Have Idea, Will Travel (or rather, will travel, have idea)

Magdalena from Salford wants to become a travel writer. She asked: can you give me some advice on travel writing? I’m going to be taking a number of trips this year and hope to write up some of them, but I’m not sure how to find angles for features.

Firstly, you need to think about query letters. These can be sent either before or after a trip, but it is essential that you know exactly what your article will cover and how you intend to deal with the information, so it is often easier to query after you get back. However, if you do query in advance, make sure you mention when you will be going, so that the editor doesn’t ‘pencil you in’ too soon if she likes the idea.

I find my angles for travel features often occur to me when I’m actually in the location. I see something unusual, or notice a particular event that is different, and then build my article around that. It’s quite difficult to decide in advance, before you’ve even visited a place, what it is that is going to stand out. Keep your eyes open at all times, sometimes even a taxi trip can provide the inspiration for a unique angle. I always chat to locals and try to get to see the place through their eyes.

Also, do bear in mind that you can often write several different articles using the same information from different angles.

Markets need to be fully researched, but the following websites might be of benefit to you.

http://www.wexas.com/travel/traveller/

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/destinations/europe/

http://www.internationalliving.com

http://www.hiddeneurope.co.uk

http://www.goworldtravel.com/

You can write your article on a trip taken as far back in the past as you like, as long as your facts are completely up to date. When querying, don’t mention when the trip took place, but send in an outline showing how you will deal with the information and the tone the article will take.

One final point, few editors will accept a travel feature without illustrations, so take lots of high quality pictures.

Critique Service for Writers
Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
Flash 500 Humour Verse Competition

Writing Life Experiences @TrishaNicholson #writetip

Today we have an excellent guest post from Trish Nicholson, who gives some good advice on using real life experiences in our writing.

We are all familiar with the advice: ‘write about what you know’ but what does it mean?

When Susan, a new member of our writing group, responded to feedback on her story, wailing, “But it’s true. It happened like that!” we all realised how ambiguous that statement is. Yet it is basically good advice for writing both fiction and non-fiction, so I thought about it, and this is what I came up with.

‘Real life’ is not a story:

Our lives are made up of disconnected actions: catching the train to work, texting friends, changing a nappy, pushing a vacuum cleaner around; and of discontinuous shreds of conversation full of ums and errs. The actions don’t make a story, and the ums and errs don’t make dialogue, until writing craft is applied to organise them into plots and scripts. Writing craft is based on reality, but makes sense of it by selecting only those elements that can be woven into a sequence with a specific meaning and purpose. Even fantasy has to be grounded in some idea of reality for readers to comprehend it. A story is an interpretation of life crafted into words, and so is an article or an essay.

And unlike ‘real life’, stories and articles have a finite ending – happy, tragic or enigmatic, they have to end. Have you noticed how little closure there is in our lives – even when we seek it? Work schedules, relationships, other people’s expectations, our own feelings; there are always frayed threads everywhere because, well, ‘life goes on.’ One of the important things to learn about writing ‘what you know’ is how to structure it to a satisfying conclusion.

We know more than we think:

However mundane or boring life seems at times, our experiences and perceptions are all part of the human saga and a rich vein of knowledge for a writer. To tap this source, we need to increase our awareness of what is going on around us, and inside us, and to record it. Whether in a diary, a prized moleskin notebook, or on the back of the gas bill, we should note not only what our five senses show us, but what we think it means and how we feel about it. Recording includes photographs – so easy now with digital devices – because we can mine these later, for visual clues and stimulation. We can then expand our personal knowledge with research where necessary.

When writing travelogue, I start by deciphering the scribbles in my journals – a collection of little black journalists’ tablets because they fit easily into a pocket, so are always at hand. Amongst all the facts – locations, dates, names – are snippets of overheard conversation, brief character sketches, stray words that come to mind to encapsulate what is happening, and cryptic comments about how I feel (often a great source of amusement to me on re-reading).

While studying my notes, I scroll through the photographs. Although we joke about tourists who ‘click it now and see it later’ – better photographs do result from immersion in a scene before pressing the button –  a picture, even long after the event, can recall not only the occasion, but the smell, touch and sound associated with it. This process is equally productive for ‘experiencing’ the setting of your novel as you write.

