On travel, writing and anything in between.
23.02.2012
There’s nothing worse than staring at a black screen. Or thinking you have so many colourful options to begin your story that you don’t know which to choose. Here’s a few techniques to get started
A travel article needs a compelling lead: to grab the reader’s attention.
In a travel news piece the lead is often no more than 25 – 30 words. It answers the five journalistic questions — who, what, where, when and why.
In a destination story there are more options. You need to decide which is the strongest element in your story: the place, narrative, character or theme.
Narrative: based on story-telling techniques pulls the reader along.
Descriptive: evokes the place you are writing about. But don’t let this be excessive.
The dramatic plunge: lands the reader in the middle of things or in media res. Then you back-track to how you got there.
Pivotal moment.
A curious fact or anecdote or question.
Evoke an emotion: make the first sentence mysterious.
Start slowly, with more exposition—detailed description. This sets the scene and from there you go into the main story.
Some writers say no story should start with a quote. I disagree—as long as the person talking is a key character in the story.
In a travel memoir, the first line should give a clear sense of what the book will be about.
A technique I do with participants at my travel memoir classes (last call for this weekend’s Sydney course) is to read the first lines of a few books.
Here’s three.
‘I wish Giovanni would kiss me.’ Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything
by Elizabeth Gilbert.
‘January. The year began with lunch.’ A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.
‘I arrived in the Alice at five a.m. with a dog, six dollars and a small suitcase full of inappropriate clothes.’ Tracks by Robyn Davdison.
Straight away you hear the writer’s voice. You know whether it will be serious or humorous.
A good first sentence will establish the tone of the story. It will often introduce the narrative thread or the strongest theme running through the book.
Of course you’re unlikely to get it first time. If it’s a longer piece, or a whole book, it will probably change. Often when you’ve done the whole story, you realise that the beginning actually starts in para (or chapter 3 or 4). You’ve got to be bold enough to cut the first two.
It’s normal to take a while to warm up.
When you start you think you need all this backstory. But you don’t. If the reader is curious, then they’ll want to find out more.
One piece of advice: don’t start a travel story at the airport. Or even on the plane. That comes later. Get us to the destination first!
Over to you, how do you begin your stories?
16.02.2012
Recently two people asked me the same question. ‘I want to write a book, but should I bother and do a blog instead? Or do both?’ I thought it was a subject worth unpacking.
In those situations, I always ask: How much time do you have to devote to your writing? We all have a well of creativity and if you draw too deeply, it can run dry. Blogs can be a big timesuck. You can easily spend several hours on your blog rather than devoting time to your memoir or finishing a travel article. And having a whizz-bang blog doesn’t equal a publishing deal. In fact, it can (occasionally) work against you.
At one of my workshops last year I heard a story about a travel writer who blogged excessively about his amazing journeys. When he came home, he pitched a book proposal to an Australian publisher. Initially keen, in the end they didn’t run with his book because he’d told too much of his story online.
Ask yourself some crucial questions on why you are setting up a blog
To give yourself a platform?
To earn money?
To travel the world?
Who is your audience: friends or family?
Are you serious or part-time?
What is your point of difference?
Travel blogs started out as online diaries: simple, straightforward and non-commercial. They were the next step up from round-robin emails.
Entrepreneurial travellers like Barbara Weibel turned this idea into a full-time vocation. A fifty-something American, Barbara turned her back on a job she disliked to follow her heart. Now she travels the world writing about culture and people at holeinthedonut.com. Hugely prolific, she publishes a photo a day and her thousands of followers ‘travel with her vicariously.’
Then there’s the gazillions of online travel guides & information sites out there. These usually focus on a particular place / follow a theme. i.e how to travel with ageing parents, how to couch-surf across Europe.
I’ve mentioned nomadicmatt.com before. He started out with backpacking tips and now uses his blog to fund his travels. He also has a useful e-book on How to Make Money with Your Travel Blog.
Gary Arndt also travels non-stop & tells the world about his adventures at everything-everywhere.com. All these blogs make money from advertising and sponsorship. Gary also sells his photos.
But money isn’t the only reason to blog. Writers who have published book will often use blogs as a way to self-promote and build a following.
Walter Mason, author of the delightful Destination Saigon (you’ll hear more from Walter soon), is a great example of a blogger who’s also savvy with social media. The two go hand-in-hand. Using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr—to name a few—will expand your networks and build a conversation with your audience. His blogs are personal and reflective of his keen interest in Vietnam and spirituality.
