The Write Way to Travel
Edited by Lori Appling in Bethany Beach, DE
February 19, 2004
"Report. Writers are less interesting than they
think.
Fortunately, the rest of the world is more interesting.
Interview people. Look at things.Don't just sit at the computer."
-- Jeffrey Toobin
Today:
- Odd, Shocking, and Strange: What to Look for When You Travel
- Meet John and Jen in Paris this May
- Increase Your Productivity and Accomplish All Your 2004 Goals
- What Frequently Published Writers Know That You Might Not
- Editorial Note: Do You Live Overseas and Work as a Travel Writer?
- This Week's Featured Travel Publication: British Columbia Magazine
A Note to Budding Travel Writers:
Know two more people who'd enjoy the freedom and independence of a writer's
life? They, too, can receive this free e-letter weekly by visiting: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/eletter
Dear Reader,
Last week freelancer Jen Stevens told you about her secret for writing
the kinds of descriptions editors like -- and pay for. Avoid "filler" words,
she advised. Words like "quaint," "fancy," and "beautiful" don't
really say anything. Rely instead on specific, stand-out details.
Of course, there is the matter of coming by those details in the first
place. And I know, from my correspondence with students of our travel
writer course ( http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/sh/tw4 ),
that this isn't necessarily something that comes naturally.
A few weeks ago at our travel writer's workshop in Las Vegas, however,
speaker John Forde made some useful suggestions for ways you can train
yourself to do it.
When you're traveling, he said, look for things that strike you as odd,
shocking, strange, or at least different than what you're used to seeing
at home.
Ask questions like:
- What's on the menu? (See any strange foods?)
- What's on the catwalk? (Notice any interesting fashions?)
- What's in the skyline? (What sorts of buildings surround you?)
- What's on the calendar? (Any unique festivals, events, ceremonies,
or even daily rituals?)
- What's in the shop windows? (Could you mistake this place for home,
or is that rabbit strung up in the butcher shop a sure giveaway?)
- How do the locals do things? (Notice anything unusual about the way
people sweep the streets or pass each other on the sidewalk or eat
their food or park their cars or greet each other or stand in line...?)
- What can't I do here that I do at home? (Are you frustrated by something?
Is there something you thought would be easily accomplished but has,
instead, taken days?)
I've asked Jen Stevens to follow up John's ever-sound advice with some
of her own. Below you'll find her suggestions for turning yourself into
a truly observant traveler and some words of wisdom about where best
to look for the kinds of observations editors want to see in your articles.
A quick note before you scroll down: I wanted to let you know that you'll
find an online archive for this e-letter as well as other travel writer
news at: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/
We'll be adding more resources to our new site in the weeks and months
ahead, so be sure to visit regularly.
Have a great week,
Lori
Director, AWAI's Travel Writer Program
P.S. Also on-line now are details about our next travel writer's workshop
-- this one in Paris, May 9-12, 2004. John Forde, whose advice I shared
with you above, will once again be on hand as one of our instructors.
He lives in Paris, in fact, as do many of our speakers at this annual
event. For the full story, visit: http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/workshop/bb
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SEVEN HABITS OF A TRULY OBSERVANT TRAVELER
(OR, WHAT FREQUENTLY PUBLISHED TRAVEL WRITERS KNOW THAT YOU MIGHT NOT)
By Jennifer Stevens in Chicago
One important trait the most accomplished travel writers share has nothing
to do with their writing abilities.
The best travel writers are, simply put, observant travelers. They've
trained themselves to notice things.
You can, too.
In fact, it's a critical habit to foster. Because the more you notice
-- the more specific, interesting details you pick up, that is -- the
more rich material you have to include in your articles. And it's those
rich details, remember, that editors like.
How do you do it?
SEVEN WAYS TO NOTICE MORE
1. Rely on more than just your eyes.
Certainly, pay attention to what you see. But also take note of what
you hear, what you smell, how things taste, how they feel. If there's
a low, stone wall surrounding a village cemetery, don't just scribble
in your notebook "low, stone wall." Go up to it and check
if the top is dusty. Exactly how low is it? What sounds do you hear
as you lean on it? Is there cheerful chatter from the kids sent to
leave flowers? Or is it utterly silent, save for the occasional bird
call and the scratching of squirrels?
2. Count.
How many steps must you climb to reach the top of that lighthouse?
How many steeples do you see jutting up above the rooftops? How many
tables does the café hold? How many tourists are standing in line?
How many types of bread does the bakery sell? Specific numbers often
provide the kind of astonishing detail useful in an article.
3. Pick up papers -- maps, brochures, local newspapers and
magazines, brochures, postcards, menus, business cards.
I keep a one-gallon Ziplock bag in my suitcase when I travel, and
at the end of each day, I toss into it whatever papers I've gathered.
If I got a business card from somebody I spoke with, I make a note
on the back, reminding myself who that person is. If I got a menu from
a place where I enjoyed lunch, I scribble on it what I had and what
I thought of it. I'll flip through a local paper, scanning for odd-ball
items and ideas about what I might do the next day, making note of
local politics, finding out what controversies are raging. You won't
likely use all this material in your article, but it's all useful as
you piece together a context for this place you're visiting.