Writing our experience:

The only difference between writing our experience as fiction, and as non-fiction, is what we write – not how we write: rhythm, imaginative language, character development and storytelling – all these elements of writing craft apply to both. In what they write, fiction writers have greater freedom to use their knowledge to create ‘worlds’ – within the limitations of reader credibility. Non-fiction writers have a duty to adhere to facts, and to honour the truth to the best of their ability. We are all subjective, that is an inescapable fact, but being aware of it, and sharing enough with readers for them to see where our truth comes from, helps achieve balance.

Within these constraints, non-fiction writers are free to express their experience and knowledge in the creative form and style of their choice. I’ll give you an example. My journal entry for a ruined, sixteenth century, fortified monastery included some dry historical facts, and the phrase, “massive structure – mist...eerie silence.”

With the photograph beside me as I wrote Journey in Bhutan, it became this: Standing in this quiet spot, listening to birds singing and leaves crinkling in the breeze, it is hard to imagine these hillsides echoing with the thunderous clatter of war horses and the deadly whisper of arrows, but since at least the seventh century, various Tibetan war-lords and rulers have tried to expand their influence into the favoured valleys of Bhutan.

I was attempting to whisper in the reader’s ear, to place them where I was standing, by using imagery. For Susan, trying to turn ‘what she knew’ into a short story, she already had the imagery, the inner experience; what she needed to do was create more ‘facts’ – incidents and conflicts – as well as a satisfying ending.

Trish Nicholson is the author of the illustrated e-book travelogue, Journey in Bhutan: Himalayan Trek in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon. 