Alexis Grant started off writing about her travel memoir, a story of ‘a journalist who backpacks solo through Africa.’ Now she’s expanded into a social media strategist and offers online courses on ‘How to Make your own Luck.’ Plus she offers lots of writing tips and gives a weekly round-up of other websites worth following. (Thanks Patty for putting me on to her!)
What’s exciting about blogging is you can make it whatever you want. You can be personal or keep it professional. You can upload photos, videos – make it a vlog — & do podcasts. Check out Indietravelpodcast.com for more information on podcasts.
But with over 100 million blogs out there, the more focused, the better. If you decide you want to blog and write, just be strict with how much time you actually spend blogging.
And enjoy the ride!
For those in Sydney, my next weekend travel memoir workshop is 25/26 February at the Sydney Writers Centre.
09.02.2012
© Dmitry Lobanov
It’s taken a while for me to get close to my
Kindle. Nine months in fact. (Hopeless I know.) But now we’re good friends. Many people I meet are still shocked I have crossed to the dark side of e-books. So I thought I’d share my reasons why.
What I love
It’s size, shape and weight. The fact that you can lie down and read and turn the pages with a click of a button.
It’s great for travelling. You have a whole library in your handbag without adding any kilos to your luggage. And, it fits in all my handbags.
I’m a serial reader. On a kindle I can be reading three or four books simultaneously depending on my mood.
The downloads are instant. I don’t have to a) wait three weeks if I order online b) stop what I am doing to go and find the book I want.
The books are cheaper: most are less than $5. Many of the classics are free.
Having a kindle means I’m not a luddite, but a writer and reader who’s embraced the brave new world of e-publishing.
I can highlight notes as I read rather than have all my books covered with mini-post-its.
The fact the kindle isn’t backlit is an advantage: you don’t feel like you are reading from the screen which is kinder on the eyes.
What I don’t like
Now, call me old fashioned, but the kindle doesn’t feel like a proper book. So while I use it for work-related books, where I tend to skim, if I want to savour a decent travel memoir then I need the real thing. (Funnily enough, someone told me recently that she’s the opposite. Now she skims paper backs but for a proper read, uses her kindle.)
I daren’t use my kindle in the bath and that’s where I read all my favourite books.
Lots of books I want aren’t available. But Last Seen in Lhasa is coming soon. I’ll keep you posted.
I know many independent bookstores are closing down because of more people like me a) buying from Amazon b) no longer buying books.
And, now that I’ve got an i-Pad (more on that when I’ve mastered some decent writing apps) the kindle is already looking rather quaint and old-fashioned…
So, do you kindle?
For those in Sydney, my next weekend travel memoir workshop is now 25/26 February at the Sydney Writers Centre.
02.02.2012
I’ve written about finding your voice before but this week I want to investigate it further. Voice is one of those hard-to-pin-down terms that writers and readers and critics bandy about. We’re always told to find our own voice. Make it distinctive. Make it unique.
But what does that actually mean? And how do you get there?
Last year I went on a very serious writerly retreat organised by the Writing and Society Group at the University of Western Sydney. For three days, writers and scholars talked in-depth about craft. One of the presenters, Dr Tony Macris gave this technical definition of voice.
‘It is the process of enunciation: the flow. It is the subjective feeling of writing, it is the flow of thought and converting it into language.’
What’s great about this description is the word ‘flow’. Voice is the way we communicate what’s going on inside of us—that constant movement of ideas, beliefs and thoughts—with the world outside. Of course we do this through language. But we also do it through intention.
People sometimes say to me, ‘If only I could write the way I talk.’ Often, when we convert our thoughts into words on the page something gets lost. Or it doesn’t come out the way we want.
This is where intention is important. To keep coming back to what it is you are really trying to say. And HOW you want to say it.
So you have an idea. You want to write about the most perfect day of your holidays. Your intention is to capture that perfection in words. Write that at the top of the page in bold.
Then allow yourself to get into the flow of remembering the day. Reflect on the senses. Evoke taste, touch… you know the deal. Make some notes without editing or censoring yourself. As you settle into a rhythm, allow more impressions and memories to surface.
Once you’ve written a page or so, pause and re-read your intention: to capture the perfection of that day. Have you done that yet? Keep that as the focus as you write some more. It may be one single moment—converted into a single sentence in your piece—that will nail it.
You won’t always get it on your first take. Writing is a process of discovery. Each time you write, you spiral deeper. Your voice becomes more assured. You words on paper begin to reflect how you think and how you truly want to share yourself with the world.
Feel free to share your voice below!
For those in Sydney, my next weekend travel memoir workshop is now 25/26 February at the Sydney Writers Centre.
