Travel Writing Slides

TAKE MY CAMEL, PLEASE

A Travel Writing WorkshopMIIS, April 24, 2014

Susan Spano and Evelyn Helminen

“Take my camel, dear, said my aunt Dot, as she climbed down from this animal on her return from High Mass.”

Agenda

I. Travel Writing Samples: Read and DiscussII. Components of a Travel

StoryIII. How to Place a Travel ArticleIV. Electronic Travel Coda: Got an idea? Want to bat it around?

Questions to Discuss

• Where/when does the passage take place (if not explicitly stated)?• Who is the writer? Why is he/she there?• What writerly effects are used to take you from the page to a

faraway place? • Do you notice any striking turns of phrase, descriptions,

details?• In a few words, what is the piece about (besides the place

where it’s set)?

Robert Louis StevensonTravels with a Donkey in the Cévennes (1879)

Joan Didion“Goodbye to All That”

Slouching Toward Bethlehem (1961)

Peter HesslerCountry Driving (2002)

Bruce ChatwinIn Patagonia (1977)

Components of a Travel Story

• The Idea• The Lede• Location, Location, Location• Heavy Lifting• People and Quotes• Action and Events• Underlying Issues• Voice• The Kicker

1. The Idea

• Travel publications keep serving up the usual suspects

• Look for something fresh• Or a new twist on someplace of perennial

interest• Where do good travel ideas come from?

Reading, movies, travel talk and travel...

2. The Lede

Usually one short graf that sums up what the story is about or simply serves as a hook.

Sample Lede

“I was seized by the idea of this book while sitting on a rotten little beach at the western tip of Crete, flanked by a waterlogged shoe and a rusty potty. I had the depressed feeling that I spent my life doing this sort of thing and might as well end my days here. This is the traveler’s deep dark night of the soul and can happen anywhere at any hour.”- from Travels with Myself and Another, by Martha Gellhorn (1978)

3. Location, Location, Location

Early on, locate your story geographically. Travelers hate to feel lost.

Sample Location

“The Uffington Horse, as it’s called, inspired other turf artists in more recent times. Taking up shovels and spades, they made their marks on hillsides in Wiltshire, a county about 50 miles west of London, where the downs roll on until they descend toward Salisbury Plain.”- From The White Horses of Wiltshire by Susan Spano (1988):

4. Heavy Lifting

• History• Politics• Religion • Other cultural

facets of a place

5. People and Quotes

• Humanize a story and bring it to life• Include memorable lines in your notes• Describe people with a few brushstrokes, then use

what they said or did, how they received you as a traveler

Sample People and Quotes

The beery-smelling old Irishman I met at a Laundromat during a rainy bike trip in County Clare, Ireland.

“Ireland’s a grand country,” he said. “Rain is the only fault in it.”

6. Action and Events

• Keep readers reading and provide transitions from one section to another.

Sample Action and Events

• Once I found a scorpion in my bedspread at a funky little inn on the southwest coast of Mexico. The man who showed me to my room beheaded it with the key, then saved the body (as an aphrodisiac!)

7. Underlying Issues

• The richest, most memorable travel stories do more than simply describe places.

• They consider important underlying issues in ways that are more human and compelling than general non-fiction or news stories.

• Look for such issues as you do your research; then weave them into the story.

Sample Underlying Issues

A great example of this is Incident in Naples, by Francis Steegmuller (from Ancient Shore), as much about human compassion as about Napoli.

8. Voice

• A magic ingredient capable of elevating even the most banal subject matter

• Can be arch, deadly serious, ditzy, cynical, whatever…• Should be suited to the material, meaning your voice

can change from article to article.• Voice can be cleverly exercised even when you aren’t

using the first person singular.

How do you cultivate voice?

• Start in the research phase, while taking notes.

• Record your impressions along with the facts; let your imagination work.

• Think about how you write letters, an intimate format often exposing true voice.

• Let your head rattle, don’t suppress. There will be time to clean up the copy later.

9. The Kicker

• Officially closes the story, bringing the beginning around to the end, and vice versa

• Can be just a line, referring back to the lede

How to Place a Travel Story

1. Guidelines

Most newspapers and magazines have writers’ guidelines somewhere on the website. Check them out to learn the the preferred submission format, suggested length and kinds of stories sought from freelancers.

The New York TimesSubmission Guidelines

Send proposals and manuscripts totravelmail@nytimes.com.The mailing address is:

Travel EditorThe New York Times229 West 43rd StreetNew York, N.Y. 10036

• PLEASE DO NOT SEND PHOTOS.• The Travel Section will not publish articles that grow out of trips paid for or in any way subsidized by an airline,

hotel, tourist board or other organization with an interest, direct or indirect, in the subject of an article.• We buy all rights to articles and will not purchase a piece that has been published elsewhere. The date of the

trip on which an article or query is based should be given on a separate line at the top of the manuscript. A brief resume should accompany both articles and proposals. No submission should exceed 1,500 words. Backpage essays should be between 1,200 and 1,400 words.

• Because of the volume of submissions, the Travel section regrets that it cannot acknowledge or return unsolicited manuscripts or article proposals. If a manuscript is being considered for publication, the writer will be informed within two weeks. Writers should not include photographs.

2. It’s a Tailoring Game

• Suit the pitch or manuscript to the publication.

• Studying your target is paramount. A good pitch letter reflects familiarity with the publication and its table of contents.

• All the better if you suggest something for one of the regular departments

3. Been There, Done That

• Check the website to make sure the publication hasn’t already covered the subject you want to suggest.

• It’s all too easy for an editor to say: Sorry we just did that.

4. Who Do You Know?

• Write to an editor by name.• If you know someone (anyone) at the

publication, use it as an in.• If you can get a direct contact, be shameless

about how you introduce yourself. Refer to someone you both know, a shared experience, even a brief meeting.

5. The Pitch

• Should include a self-introduction and clips (if you have them).

• Keep a sharp eye for typos and errors, which are especially glaring in pitch letters.

• Each idea you suggest should have a hook, a few details and reasons why readers might be compelled beyond the innate interest of the place.

The New York TimesJuly 3, 2011

Build Your Own Travel Blog

• Write for the web• Write in your own voice• Write stories other people can engage with• Post consistently• Encourage comments• Utilize social media• Submit guest posts• Include photo and video• Collect email addresses

Find a Niche

• Wine Connoisseur • Spa Travel • Volunteer Travel • Adventure Travel • Travel Products • Travel Guides • Luxury Travel

Make $$ Through…

• Advertising– branded content posts– banner and video ads– social media and

newsletter promotion

• Affiliate Marketing• Sponsorships

Use Your Blog to Build Your Reputation

• Freelance Writing• Consulting• Public Speaking

Expand Your Offerings

• Travel Stories• Guidebooks• Ebooks• Enewsletters• Online Courses• Travel Tips

Established Travel Bloggers

• Wandering Earl• Adventurous Kate• Nomadic Matt• Everything Everywhere• Never-ending Footsteps• Green Global Travel

Your Presenters

• Susan Spano– Travels with Susan Spano– susan.spano@gmail.com

• Evelyn Helminen– www.travelingev.com– ehelminen@miis.edu