Edited by Lori Appling in Atlantic City, NJ.
Today:
- Why Travel Writers are Better off than Gamblers
- Not too Late to Grab a Bargain Bermuda Airfare
- Think Like a Spy... And Sell More Articles and Photos
- This Week's Featured Travel Publication: NewEnglandMonthly.com
- More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
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Write Your Own Travel Guide Book...
This March 22-25, 2006 in exclusive, tropical, pristine Bermuda you can... Learn from professional photographers the techniques they use to shoot pictures that sell for $150, $400, $600 -- and even higher.
PLUS -- Learn all the ins-and-outs of researching and writing travel guidebooks -- including hands-on experience interviewing executives and writing critiques of some of the most famous resorts in Bermuda.
For details visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/bermuda or call the AWAI office at (866) 879-2924 or (561) 278-5557. Seats are limited.
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Dear Reader,
My apologies -- this issue is a bit late. I spent the weekend with my uncle in Atlantic City celebrating his last month's $20,000 win on the slot machines. This month, the casino invited him back with two complimentary hotel rooms, free meals, top shelf drinks (Johnny Walker Blue at a regular $48/glass was our drink of choice), concert tickets for the kids, and pretty much whatever he wanted.
My guess? They hoped he'd lose all that he had won the last time. And boy, were they spot on.
Not only did he lose those winnings... but we lost, too - all the guests he invited. I may have gotten a free room and meals out of the deal... but I still spent more than I would have if I'd opted to lounge on the beach in Florida or gone museum hopping here in D.C. (It's only $13 to get into the International Spy Museum, by the way, where you can crawl through the air ducts and "spy" on everyone else there.)
It's times like this that I'm glad I'm a travel writer. If I wanted the same VIP experience in Atlantic City without the "big win" (and then later the "big loss") I would simply go back to our eletter archives at www.thetravelwriterslife.com and:
- Pick a destination (somewhere local if I'd never been published before and somewhere on Steenie's list if I already had a few bylines to my name - see issue #96 on the 10 Must-Plan Travel Adventures for 2006)...
- Line up a few assignments (see issue #32 on Finding the Best Place to Publish Your Articles)...
- Send out a few emails to the hotels and restaurants in the area I wanted to "research" (see issue #56 on How to Get the Assignment Letters that Lead to Press Trips)...
- ...and then instead of losing several hundred dollars in the slots, I'd make a few hundred when I sold my articles (see issue #71 and 72 about selling and reselling your articles).
Here's another tip:
- When you write articles for a publication, pay attention to details.
The more you notice -- the more specific, interesting details you pick up, that is -- the more rich material you have to include. And it's those rich details that editors like (and pay for). How, specifically, do you do that? How can you train yourself to notice more?
Well, I asked freelance travel writer Jennifer Stevens how she does it and she told me she uses an old spy trick she picked up years ago. (Which, she explained, not only comes in handy researching stories, but will ensure your status as household hero as you'll always know where the kids' shoes are and the spouse's wallet has gone to.) I'll let her explain more below.
And, as always, remember to keep me up-to-speed on your success. If you have good news to share, send me a quick note at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.
I hope you have a great week,
-- Lori
Lori Appling
Director, AWAI's Travel Division
P.S. Students are grabbing the last unclaimed seats for our Bermuda program, scheduled for March 22-25, 2006. It's not too late for you to snag yours. In fact, I just found some last-minute bargain airfare deals that might entice you -- like round-trip JFK to Bermuda for less than $520, including taxes and fees. Check out these two sites for affordable fares from your home: http://www.lowestfare.com/ and http://www.site59.com/
And for more about our workshop, visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/bermuda or call the AWAI office at (866) 879-2924 or (561) 278-5557. Ask for Barb or Scott. If you have any questions before signing up, you can always shoot me an email at lori@thetravelwriterslife.com.
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* Advertisement *
LEAVE YOUR MONEY AT HOME!
If you're still paying to travel, let us help...
What if a vacation wasn't something you scrimped and saved for once a year. What if you could travel anywhere... anytime... and earn $100,000 or more while you're at it.
Behind closed doors in a swank boutique hotel in San Antonio, an expert panel of savvy international travelers met for three days with one singular purpose in mind: to reveal every secret and technique they use to not just pay for their travels... but turn a profit on every trip.
You might not have been there in the room... but that doesn't mean you have to miss out. Here's everything they learned and more: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/toolkit
THINK LIKE A SPY... AND SELL MORE ARTICLES AND PHOTOS
By freelance travel writer, Jennifer Stevens, in Colorado Springs, CO
In previous articles, I've waxed on about the importance of including specifics in your stories. To review, briefly...
Don't say a place is hot. Say it's 96 degrees.
Don't say a hotel is nicely appointed. Say two terry robes hang in the closet... next to the Bose CD player on the desk sits a stack of CDs to choose from... green-tea scented bath salts on the bathroom counter are tied into little bundles with cranberry-colored ribbons...
It's through those specific details that a rich story emerges. And editors like that.
[For more on how to do this in your own articles, see our archives -- http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/ for issues # 4, 49, and 76.]