25.01.2012
January has almost gone and in life’s busyness, I wonder how many of those good intentions to
write have slipped…
Rather than come up with all the sensible reasons to write (there are lots of blogs that do that), I want to share advice from author Natalie Goldberg. Over the break I devoured her classic Writing Down the Bones. It shouted at me to write for writing’s sake – not to get published or show off or as a career. It inspired me to write without a destination.
She calls it ‘Writing as a Practice’. Like running, ‘the more you do it, the better you get… You practice whether you want to or not… You train your mind to cut through and ignore your resistance.’
Most runners don’t expect to complete a marathon first go. But there’s a myth that if you write, the muse will instantly come. Occasionally that happens. Most of the time, you need space and time. So if you haven’t written much before, it’s tough completing a full-length travel memoir or novel. Take small steps before you attempt longer strides.
Goldberg encourages her students to ‘write the worst junk in the world’. On bad days I just give myself permission to write s**t. It’s counter-intuitive. If I have no expectations, then I’m more likely to surprise myself. Above all, it gets me clacking the keyboard.
Her personal guideline is to finish one notebook a month. Her ‘ideal’ is to write every day. When she writes in her journal, it’s her way of warming up and flexing her muscles. She’s doing it for herself, not to get published. She’s doing it as practice.
A committed Zen Buddhist, Goldberg’s all-embracing attitude is infectious: you want to start scribbling straight away. Here, writing is a form of meditation, a dance, a way of life.
‘It’s a place that you can come to wild and unbridled, mixing the dream of your grandmother’s soup with the astounding clouds outside your window. It is undirected and has to do with all of you right in the present moment.
Sit down right now. Give me this moment. Write whatever’s running through you.’
Over to you. What makes you write?
If you need encouragement and you’re in Sydney, join me for my next five-week travel memoir course starting next week, on 31st January. I also have a weekend workshop on 4 & 5th February. Both are at the Sydney Writers Centre.
19.01.2012
It’s that time of year, in Australia at least, when the summer holidays are drawing to close. It’s also the time to make juicy New Year resolutions (more on that next week). I certainly have a few. One is to keep up with my blog… whatever else is going on in my life ☺
I’ve certainly struggled over the past week to get my brain back into gear and crack on with my novel. Yes, it’s still not finished. Here are some things I’ve found helpful.
- If you’re itching to get back to writing, but, like one friend, still have the kids at home… Try this.
Before you start a mundane cleaning task, consciously think about what you want to write. Fold the washing AND think how to advance the story. As ideas come, jot them down; send the kids outside and write for 15 minutes.
I know it doesn’t sound much, but it all adds up. It will help the project percolate in your subconscious, making it easier when you do get back to writing.
- If you’re at your desk and don’t know where to start, re-read the last thing you wrote. After a break, you’ll often be positively surprised. Enjoy re-acquainting yourself with your work.
Give yourself a bite-sized task:
Edit one page.
Re-write two paragraphs.
Write a fresh introduction.
Expect your brain to be woolly on the first day and know it will get easier.
If you’re starting a new project, make a list of tasks or do a quick mind-map. Some writers like to start several word documents with a title on each page. This helps them get over that fear of staring at a blank screen.
If you’re still stuck, read one of your favourite travel memoir writers. Then, copy out, word for word, a paragraph you love. Look at the rhythm of the sentence, how the verbs function. Get back in touch with the nuts and bolts of writing.
Then, try this exercise.
Find an object related to your travels. Spend six minutes writing intuitively about it. Random words, thoughts, whatever. Don’t censor yourself.
For the next fifteen minutes, use the object to write a scene related to travel.
Describe the object in detail. Pick it up and hold it. How does it make you feel?
Write down as much of its history as you know. What memories does it store? Where did it come from? How did it come into your possession?
In this second section use the object as a way to trigger reflection and anchor your memories.
Inspired? Want to write more?
My first five-week travel memoir course in Sydney starts on 31st January & I have a weekend workshop on 4 & 5th February. Both are at the Sydney Writers Centre. Hope to see you there!
07.10.2011
I’ve written about how to edit book-length pieces of work but this post covers how to cut a travel article.
These days it’s rare to get a commission for more than 1200 words. So, say, you have written 2,500 words and your brief is 800 words. How to shave off all those extras?
Firstly, a tip on process. Always save earlier drafts of your story before you cut. That way, if you edit something that you later want, you can retrieve it. I suggest numbering your drafts like this #1, #2 as they are easier to file electronically. You can also date them.
It’s often easier to edit by printing out a copy of your story. This is time-consuming but until you get used to on-screen editing, it’s more effective. Print it out double-spaced, boil a brew, and choose a favourite red pen/pencil. Make corrections and cross through words on the hard copy. Then, start a new draft on your computer and type in the changes.
