former course graduate, recently published one of my articles, "Getting a Fix of America in Paris."
In addition to my biweekly column, France Today, which is published 10 times a year, has agreed to publish two of my articles. One is about a Sunday dinner in Paris and the other is on a French actor I had the luck to interviewAnd I do mean luck! With a phone call to a Paris production company I was able to finesse my way into an interview with the actor while he was on the set. My husband went along as my assistant and camera person. It eventually all came together.
LA: What specifically about the travel writing workshop do you think helped you so much? Why would you recommend it to others?
JR: I cherish the information Jen Stevens, Steenie Harvey and John Forde presented at the workshop and continuously refer to all the valuable information contained in the workbook. They gave me such a great understanding about the importance of "hooking" the reader right from the start with those first critical sentences. In addition, I only write about places I have been and rarely include myself in the article. My goal is for readers to put themselves in the articles I write.
LA: What advice would you give to new students who haven't yet had an article published?
JR: Don't ever give up. If you derive pleasure from travel writing, keep writing. Always maintain a positive attitude. Eventually your article will sell.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Judy Ruck studied travel writing with Steenie Harvey, Jen Stevens, John Forde and others in Paris just this last May. If you missed attending one of our live events this year, don't worry
We found a way to merge our audio recording from one of our most successful live events with each presenter's PowerPoint slides. You can simply put a CD into your computer and relax as the entire workshop unfolds before you. The slides advance to the audio recordings so you can easily follow along.
If you act now (before the whole package goes to press) you'll save a whopping 35% on The Ultimate Travel Writer's Virtual Workshop. That's $140 off. And that's not all. Check out these bonuses: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/virtual/prepress]
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REQUEST FOR ARTICLES ON ARGENTINA
Special note from Lori Appling, Director, AWAI's Travel Writer Program
We're planning our next Ultimate Travel Writer's Workshop for March in Buenos Aires, and we'd like to fill our hopper with well-written blurbs about Argentina we can use to help drum up enthusiasm about what we know to be an absolutely fabulous destination.
If you have a short story to tell (approx 150 - 400 words) about interesting places to see and things to do in Argentina, please send it to me at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com. If we use it, we'll pay you for it.
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION
Travelwise, an online travel publication, publishes original destination and review pieces and also publishes reprints. The pay is small, but writers who establish a track record with Travelwise may receive Letters of Assignment to support their travels and placement with press trips. They do accept queries, but prefer to review your completed manuscript. Send queries or manuscripts to editor@travel-wise.com. View the complete guidelines at http://www.travel-wise.com/writersguide.html.
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
- CAN YOU WRITE A SIMPLE LETTER? If yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money, writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world you choose to be. Here's how you can learn the secrets of this little-known, lucrative business:
http://www.thewriterslife.com/ph/tw89 - RETIRE...AND GET PAID TO TRAVEL -- Get the Details and Your Free report at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/tw4
- EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF WRITING
Learn how to find the best story ideas and places to publish themhow and when to follow up with an editorwhat you need to know about buying rights, contracts, and agreementshow to use syndication to increase your exposure and boost your earningsand more. You'll find The Business of Writing Guide: A Practical Guide for Travel Writers (and Other Freelancers) Ready to Turn Words into Profits here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/biz/tw4 - THE AWAI FORUM FOR TRAVEL WRITERS -- You'll find this excellent online resource at: http://www.awaionline.com/forum/. It's a place to get answers to your questions, discuss your story ideas, find readers to review your articles, and stay connected to a community of writers.
- BIG BUCKS FOR SNAPSHOTS
Photos can be a remarkably strong sales tool when you're approaching an editor with a story. They can significantly increase your chances of getting published (and earning extra income) -- that is, if you know how to take the kinds of photos editors like. Find out the simplest and best camera to take with you (you don't want to be lugging a trunk full of equipment)... how to use time of day... create a mood... how to photograph people versus landscapes and wildlife... and more. You'll find Big Bucks for Snapshots: 53 Can't Miss Techniques for Becoming a Money-Making Freelance Photographer here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/photos/tw4NOTE: Big Bucks for Snap Shots comes free when you enroll in Passport to Romance: The Ultimate Travel Writer's Course at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/tw4
-
TAX SAVINGS EVERY FREELANCER SHOULD TAKE
Find out where you can save... what the IRS really needs to know... how to make the most of those deductions for travel, meals, entertainment, home office, and more including practical worksheets you can use to make sure you're paying as little as possible to Uncle Sam. You'll find The Writer's Tax Guide: A Money-Saving Manual for Travel Writers and Other Freelancers here: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/tax/tw4
The Write Way to Travel is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.
© 2004 American Writers & Artists Institute
To ADVERTISE in The Write Way to Travel or to send comments, news, research, or story ideas, e-mail Lori Appling at lappling@awaionline.com.
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