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The Right Way to Travel
Edited by Lori Allen in Delray Beach, FL
October 12, 2007
"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think." -- Edwin Schlossberg
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Today:
*** Which is Longer: Half an Hour or 30 Minutes?
*** An AWAI Exclusive -- Pet Photography DVDs with Ren Netherland and Shelly Perry
*** Practical Writing Prompt of the Week: Writing for the Business Traveler
*** Reader Feedback: A Workshop Attendee Gets Published
*** More Opportunities and Resources for Writers
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*Advertisement*
How a Fellow Reader from Queensland, Australia Took His Wife on a $2,000 Vacation for $53.67: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/itj/website
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Dear Reader,
Herschell Gordon Lewis is a professional writer and film maker. He writes mostly marketing copy but I think his presentation today also applies to travel writers. He talked about the importance of word-choice -- saying that two phrases that might, essentially, mean the same thing, are often interpreted differently by the reader.
He compared "generic" descriptors to specific numbers and explained that the generic terms are often interpreted as "more" -- more meaning greater or longer or bigger. Here's what I mean:
One hour sounds longer than 60 minutes. One day sounds longer than 24 hours. Half a pound sounds like more than eight ounces. ("If you don't believe me," he added, "just imagine what would happen if McDonald's changed the name of their Quarter Pounder to McDonald's Four Ouncer.)
Half a quart, he continued, is more than one pint... one month seems longer than 30 days... half a kilo sounds like more than 500 grams...
Say, for instance, you're writing about a spa in Mexico and you want your description of the experience to come across as positively as possible. Instead of saying you enjoyed a "60-minute massage," (which sounds relatively short) you might call it "an hour-long escape."
This could work if you were describing a negative, too. For example, say the line for a new exhibit at the Louvre is long. Rather than saying, "You'll face a half-hour wait,"(which sounds long) you might say, instead, "Bring a book and brave the 30-minute wait. The exhibit is well worth it."
Think about your intention when you describe experiences in your articles and then use this tip to convey that in a smooth way that readers will quickly understand.
I hope you have a great weekend,
-- Lori
Lori Allen
Director, AWAI's Travel Division
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
Scroll down for the Practical Writing Prompt of the week...
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* Highly Recommended*
An AWAI Exclusive -- Pet Photography DVDs with Ren Netherland and Shelly Perry
In this three-part DVD series, you'll learn to combine your love of animals with the ease of digital photography to turn your snapshots into cash:
You'll Discover:
* How to use a pet "handler" to get your dog to sit still
* Incredibly easy photo-editing techniques that make any photographer look like an expert
* How to fix a dog's eyes and hair in Photoshop
* How to work with light to get professional-quality portraits
* How to sell your portraits for stock
Learn how to turn people's urge to pamper their pets into a profitable income-earner that's not just fun, but lucrative, too....
Details here: http://www.thephotographerslife.com/pvd/website
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PRACTICAL WRITING PROMPT OF THE WEEK:
Taking a business trip could be an opportunity to collect information for a travel story -- even if you're only going to the next town. Travel articles don't have to be about far-off exotic places. You don't even have to leave your home town, for that matter.
This weekend, think about business travel. You can pull from an experience you've already had on a business trip or write about services for business travelers near you.
** Is there a nice hotel with conference rooms near the center of town?
** What kinds of restaurants are near the hotel?
** Does the hotel offer extra services, like free wi-fi?
** How do you get from the airport to the hotel? Is there a shuttle?
** What about entertaining? What is there to do after hours?
Then go out and write an article about what you found.
Tackle it this weekend and send it to the Travel Post Monthly. You never know who might buy your article there: http://travelpostmonthly.com
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* Advertisement *
**Downloadable** Business of Writing Guide
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.
All in one easy-to-search downloadable guide; visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/biz/website for details.
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READER FEEDBACK: Those workshops really helped
"I've been an attendee in several of your workshops (i.e., Buenos Aires, Rhodes, Portland) and my article about a biking trip in Croatia is published in the October edition of Tourist Travel. Those workshops really helped. Let me know about the next one. Regards," -- J. Post
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OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR WRITERS:
* ROMANCE WRITING CAN BE FUN (AND LUCRATIVE): http://www.theromancewriterslife.com/fr89
* RETIRE THIS YEAR... WRITING:
http://www.thewriterslife.com/fr89
* MORE STORIES FROM REAL PEOPLE TURNING THEIR PICTURES INTO CASH:
http://www.thephotographerslife.com/ph2/website
* JOIN THE CLUB - WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS UNITE: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/itj/website
* CAN YOU RETIRE AND GET PAID TO TRAVEL?:
http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/kp/website
* UNLIMITED ARTICLE CRITIQUES:
http://www.acceleratedtrainingservices.com/tuc/website
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The Right Way to Travel is a FREE newsletter from the American Writers & Artists Inc., available to AWAI members and friends.
(c) 2007 American Writers & Artists Inc.
245 NE 4th Ave., Ste 102
Delray Beach, FL 33483
Phone (561) 278-5557
Fax (561) 278-5929
memberservices@awaionline.com
To LEARN MORE, visit:
http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com
http://www.thephotographerslife.com