As you read your story Follow the Writer’s Mantra: How does this Sentence Advance the Story? If it doesn’t, it can probably go.
What can you cut?
Colour. This covers descriptions, adjectives, flowery turns of phrase. i.e ‘The dolphins leapt through the foaming waves, sunlight glinting on their silvery backs,’ can become ‘the dolphins leapt through the waves’.
In travel writing there’s a tendency to repeat descriptions of birds/trees/landscape/people. Often you only need a flavour of where you are visiting. Choose a couple of your best descriptions and lose the rest.
Personal anecdotes. Although travel journalism is written from the first-person point of view, the ‘I’ in a story can often dominate. ‘I was feeling sleepy as the sun rose over the plains’ can become ‘The sun rose over the plains.’
Turn passive verbs into active verbs.
Find quicker ways of describing something. i.e ‘The man walked fast’ can be ‘The man sprinted’.
Re-structure your paragraphs. If you have brief (thumb-nail) descriptions of your ski instructor dotted throughout the story, group into one paragraph.
Quotes. You can always pare back a quote. You only need a fragment to convey a sense of character.
Lastly, lose attachment to your words. Kill your darlings! The more precious you are, the harder it is when you are ruthlessly edited.
If you have a word limit, stick to it. Remember that when you edit your own work, you get to choose what stays in. This, in itself, is empowering.
Thoughts?
P.S For my Sydney readers, my last 5-week travel memoir course for 2011 starts next Wednesday 12th October at the Sydney Writers Centre.
16.09.2011
It’s taken me a bit longer to get there, but here are my tips on how to write that outstanding proposal.
Firstly, writing and re-writing a proposal can take several months. Whether you pitch to a publisher or an agent, you usually only have one shot, so make it your best.
Your proposal sells your book idea and you as the author. Use the proposal to show off your writing, so the reader gets a sense of your voice as well as your story.
It requires considerable planning, market research and forethought. You need to persuade whoever reads it that:
your book stands above the crowd
has commercial potential i.e will sell several thousand copies
why you rather than someone else is the right person to write this book
why the publisher you’ve approached should publish it.
CONTENTS OF THE PROPOSAL
1. THE OUTLINE
This is an overview of the entire book and sells the concept. It can be up to five/six pages long (double-spaced). It will answer how your book will benefit readers. i.e how does it tell the world about India in a way that no other writer does. What is the book’s unique contribution? How have you told the story in an original way?
In the outline you can also say what sort of book it is: i.e a pocket-sized guidebook or an average paperback. How many pages? Most travel memoirs are around 200 – 250 pages.
You can also mention how far into the manuscript you are. Do you still have more trips to do? Or is it written? What is the date you expect to finish?
Conclude with something compelling about your book. Make the reader want to know more.
2. YOUR BIOGRAPHY
This needs to emphasise how your life experience has given you the tools to write this book. This is generally written in the third-person. i.e as ‘he/she’ not ‘I’. Although if you want to be more informal, you can write as ‘I’.
3. MARKETING INFORMATION
Here you spell out why you think your book will sell, how it differs—or is similar—to other titles on the market. Include any books in competition to yours and after briefly describing them, emphasise your point of difference.
Show how your book fills a niche. i.e when I put my proposal together for Last Seen in Lhasa, I mentioned that it was similar to Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French because it was written with authority, but that my story was more personal and about a friendship between two women. In my case I chose Tibet, Tibet because it had recently been published and was selling very well.
Indicate your target audience. If your book is about mountaineering, find some stats on how many Australians belong to mountaineering groups. The more different groups you can identify who will read your book, the more likely the marketing department will say yes. Don’t be afraid to put together a solid marketing plan with graphics, figures and charts if that’s your style.
If you already have a following through your website or database, spell out the numbers. If you know people who can endorse your book, say so.
4. BREAKDOWN OF CHAPTERS
Give a brief detailed description of each chapter in a paragraph or two. Include snappy chapter headlines if you can. If you are putting together a proposal for a business book, it’s fine to use lists or bullet-points. For a memoir, it’s important to show the narrative quality of your writing.
5. SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Include no more than three sample chapters, up to 10,000 words (although around 5,000 words is usually okay.)
6. PRESS CLIPPINGS
Include any relevant press clippings about you and your work.
7. COVERING LETTER
Make your covering letter brief. Ensure all your contact details are there. Simple, but easily overlooked!
Ensure it looks professional. Read any guidelines on the publisher’s website about how they like proposals presented: usually it is double-spaced, sometimes they ask for an sae.
