Starting out as a freelance writer isn’t easy. The competition is tough, especially for online freelance work. When you start at the bottom, you have little choice but to accept lower rates compared to more accomplished and veteran freelancers. That doesn’t mean you can’t rise up to the top. If you work hard and produce [...]
Editor’s Note: This is the final article in a Three-Part Series Six Things You Need to Know About Travel Writing. Although a travel writing workshop helped me jump into the field, experience and time were my best teachers. I read other travel writers, researched outlets, sent out queries and wrote voraciously. Some of my attempts [...]
Editor’s Note: This article is Part Two in a Three-Part Series How DO You land that first travel writing assignment? It’s an age-old question that many aspiring travel writers have asked — how do I get a writing assignment if I don’t have any writing clips yet? It is, understandably, a frustrating conundrum, and it [...]
Editor’s Note: This article is Part One in a Three-Part Series It’s funny how one small decision can change your life. Fourteen years ago, I was working as a stringer for The Chicago Tribune. Based in Colorado, I covered the usual news topics. Then Columbine happened, and I spent the next year covering the sorrow [...]
Research is the key for all writers, especially when you are a travel writer. Whether you are writing about exotic destinations, new hotel openings, the best restaurants or the most popular spa…you need to do your research about whatever topic your article will be about. Research on your subject will allow you to learn about [...]
For some reason, most people believe (falsely) that they need loads of cash, and a year long sabbatical to write a travel book. Don’t get me wrong, having loads of cash is never a bad thing, but it just isn’t necessary. The most expensive part of travel should be the plane ticket, which hopefully you [...]
Travel writers make great novelists. They have all the ingredients – writing ability, courage and the creative fuel of seeing new places. With this in mind, I thought I’d share a few tips about how to write and sell travel fiction. I now write travel fiction for a living, but writing novels and getting paid [...]
As an international travel writer, I’m routinely asked these same three questions from people I meet: 1) What’s you favorite place in the world? 2) How did you become a travel writer? 3) How can I (or my college-bound teen) become a travel writer? For this post, I am skipping the first two and just [...]
Victorian towns with a touch of the Old West swaggering out the saloon doors. Stickball in a 19th century Native American village. Discovering over 500 varieties of soda. A wildlife refuge where Teddy Roosevelt once hunted with Comanche war chief Quanah Parker. Celebrating a centennial. Oil barons and their riches. Experiencing the sights and smells [...]
If you’re already an established travel writer, you’ve heard it dozens of times. “Oh what I would do to have your job!” Indeed, the life of a travel writer can be an enviable one, but at the same time, it’s not for everyone. Take a few minutes and answer the following 12 questions. Jot down [...]
About four years ago, in a fit of naivety and suffering from a serious case of itchy feet… …I jacked in my steady career job in PR, bought an entry level D-SLR camera and booked a ticket to South America. I had it all worked out; I was going to become a travel writer. I [...]
Some people realize very early in life what they want to do when they grow up. Some people figure it out later on. However, a few people, like myself, stumble across their destiny quite by chance. I am not young. I am not rich. I wasn’t born under a lucky star. I don’t have connections. [...]
In the world of travel writing you meet many different people…. …Who all entered the industry in their own way. Traditionally, people wanting to become travel writers had to study their craft and work their way up in the industry, but with the advent of the internet, many people have become blogging stars without prior [...]
Among us, right now, there could be a garage band as game-changing to the music world as the Beatles were. But chances are we’ll never hear a note they’ll play. Breaking out of the pack or being discovered in any creative arena today is as realistic as a blonde hair/blue eyed Minnesota girl showing up [...]
Everyone has a story in them. You just have to put it down. Now, with so many internet opportunities, everyone can become a writer or at least a blogger. Here’s my story. I loved writing until my high school English teacher trashed a short story I wrote. I was crushed and put down my pen. [...]