Buy Journey in Bhutan on Amazon in your country

Trish writes weekly on her blog at: http://www.trishnicholsonswordsinthetreehouse.com

~~~~~

Critique Service for Writers
Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
Flash 500 Humour Verse Competition

Talk Proper

Today's guest post is from master dialogue writer, Danny Gillan. Danny's Scratch is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time - and the brilliant humour owes much to his light touch with dialogue. The following article first appeared in Words with JAM and I am delighted to be able to share Danny's advice with you.

Talk Proper

by

Danny Gillan

Let’s talk about dialogue.

            You know who your characters are; you know what you need them to do to get to that ending you have mapped out for the paragraph/chapter/novel/glass of wine you’re determined to finish before you have a bath.

            You know their back-stories. You’ve possibly detailed those back stories already in chapter one (mistake). They’re all distinct, different people in your mind. One might be, I don’t know, an alcoholic police detective (also a mistake); another could be that detective’s grumpy, disbelieving boss who has marital troubles (honestly, don’t). Yet another may well be the innocent newbie who’s acting as the reader’s way in to this decadent world - could be a fresh-faced police officer or a witness to a heinous crime (just, you know, don’t!). You may also have your villain sorted by this stage. He might be a criminal mastermind who is using his previous history as the alcoholic detective’s ex-partner/mentor (please, please don’t) to taunt your heroes. You’ve probably written a first person scene with him already, where he does a murder or something.

            Eventually though, these people are going to have to speak to one another, and they’re going to have to do more than spout blatant exposition when they do.

            Problem is, the blatant exposition still has to be in there. Yes, you can cover some of it by ‘telling’ the reader, but we all know what kind of critiques that gets us (shudder).

            I mainly write comedy, which tends to be dialogue rich and exposition light, as a rule. Why the hell did I start this article with a clichéd crime novel set up then, you may be asking yourself. Frankly, I’m asking myself the same question. It’s a mystery. How have I managed to get 300 words into an article about dialogue without using any quote marks, you may also be asking yourself. That too is a mystery, and one which will almost certainly be edited out by the time you read this.

So, first rule of dialogue - make sure the things your characters say are things people would actually say in the given situation:

            ‘Jake Amos, you’re a goddamn disgrace to that badge you carry. That thing used to shine, do you remember that, eh? Or has the whiskey you pour into yourself turned that black, too?’

            Now, there’s nothing drastically wrong with that as a line of dialogue. It tells you what you need to know - Jake’s boss thinks he’s a drunkard and no good at his job because of him being a drunkard. It could easily be followed by a line like, oh -

            ‘This is your last chance, Amos. You let this girl die, you’re out of here, y’hear?’

            And Jake might say something along the lines of -

            ‘Yes, boss.’

            Or possibly, ‘Fuck you, boss. See you in the morning.’ Depending on how recalcitrant you’ve decided to make him.

            Nothing wrong with any of that, you might think. And you’d be right. Apart from one little thing. That thing being - IT’S RUBBISH!

            Why is it rubbish? Let’s think about it.

            This is reality, there’s your first point of reference. Any middle manager who has an employee with an obvious alcohol problem isn’t going to hand over an important piece of work to that person, certainly not one where lives may be at risk. No, a decent, conscientious manager would advise that employee to seek treatment in the hope that they might one day return to active duty as a useful member of the team, after whatever therapy was required. So, the dialogue might more realistically go something like:

            ‘Jake Amos! How you doing? Listen, Jake, I need to take you off the team for a while. You need help, bud. If you’re stupid enough not to realise that for yourself then I guess I’ll have to realise it for you, y’hear?’

            ‘Yes, boss.’

            Or possibly, ‘Fuck you, boss. See you in the morning.’ Depending on how recalcitrant etc. Either way, Jake’s going to hospital before he finds out a thing about the missing girl/child/racehorse. Of course this might cause you a few issues with the story you have in mind, but that’s your problem not mine.

***

Second rule of dialogue - don’t use it to tell the reader things the characters already know. Nothing sets off alarm bells in a reader’s mind like this common mistake does.

            ‘Jake, I know you’ve got a drink problem, I see it every day, for God’s sake! You have to forgive yourself for not getting to that little boy in time eight years ago. It wasn’t your fault that his junkie mother sold him for three grams of heroine and a fish supper to the local pimp, who went on to abuse the boy by ignoring child labour laws and forcing him to work as a window cleaner. Yes, if you’d made it to the flats five minutes earlier you might have been able to grab him before he fell, but how could you have known that at the time? How, Jake? Tell me how!’

            Do you see the problem? You might want the reader to know about Jake’s run in with the child on the dodgy ladder to give an insight into his scarred psyche, but having another character repeat his history, to him, is not the way to go about it. Real people just don’t do that.

Third rule of dialogue - actual human beings’ speech is rarely grammatically correct. News flash - even posh people use contractions!

            ‘I am coming with you, Jake; you do not have to face this alone. I will start the car while you are gathering your arsenal of firearms and squeezy cloths.’

            ‘You have got to be kidding. Fuck off please, boss. I will see you tomorrow morning.’

            See what I’m saying? It’s not only okay to mess around with the rules of ‘proper’ grammar when writing dialogue, it’s practically compulsory.

Fourth rule of dialogue - real people rarely use one another’s names when chatting.

            You can just about get away with this once at the beginning of a conversation, just to let the reader know who’s talking to whom, but once that’s established you don’t have to keep reminding us. Most humans who can read are relatively smart, they’ll figure it out.

            ‘Jake, put that chamois down, you’re going nowhere.’

            ‘But Felix, I have to go. I can’t let another child hit that pavement. Not again, Felix. Not again.’