Get it proof-read by someone you trust.
Lastly, send it to the right editor/publisher—someone who commissions non-fiction books.
Phew! No wonder it took me a couple of weeks to get to this post.
Any other advice, feel free to comment.
01.09.2011
Ask anyone who writes regularly in a private journal why they do it, and they usually say, ‘because it makes me feel better.’ I’ve written a diary since I was nine. When I was growing up I did it every night. These days it’s more haphazard, but when I’m struggling with a personal or professional issue, I make time to sit and write.
For years I’ve been fascinated why writing helps. So I’ve delved deeper and have come across some interesting scientific research on how writing regularly improves mental and physical wellbeing, increases the body’s immune system, reduces the number of visits to the doctor and lessens the impact of trauma.
James Pennebaker from the University of Texas in Austin is a pioneer in this field. He’s conducted several studies with people ranging from college students to prisoners, crime victims to chronic pain sufferers.
Here are some of his key findings from just one of his articles, Forming a Story: The Health Benefits of Narrative.
Writing for 15 minutes over the course of three days improves mental and physical health.
Those who benefit most use ‘a high number of positive-emotion words and a moderate amount of negative-emotion words’.
By writing about an emotional experience, people integrate the experience better.
The physical act of writing ‘allows disturbing experiences to subside gradually from conscious thought’.
Expressive writing helps in romantic relationships.
And here are a few more reasons of my own:
Storytelling is an innate human ‘gene’. As we make sense of our world through narrative, we also make sense of our own lives.
By writing, we externalise feelings on to the page. When you do that, you literally write out your pain or grief. In time, you are able to distance yourself from the event.
Journaling is a way to be your own therapist. All you need is pen and paper. You may like to invest in a beautiful handmade diary or you might prefer a simple bound notebook. What’s important is that you give yourself permission to write as often as you need to and carve out the time to do it.
There’s much more to say on this. If you happen to be in Byron Bay this weekend, I’m running a workshop Writing to Heal, Writing to Inspire on Saturday 3rd September and there’s still a couple of places left.
How does writing help you navigate through your life?
P.S I haven’t forgotten about the post on writing that winning proposal. Next time.
19.08.2011
It can be a lonely road to the top. This week is a round up of publishing tips. Next post, I’ll focus
on how to write a winning proposal.
Traditional Publishing
This requires a decent proposal sent to an agent or direct to a publisher. If you are sending to a publisher, ensure you have the correct name of the editor who publishes non-fiction/travel memoir. You can often find names of agents/editors in the acknowledgements of other travel memoirs. Pick half-a-dozen of your favourites and start there.
Agents' and publishers' contact details can be found in the Australian Writers Marketplace. Read their submission guidelines carefully.
Allen & Unwin still publish travel memoirs regularly and offer the Friday Pitch. Essentially you email them a short synopsis and the first chapter of your work. If they like what they read, they will get back to you within a fortnight. This is for fiction and non-fiction.
If you go down this route, or you approach any publisher directly, make sure your writing is as good as it can be. Ask friends for critical feedback or get professional advice. Normally you only have one shot with a publisher.
Self-publishing
For a full discussion on the pros and cons, check out American agent Rachelle Gardner’s recent post. Remember that she’s talking about the American market which is much bigger than the Australian. In Australia, if you sell 10,000 copies, that’s considered a success. Still, there are interesting ideas in the discussion.
If you want to go down the self-publishing route, the Australian Selfpublishing group consider themselves ‘cooperative self publishers’ and have book stands at the London and Frankfurt book fairs. They are currently looking for submissions for the 2011 October fair in Frankfurt.
E-books
E-books are another option worth exploring, especially if you want to use your travel memoir as a ‘calling card’ to get other work. Both self-publishing and e-books are often popular among business authors who sell their books at seminars or workshops.
I published my first e-book Secrets of Travel Writing last year. Despite no marketing, I sell several a month (cost $17.95) to customers all over the world. I plan to expand on this and write several others once I finish my current major book project.
You can also publish your e-books through Lulu, which claims to be the global leader in self-publishing. This is a one-stop-shop for publishing, marketing and distribution.
Then, of course, there’s Amazon. You can find e-books on every topic on Amazon Kindle e-books. Many are free, most cost no more than $5.
If you’re based in Sydney and want to find out more, Sydney Writers Centre run seminars on self-publishing and Amazon e-books. I’m planning to go myself. Otherwise, there’s plenty of advice online.
If you do go down the self-publishing route, you must think how to build your online platform and how to promote your book. Marketing is key. Novelpublicity offers lots of services to do just that.
Anyone out there got a success story? Feel free to share.
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