The Ambidextrous Travel Writer:
The Ambidextrous Travel Writer is a monthly advice column for travel writers & bloggers, written by author Susan Farewell.
Title? Check. First Sentence? Check.
4 July 2011
Post Author:
Years ago, while driving around Norway, my colleague (also a journalist) suddenly announced quite smugly…
…“Well…I’ve come up with a title and a first sentence, so my story is done. Now I can relax and enjoy Scandinavia.”
At the time, I didn’t quite get what she meant, but over the years, I’ve come to understand. Once you have a title and a first sentence, your story is basically done.
It’s true. In the title and the first sentence, you commit to your idea, to your angle. After that, it’s just a matter of writing it through.
What does that mean exactly? It’s simply just putting in the time to go from beginning to end. Key here is not to stop.
I tend to think of it like running. Once you start, work up your heart rate and get it established, then keep it there. Just keep moving. Don’t stop. Don’t take a moment to fix a lace. Don’t pause for a water break. Just run…keep it going.
This is how I write most of my stories. As I cruise along, I inevitably come to spots that need facts such as dates and names. Those I look up later, marking the missing information with a TK. There will be time to fact-check and edit, even move chunks of copy around. The main thing is to get it out of my head and onto my computer.
Once I have that first draft done, I’m empowered to take the next step, which is to go through and edit as needed.
Once you go through this process a bunch of times, you too will see how having a title and a first sentence is really all you need. The rest will move on its own, unless you do something to stop it.
~Susan
What’s your writing style? Share your experience!
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Susan Farewell is the Editor-in-Chief of FarewellTravels, a travel information and planning site.
Read a Full Author Bio & More Posts By: Susan Farewell
Post Category: Guest Blog Posts, Overcoming Obstacles, The Ambidextrous Travel Writer
Post Tags: Advice,Don't Give Up,Susan Farewell,Travel Blogging,Travel Writing
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Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Thanks for sharing this Susan, that’s exactly how I write too! Once I have my title and lede figured out, the rest just seems to flow and I just let it…..then, like you, I go back and do my fact-checking and heavy editing once it’s all written down.
Occasionally, if I have a lot of points to cover, I may draft a separate outline that I’ll refer to when I’m writing, but most often I stick to a single topic and just stay focused.
Twitter: FarewellTravels
says:
One problem I’ve occasionally encountered is falling in love with a lede. We have to watch out for this. That’s when you come up with the killer lede and keep reading it over and over again and can’t get past it.
Twitter: jm_deluxe
says:
Totally agree with everything you’ve said here Susan. Getting that one compelling first paragraph sets the tone for the entire piece. I also find useful laying out the main points you wish you make in the piece (i.e. a framework) and then expanding out on each to create the final piece.
Twitter: bluegreentweets
says:
I have to agree that usually once you have the title and the first sentence or two its almost done…other than the writing part! But I have found like you mentioned that I have to just write until I’m done no stopping just all at once and check it later. Just like running I think once you stop you’ve just killed the momentum.