            ‘I know, Jake. I know you can’t. We’ll do it together, Jake.’

            ‘Thanks, Felix.’

            ‘No problem, Jake.’

            It’s not right, is it?

Fifth rule of dialogue - go easy on the dialect/accent.

            ‘Away tae feck, ya bugger. Ah’ll dae whit the hell ah waant tae. Ah’m no’ kidding aboot wae this scunner any maer. Huv ye no’ seen how high they flats ur?’

            Phonetically and colloquially correct it may be, but easy reading it is not. Rule of thumb here is to check the name on your birth certificate. Unless it says Irvine Welsh, think seriously about how far you go.

Biggest rule of dialogue - copy (okay, learn from) other people who are better at it than you are.

            Personally I think there’s more to be learned from talented screenwriters than novelists in this area. For truly superb dialogue watch the films of Tarantino, Kevin Smith or Judd Apatow to name but a few. George Lucas, not so much.

            The best people to stea­—I mean learn from are even closer to hand than Netflix. They’re everywhere you go, in fact. Pay attention to the people you meet and interact with every day. Listen to the rhythm of their speech. Watch out for any quirks that help immediately identify that person - missing pronouns, stupid adjectives etc. Notice how friends develop their own shorthand when chatting.

            Whoever your characters may be - detectives, vampires, poets, lovers, misery merchants, alien sex marauders or underage window cleaners - you’ll be able to find a real life analogue somewhere in your life whose speech patterns you can borrow for that character. And no, I’m not suggesting you find an actual vampire or child window cleaner to copy, that would be far too time consuming. Just look for someone around you who speaks in a way that would suit the character you have in your head. Or, failing that, make all the baddies speak like your parents/teachers/priest and all the goodies sound like yourself. That ought to work.

Finally, a few words about dialogue tags - where possible, don’t.

  

Critique Service for Writers
Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
Flash 500 Humour Verse Competition

Traveller's Tales

Fancy being a Travel Writer? Do you want to get invited to VIP events, or use the Press and VIP areas at exhibitions, shows, etc?

The guest post today comes from well established travel writer, Lyn Funnell. Lyn has kindly shared with us some of her tips and advice for those wishing to follow in her footsteps.

As Lyn says: Yes, it is fun to be greeted with coffee and breakfast when you arrive, or to watch something going on from a rooftop bar, while drinking wine and eating lunch.

I never know what email is going to pop into my inbox next. It adds excitement to my life! I may suddenly get an invitation to a restaurant launch, or to Rimini or Cuba, or who knows where?

What do you have to do to join this exclusive club of writers?

You have to write. And you need referrals. No, that’s not as dumb as it sounds. You’d be surprised at the arrogance of some people, who know what I do for a living and think, ‘I could do that!’ Then they approach newspapers and magazines and ask if they can write for them!

Duh, there’s something missing here, eg. some writing!

How do you start? The best way is to start writing for your local newspaper. They’re all struggling financially, so you won’t get paid. But they appreciate a local contact.

Pick a subject. You have to work this out for yourself. Now I’m going to go against what I just said. There’s a growing number of magazines, especially online, being launched in this country who expect their contributors to work for nothing. Stop and think now. Are they working for nothing? Of course not! They are getting contributions from second-rate writers who have often been turned down by the Biggies. It lowers the quality of their publications. And it is making it harder for professional writers.

But then again, if you sense a good contact, go for it. But only once or twice.

I’ll back-track now. As I said, start by writing for your local paper. But don’t belittle yourself.

Another problem with the bad small mags is they often edit your work. And the staff are not professional writers. They can make your article look amateur.

The worst thing that happened to me was an edited plural with an ‘s. My pet hate. I wrote to them and said that I was now forced to change my name and emigrate!

Make sure that you control your own work. Don’t grovel. It’s your reputation that’s on the line.

What should you write about? Travel, of course! Forget anywhere abroad at the moment, unless you have a holiday booked.

Write about your own town, or an interesting place nearby. There are a lot of British-orientated magazines always looking for colourful articles. Remember that Britain is a big place!

Always, always carry a notebook and a million pens with you! Write on the hoof. Scribble away as you walk, or ride on a coach, plane or train.

Invest in a good camera. They’ve dropped right down in price and the quality of an average-priced camera is good enough for magazines. Photos, photos, and photos!

Be organised. Carrry a light-weight bag slipped over your shoulder so that your hands are free. Wear your camera. Have your notebook within reach.

Be bold. Is there a historical building in your town, used as a factory? Pop in there and ask questions. Most people are helpful.

Find that unusual angle.

Join the International Travel Writers’ Alliance. Tell Ashley Gibbins that I highly recommended him. Membership is free.

Don’t underestimate yourself. But don’t overestimate yourself! When you look back in a few years at your first attempts, that you though were sheer brilliance and couldn’t understand why they were turned down, you’ll probably cringe with embarrassment!

Don’t give up. Keep learning and improving. Read, read, read. You’ll learn so much from other writers. My favourite travel writer is HV Morton. He died 32 years ago this week. He wrote a lot of books, and they’re still masterpieces today. I laugh aloud and I wish I could write like him.

But I will one day. I just keep trying and improving myself.

Lyn Funnell is an author, speaker, writer, journalist, travel writer (specialising in culture, food and crafts) and a radio presenter. She is a member of Southeast Authors, the International Travel Writers' Alliance, the London Press Club, the Society of Women Writers & Journalists, Women in Journalism, Gorkanapress, the London Comedy Club and the British Fantasy Society. Her articles have been published in newspapers and magazines, both in the UK and abroad. I have a regular weekly column in our local newspaper. So far this year her press trips have taken her to Reims, Rimini and Cuba.

The Writer’s ABC Checklist