I never dreamed that I would be working as a travel writer, exploring far flung corners of the world, doing things I never thought about. I have had to overcome many personal fears in order to go into underground caves, snorkel alongside sharks in the Galapagos islands in deep, frigid water, interview famous people, take photos worth publishing, blog, and promote myself. There is so much more I have yet to do – tweet, vlog, have a television or radio show.
I need to experience adventures first hand to be able to write about them. I have taken part in a sailing regatta in the British Virgin Islands, snorkeled in Grenada, St. Maarten, and explored the Galapagos islands in a small boat. I snow-shoed and battled high elevation in Colorado in winter, and hiked the canyons in summer, eaten my way around Wisconsin, experienced cold that I never thought possible during the Quebec Winter Carnival, and learned how to honor the dead at Day of the Dead festival in Mexico.
I accidentally fell into travel writing, after writing for most of my life. It has been a wonderfully steep learning curve, flying by the seat of my pants. A combination of last minute trips, learning how to pack properly, and most importantly learning how to pitch ideas to publishers, connect with public relations people and tourism boards. All of it has been done planning the next trip, still writing about the last.
If you are interested in finding out how to make the travel writer’s life work for you, join a workshop, July 14 and 15th , 2012 in Southampton, Ontario where I will be sharing tips and tricks of being a travel writer.
Description of course:
Love to travel and dream of being a travel writer? Good travel writing is more than just describing where you’ve been and what you’ve seen. Travel writers must convey to readers places in their imaginations and beyond, using sensual description, strong narrative, unusual imagery and a clear voice. This course is an opportunity to learn those skills that will transport your writing–and your readers–to faraway places and strange new worlds. If your head is swimming with travel stories… if you like to try new shops and cafés, find out how to live the travel writer’s life.
Through a series of exercises, this workshop encourages people who love to travel to tap into their ability to write creatively. Discussions will cover how to get started and where to look for publishing opportunities.
To register: contact The Southampton Art School, www. southamptonart.com, 1-800-806-8838 519-797-5068
Melody Wren 