Learning how to write stories from different angles is essential skill for any travel writer. Most of us have to operate on a shoestring budget, hence the need to make the most of our working trips by writing more than one story and submitting it to various publications. But having this skill has nothing to [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
A short while ago I wrote this post about the emerging online market for travel writing. I explained how changes in search engine and social media technology were causing commercial travel websites to start seeing themselves as travel publishers in their own right, opening up significant new opportunities for professional travel journalists. The idea is [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Rare are my opportunities these days to just sit and read a good book. But when I do have time, you’ll generally find me with my nose buried in something that will help me improve my technical or writing skills, or learn something new about online marketing or promotion, or to stay current with [...]
Rejection is a natural part of being a writer. Even those writers and authors who have gone on to achieve international success were, at one point or another, rejected. One of the differences between those who go on to be successful and those who don’t is the willingness to learn from the experience and [...]
As a follow up to her earlier Guest Article…. … Writing The Perfect Lodging Review, well-known professional travel writer and Uptake Lodging Editor Nancy D. Brown takes a break from her perpetual traveling to share with us more of her sage advice on writing. Here are her tips on writing that perfect destination [...]
Have you ever wanted to transform your travel journal entries into compelling narratives or travel essays? Do you dream about publishing your work as a travel writer? As you already know, there are many different styles and genres of travel writing. One of the most common forms of travel writing today is travel blogging. I [...]
Welcome to another installment of Ask The Editor! Today I cull once again through the copious questions from my email inbox, and pull another one that I hear frequently enough that it belongs in an FAQ somewhere: Q. Why do my article pitches and guest posting efforts get rejected? Sometimes I don’t even get [...]
In an earlier post on this site, I wrote about the differences in self-publishing via traditional print and Print On Demand (POD). My latest book, Time Zones, Containers and Three Square Meals a Day, was published via POD, which was a new experience for me. Print On Demand is a digital way of getting your [...]
I am a traveler, and like many people on this site, I write about it. That is to say, I don’t blog about my trips, but instead have written a book, Time Zones, Containers and Three Square Meals a Day, about a few particular journeys I made while working on a container ship. Now that [...]
The typical freelance writing process involves coming up with an idea and then querying a magazine, ezine or other publication for a one-time working relationship. Sometimes, as you get to know an editor, you establish a rapport that leads to multiple writing assignments. As a freelancer, those are the gigs I like best – the [...]