4. Talk with locals.
No matter where you are -- in a bar, a café, a shop, a taxi -- strike
up a conversation with a local. Ask directions. Ask for suggestions
about what you might do or where you might eat. Inquire as to how things
have changed in the past decade or more. Ask this person where he or
she takes family and friends who visit. My colleague John Forde always
suggests talking with anybody over 70. Smart guy, that John.
Doing a load of laundry in a Laundromat offers you the perfect excuse
to start talking with somebody who lives in the neighborhood you're
visiting. Have your hair done. I rarely take the time to have my hair
cut at home, so I'll often do it on the road. (One of the best haircuts
I ever got was in a woman's front room in Zanzibar; one of the worst
was at a salon in London.) But both gave me ample time -- and an ideal
excuse -- to ask questions and learn things.
5. Shop with locals.
Poke your head into as many "tourist" shops as you like,
but make sure you also spend some time where the locals shop. Go to
a grocery store and pay attention to what's on offer. How many types
of cheese are in that case -- and how many is the average shopper buying?
Is that an entire wall of lentils? Is that man perched on a stool at
the back filling up people's empty glass jugs with wine from a vat?
Investigate an outdoor market or a hardware store. My point is: By
paying attention to how the locals shop, what they buy, and how much
things cost, you'll uncover all sorts of interesting quirks you'd never
find out if all you shopped for were t-shirts, snow-globes, and fridge
magnets.
6. Get into a local's home.
(I'm not suggesting you climb in a window.) Get yourself invited for
tea or lunch or dinner... or just a quick tour. It's amazing what you'll
learn once you step over a threshold into the private world tourists
never see. You'll instantly know more about people's priorities, about
how they order their lives... indeed, maybe a good bit about how that
society is ordered. Here, again, notice how things look, feel, taste,
and smell. (How do you get invited in, you ask? I promise: Strike up
conversations, and you'll be surprised at how hospitable people become.)
7. Travel more.
The more often you travel, the more places you see, the better able
you'll be to distinguish something that's really unusual. You'll develop
a more well-rounded perspective. And you'll gain something else there's
no other way to come by: judgment.
I asked Kathleen Peddicord, the editor and publisher of International
Living, what she thought distinguished a truly inspired travel article
from a run-of-the-mill one, and that's the key word she came up with:
"Judgment. Being able to decipher what's special, unique, new,
important, valuable in a place. Putting the place in context, historically
and otherwise. Understanding what you're seeing and seeing beyond the
tourist layer of a place."
HOW TO GET STARTED RIGHT NOW
You don't have to board an airplane and head across an ocean before
you start sharpening your observation skills. Start this weekend. Take
a half-hour walk and methodically go through your five senses. What do
you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? How do things feel? How
do they taste? (OK... get coffee while you're out or, if you live somewhere
warm, grab an ice cream.)
Count a few things. How many homes on a block or trees along a street?
How many people on the sidewalk? How many kids in the park? How many
shattered car windows?
Then when you get back home, take five minutes and jot down the things
that most stand out in your mind.
BEING NOSY HELPS
The truth is, gathering the kind of specific, stand-out details editors
like to see in articles requires a certain amount of, well, nosiness.
Sure, even if you're shy, you can still use your eyes, ears, nose, and
mouth to discover what's around you. You needn't be outgoing to count
steps or steeples.
But if you never learn to peer through garden fences to check if the
beds are weeded... if you never get up the gumption to ask that shop
owner how business has been... if you never order the daily special in
a restaurant, even when you have no idea what it is... then you're certain
to miss out on some of the best opportunities there are for uncovering
details a myopic traveler never even knows he's missing.
In my view, it's just this sort of attention to what's around you, this "noticing" while
you're traveling that makes travel writing so much fun.
As a travel writer you have an excuse -- indeed, a mandate -- to travel
in a way a typical tourist does not. It makes your experience that much
richer. And it will make your articles that much better.
EDITORIAL NOTE: DO YOU LIVE OVERSEAS AND WORK AS A TRAVEL WRITER?
I'm writing an article about travel writing as an ideal job for "trailing
spouses" and other folks who find themselves living overseas, in
need of distraction and money, yet without the legal right to work.
Does this describe you?
If so, can you send me a note telling me why travel writing suits you?
What, in your opinion, is its appeal? Tell me your story.
Thanks for helping me gather good quotes and examples.
Jen Stevens
jen@thetravelwriterslife.com
THIS WEEK'S FEATURED TRAVEL PUBLICATION
British Columbia Magazine, a quarterly publication dedicated to exploring
and revealing what is unique and interesting in British Columbia, works
with freelance writers for every issue. Queries and proposals are reviewed
in March and April to give assignments for the year. Speculative manuscripts
are reviewed throughout the year. They have a detailed submission process
and requirements that you can review at http://www.bcmag.ca/guidelines.asp?id=1306 .
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
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