How do you find -- and remember -- those details to include? Well...
I always tote along with me on assignment a notebook and pen. I don't consider them mere props. I mean, I really do write down my observations. No matter how much I think I'll remember, it's never as much as I need when I sit down to flesh out a story. I rely on my notes.
That said, sometimes writing things down just isn't an option... if I'm snorkeling, for example. Or if I'm traveling with kids. You try writing notes on a trans-Atlantic flight with a lap child on your knees and a paying child leaning heavily into your right side.
YOU HAVE TO THINK LIKE A SPY
Over the years, I've trained myself to do something that may seem rather whacky... but I'll go to my grave swearing that it makes me notice more... and remember more, too.
I call it my "spy technique." (You know those silver-screen secret agents... they always notice some little thing you, the average viewer, don't find remarkable. And it's that item they use to escape from some impossible situation.)
Like those spies, I try to very quickly -- and very concretely -- assess a situation. I don't just take a casual look around. I make a mental list of everything I see.
Here's what I mean:
As soon as you arrive somewhere -- in a situation you want to remember in very specific terms -- take stock of what you see, using words (which you keep to yourself, uttering only inside your own head, lest passers-by take you for schizophrenic).
Say you're hiking, and you get to an outcropping where you stop for a break. Survey the scene, left-to-right, cataloging what you see: "Three distant peaks, snow down to tree line. Closer in, dense evergreens and two patches of meadow, lighter green. In the foreground down below where we're standing, a pond with a trail around it. A couple of hikers on it -- a male and female -- the only others we've seen today. One hawk circling overhead."
I know, I know... it sounds sort of insane. But it really does work. You start to notice things your eyes would have simply skimmed over before.
And this comes in handy not only when you're looking for details to include in your articles, but also when you're framing photos.
In last week's issue, B. Howard said the best photographers are observant ones -- those who notice the trash bag on the beach or the dead flowers in the foreground -- details that could spoil an otherwise perfectly good shot.
If you make a habit of really cataloging what you see -- using words -- you'll be surprised at how much more you notice.
[Editor's Note: Jen Stevens isn't the only expert in our cadre of seasoned travelers who's been kind enough to divulge her secrets to success. In fact, just a handful of weeks ago, behind closed doors at the swank Emily Morgan Hotel in San Antonio, Steenie Harvey, B. Howard, Gary and Merri Scott, Reece Guth, Rich Wagner, and others formed an expert panel of savvy international travelers.
They had one singular purpose in mind: to reveal every secret and technique they use to not just pay for their travels... but turn a profit on every trip. You might not have been there in the room... but that doesn't mean you have to miss out.
With the Lucrative Traveler's Toolkit, you'll learn just how easy it can be to combine travel writing, photography, and import-export to fund a lifetime of travel... earn $100,000 or more a year... and gain the freedom, flexibility, and wealth you deserve.
It's everything our San Antonio attendees learned... in the comfort of your own home... and you get it all for 80% off. For details: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/toolkit ]
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Here's everything you need to know about this fun and lucrative side-business: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/ph2/website
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION
NewEnglandMonthly, a new online publication, is seeking articles focused on the New England region. Articles focused on lodging, events, attractions, and destinations are all welcome. Send queries to info@NewEnglandMonthly.com. View the complete writers guidelines at http://www.bestromanticinns.com/SIGN-UP-Travel-Journalists.htm
OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
RETIRE...AND GET PAID TO TRAVEL -- Get the details and your free report at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/website
TURN YOUR PICTURES INTO CASH -- Here's everything you need to know about this fun and lucrative side-business: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/ph2/websiteCREATE A SECOND INCOME BY WRITING STEAMY LOVE NOVELS -- Your daydreams could be worth a small fortune. Thanks to a booming $1.52 billion romance market -- and a ravenous audience -- publishers are now willing to pay $7,000 ... $24,000 ... $50,000 ... even for first-time writers! Here's more: http://www.theromancewriterslife.com/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/website
GAIN THE FREEDOM, FLEXIBILITY, AND WEALTH YOU DESERVE -- What if a vacation wasn't something you scrimped and saved for once a year. What if you could travel anywhere... anytime... and earn $100,000 or more while you're at it. Learn just how easy it can be to combine travel writing, photography, and import-export to fund a lifetime of travel: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/toolkit
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF WRITING -- Learn how to find the best story ideas and places to publish them...how and when to follow up with an editor...what you need to know about buying rights, contracts, and agreements...how to use syndication to increase your exposure and boost your earnings...and 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/website
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO WRITE FOR THIS MARKET -- 76.1 million baby boomers are turning 50 at a rate of 3 to 4 million a year. Their knees hurt, their backs hurt, their cholesterol is high, their prostates hurt, they're going through menopause, they're having trouble sleeping, they're anxious... If you have what it takes to sell to this market, you can make very good money in a specialty field that will give you as much work as you can handle...and that routinely pays $8,000 and up - with royalties - for each sales letter you write... Find out more at: http://www.thewriterslife.com/health/tw4
The Write Way to Travel is a FREE weekly newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Institute, available to AWAI students and friends.
© 2006 American Writers & Artists Institute
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